Bordeaux 2018 at Two Years: The Rest of The Right
In this, the penultimate set of tasting notes in this 2018 Bordeaux in-bottle tasting report, I turn my attention to the many right-bank appellations beyond those already covered. Alongside the better cru bourgeois estates of the left-bank, now so helpfully ranked in their new classification, these more peripheral right-bank appellations offer some of the richest hunting grounds for savvy price-sensitive Bordeaux buyers. The best wines from Fronsac, the various Côtes de Bordeaux appellations, the St Emilion satellites or Lalande-de-Pomerol will provide excellent drinking for a fraction of the spend required in St Emilion and Pomerol.
Alongside these well-known but less exalted appellations I also take a look here at a number of right-bank wines in the generic Bordeaux appellation. A number of these are white, always interesting when they cast the spotlight onto the harmonious union of Sauvignon Blanc and limestone, both of which are present in abundant quantities in the Bordeaux region and yet are very rarely partnered up. This isn’t really a vintage for chasing the whites of the region though, unless you enjoy exotic, fruit-rich, soft-acid styles. One or two of the reds at this level, however, are certainly worthy of our time. All in all I report on 46 newly released wines here.
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