Bordeaux 2012 Cru Bourgeois: Médoc
To conclude my review of the 2012 Cru Bourgeois selection I turn now to the wines of the Médoc. This is a region devoid of grand cru classé châteaux and correspondingly rich in properties working at the cru bourgeois level. This is largely a reflection of the soils this far north, as there is more clay here, and little of the gravel which lifts the top wines of St Estèphe, Pauillac, St Julien and Margaux to a very different level. It is therefore unsurprising that the Médoc is always the largest contributor to the annual Cru Bourgeois listing.
Of my three favourites here two were less familiar names, while one is a well-known high-flyer in the Cru Bourgeois arena. The latter estate is Château Rollan de By (pictured), a name I suspect most readers will be familiar with. This is a very large estate located north of Bégadan, barely a kilometre from the waters of the Gironde. There is some gravel here, but also deeper clay and sand. As is common this far north the focus is on Merlot which is planted across 70% of the vineyard, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc accounting for 15%, 10% and 5% respectively. I think this is my strongest recommendation from amongst this cohort of wines.
Having said that, two other estates also put on a good show in this tasting. Château Fleur la Mothe was the first; I wasn’t a great fan of the 2011 (although if you look through my notes, I didn’t find much joy anywhere in the Médoc in 2011, so I will forego future comparisons) but the 2012 is a real step up. The vineyard has some gravel, along with quartz and sand, as well as the ubiquitous clay of the Médoc of course. There are 13 hectares all told, planted 50% to Merlot (mainly on the clay) and 50% to Cabernet Sauvignon (on the gravelly soils, naturally). The château is a long-established one, but it was purchased in 2008 by three oenologists, Antoine Médeville, Henri Boyer and Edouard Massie, and so they should take the credit for this successful 2012.
