Bordeaux 2016 Cru Bourgeois: Médoc Communes
The communal appellations of the Medoc peninsula, I have realised over the years, are not the happiest of hunting grounds at the Cru Bourgeois level. I think this is at least in part because many of the better vineyards have been bought up over the years by wealthy neighbours, their vines absorbed into the vineyard of cru classé properties. This activity certainly seems to have sucked up most of the contenders in the Pauillac and St Julien appellations. There are, however, plenty of choices in the St Estèphe and Margaux appellations, and of course we must not overlook the many châteaux of Moulis and Listrac; there are some good wines in these less prestigious appellations.
While some famous names mentioned in my notes below certainly hold some appeal, it is the absence of leading châteaux in these appellations that will perhaps give the Alliance des Cru Bourgeois du Médoc its greatest headache in the coming years. Some châteaux outside the 1855 classification have long eschewed any meaningful involvement with the system, names such as Château Angludet (Margaux) and Château Gloria (St Julien). Those that were once involved, particularly those ranked as Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in the ill-fated 2003 classification, have also long departed. These include Château Chasse-Spleen and Château Poujeaux (Moulis), Château Haut-Marbuzet, Château Phélan-Ségur, Château Les Ormes de Pez and Château de Pez (St Estèphe) and good old Château Siran (Margaux). Most of the proprietors of these châteaux seem happier aligning themselves with their grander neighbours, and relying on Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux activities for their PR opportunities, where they get to pour their wines alongside the likes of Château Léoville-Barton, Château Pichon-Baron, Château Valandraud and Château Gazin, to name just four. I can understand this approach, but the reluctance of these high-ranking but non-cru classé Médoc châteaux to engage with the Cru Bourgeois system thus far does weaken the value of the classification.
