Bordeaux 2013 at Two Years: Pauillac
I know Pauillac is a favourite appellation for many, rich in vineyards that offer a touch of cru classé or cru bourgeois value – the likes of Château Batailley, Château Haut-Batailley and Château Pibran, among others, being popular choices – but there are of course also three first growths here, not to mention two supreme second growths. We can debate the style of Pauillac versus St Julien or Margaux for as long as the Gironde flows past their vineyards and into the Atlantic Ocean, but in terms of quality this appellation is something of a power-house. Even in a vintage seemingly characterised by rain and rot, with such prestigious terroirs, and such famous names, surely here we can expect something a little better than the norm?
Happily, our expectations are not unrealistic. Not entirely unrealistic anyway; I guess it depends on just how much you think is possible in a vintage like 2013. Although I have not been able to taste at all the top domaines, for various reasons, where I have been able to tap into the first and second growths the wines here do – on occasion – rise above the general mélee.
Looking at the first growth level, I visited Château Mouton-Rothschild to taste with Philippe Dhalluin, and was pleased to find his wines in general realised the potential hinted at during the primeurs. He has chosen to focus on the fruit, which (to my eternal surprise) was not a universal response to the vintage. While the wines presented in some other domaines up and down the Médoc feel like stripped-out oak juice, the fruit stretched too far and too thin over the wood, the Rothschild wines – which of course also include Château d’Armailhac and Château Clerc-Milon – are fresh and fruit-driven. In part this is the result of Philippe reducing the élevage, down to only 13 or 14 months. “It is not a very structured vintage”, he says (translated from French for me, so perhaps this should be regarded as an approximation of what he said). “It is fruity, crunchy, full of freshness and crispy fruit, and you can see this as a positive”. His being wary of allowing the wood to dominate in this vintage has paid off, I think, as his wines do have a young, fresh, acid-driven appeal.
