Bordeaux 2012 Primeurs: St Emilion
There is no straightforward soundbite for St Emilion in this vintage, mirroring my inability to apply a simple soundbite to the vintage as a whole. It is perhaps not that surprising; this is a complex appellation, with a mix of strikingly different terroirs planted with different grape varieties. Although Merlot dominates, some wines feature Cabernet Franc over this variety, the obvious examples being Le Dôme, Cheval Blanc and Ausone. Many other estates are also beginning to lean this way, as the very early ripening and consequent problems with tannin and high alcohol so easily developed by Merlot in the warmer climate enjoyed by Bordeaux in recent years is pushing vineyard managers towards Cabernet Franc instead. Two châteaux, Angélus and Pavie, are perhaps more notable in this matter than others; a case of these newly elevated estates emulating their Class ‘A’ peers, perhaps? The potential complexity is clear to see, and this is before we explore the different viticultural and vinification philosophies, driving some estates to leaf-pluck and others not to, some estates to continue with full-on maceration, and others to hold back, and so on.
My day in St Emilion started at 9am, a very civilised hour. Indeed, this was a lazy lie-in when compared to my 8am starts at Château La Mission Haut-Brion and Château Calon-Ségur earlier in the week, a feeling that was only enhanced by the fact that, as I was now using a Libourne hotel as my base, it was just a ten minute drive to my first port of call, Château Pavie. This was a stark and welcome contrast to the near 90-minute slog it took me to get to La Mission Haut-Brion on Monday.
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