Bordeaux 2013 Primeurs: St Estèphe Tasting Notes
So are there other successes in this commune, beyond the big three? Yes, there are, although not in the places where you might expect. Three estates stand out, and as indicated in my introduction all three have some big-name connections, suggesting winemaking savoir-faire might be more important than great terroir in this vintage. The first is Château Tronquoy-Lalande, managed by the same team as Château Montrose.
At Tronquoy-Lalande, the harvest began on September 27th for the Merlots, October 7th for the Cabernet Sauvignon, ending with Petit Verdot on October 12th. The Montrose team credit the gravelly soil with their success, as it provided good drainage, lowering the humidity levels, and keeping the botrytis in check. As I indicate above though, I’m not convinced by this story, as there are plenty of gravelly terroirs along the length of the Gironde, but successes such as this are very much a minority in this vintage. The fruit was hand-sorted before and after destemming, and the grand vin, which is 52% Merlot, is very successful for the vintage, even though it accounts for 89% of the harvest. The second wine was not offered for tasting, perhaps reflecting low volumes produced, this being just 11% of what was already a very small harvest.
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