Bordeaux 2014 Primeurs: St Emilion Tasting Notes
Despite the difficulties with Merlot in this vintage, there do seem to be some strong wines at the very top level in St Emilion. In some cases we can explain this away with the presence of a significant percentage of Cabernet Franc in the vineyard and in the blend. Château Pavie, for example, is a very attractive wine indeed; I am not always a fan, as the Perse portfolio has tended towards sur-maturité in the past, and indeed evidence of this trait can still be found in the range here, but Château Pavie itself has a very pure black plum character with great freshness to it. It feels very much like a wine built around Cabernet Franc, a variety which accounts or at least 22% of the vineyard, and which surely plays a larger role within the grand vin.
We have a similar story at Château Angélus, where Cabernet Franc today occupies approximately half the vineyard, and this predominance is carried through into the blend of the grand vin, which is 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot. Behind the floral elements there is grip and acid-lined freshness, and although the barrel sample I tasted seemed buffed up by oak, it was clear that there is good potential here.
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