Bordeaux 2018 Cru Bourgeois: Médoc
In the concluding part of my report on my recent tastings of the newly classified Cru Bourgeois wines in the 2018 vintage we come to the Médoc. This, the most northerly appellation on the left bank, is a busy corner of Bordeaux for the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc, with more classified châteaux here than in any of the other appellations already reported on. So it should come as no surprise to find that this is the largest instalment of this report, with 62 wines tasted.
I present my tasting notes below, but first I present a quick summary of how the classification panned out in the Médoc.
The Médoc
The 2018 Cru Bourgeois classification includes 115 properties in the Médoc, the majority of them with the basic Cru Bourgeois designation. There are just 14 châteaux ranked at the level of Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, while no properties achieved Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel status. I was a little disappointed when I learnt of this last fact, but then I suppose it gives the Supérieur properties something to aim for over the next five years. Which of the current crop, I wonder, has the potential to gain promotion to the level of Exceptionnel?
There are a few familiar names which might be good candidates at the Cru Bourgeois Supérieur level. I have been impressed by the wines of Château La Cardonne in recent vintages; this estate, the virtues of which are so skilfully elucidated by commercial director Andrew McInnes, has proven to be one worth following. So too Château Greysac and Château Tour Seran, two properties which form the core of the Jean Guyon viticultural empire, which is centred around the little village of By. And Château Preuillac is another strong property, one I have been following for about fifteen years now. The wines when under the direction of Jean-Christophe Mau were always worth a taste, although I am less familiar with how the property is doing since it changed hands.
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