Bordeaux 2016 at Two Years: St Estèphe
The St Estèphe appellation has been quietly rebellious in recent years, bucking the vintage trend like a malcontent teenager. The 2014 vintage is a case in point; in a year in which the wines of the left bank tended towards cooler and leaner textures, made bright by the year’s trademark acidity, those in St Estèphe were confidently superior, and this was clearly still the case when I revisited the 2014 Bordeaux vintage at four years of age, just a month or two ago. The situation in 2015 was reversed, with the commune producing some of least convincing left-bank wines in that vintage, as I confirmed just a few months ago when I reported on my tastings of the 2015 Bordeaux vintage at two years. It is one of the few corners of Bordeaux where the 2014 vintage would seem to be superior to 2015. Just about everywhere else, the opposite is true.
Happily, in 2016 the leading châteaux of St Estèphe appear to have lost interest in this temporary rebellion, turning out a collection of wines which seem to embody the joyous region-wide success of the vintage. The top cru classé wines are simply stellar, rich in dark fruit flavours, but with a medium-bodied substance, a sinewy backbone and dry, savoury flavours, with a fresh lift of cool acidity. It is this classicism, with such wonderful balance, as I explained in my introduction to this review of the vintage at two years of age, that appeals so much in this vintage.
Among the top three châteaux quality is extraordinarily high, the combination of a very benevolent vintage, meticulous work in the vineyard, strict selections and a very precise work in the cellars. The differences between these three wines are minimal, but for me it was the 2016 from Château Montrose that settled out on top, with a superb contradiction of textured density and richly perfumed fruit, versus a deft, light-footed frame and poise. I dithered about the score, as it could so easily have been one point higher, but hopefully the team at the château and those sensible enough to have acquired a few bottles will be content with my final decision in this regard. The 2016 from Château Cos d’Estournel was also an exemplary wine, filled with dehydrated fruit character, representing the concentration of the vintage, with a perfumed overlay. It is also a strong result which seems to embody the very character of the vintage. I should also say that the second wines from both estates were on point, and were superior to most other wines tasted here, including some other cru classé wines.
