Bordeaux 2012 at Ten Years: The Left Bank
I begin on the left bank, bringing together forty tasting notes on the wines of Pessac-Léognan, St Estèphe, Pauillac, St Julien and Margaux.
As indicated in my introduction to the 2012 vintage at ten years of age, this was always a more challenging year for the left bank appellations, with their gravelly soils and reliance on Cabernet Sauvignon over Merlot. Nevertheless, on the whole the wines featured put in a solid performance, with many commendable bottles. On the whole I was pleased with how the wines have evolved thus far, and the still evident structure the best wines possess which will carry them forward on the cellar for another decade or so. Is it an exciting vintage? No, not really. But are these wines recognisable as left-bank Bordeaux, with modest textures, restrained alcohol levels and a sense of authenticity, with the potential for future development in the cellar? Why, yes, undeniably so.
Looking to the first growths first, all five of which I report on below, these all equipped themselves rather well, although there were certainly differences in how they performed.
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