Bordeaux 2012 Primeurs: St Julien Tasting Notes
It is worth looking briefly at one or two other châteaux before summing up in this commune. First, Château Gruaud-Larose, where they began picking the Merlot on October 2nd, and were finished by October 5th. There was a pause before the Cabernets were picked, beginning on October 11th, finishing on October 18th, with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot coming in on October 10th and 11th respectively. The wine has that usual sandalwood spice and elegance that seems to define the wines of Gruaud-Larose these days, even in their youth, but otherwise it is very much a wine of the vintage.
Somewhat more impressive was the wine of Château Beychevelle, not an estate I visited this year, but instead a wine I tasted at the UGC tasting at Phélan-Ségur. Here, picking began on September 27th with the Merlots, the harvest stretching forward to October 12th. Both the Cabernet Franc and the Petit Verdot were picked between October 10th and 11th; once all this fruit was in picking of the Cabernet Sauvignon began on October 12th. The yield was 42 hl/ha. Approaching the wine at the UGC tasting I was immediately struck by its darker texture and more confident midpalate; it seemed to stand out among the many St Juliens on show here. The assemblage includes a heady 44% Merlot, pushing the IPT up to 75, no mean feat in this vintage. This was an attractive wine.
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