Bordeaux 2016 5-years on

Small horizontal of Bordeaux 2016 five years on. We tasted 8 wines in total from 4 appellations with 2 each in every flight. The setting was single-blind. All wines were at least double-decanted. Top performers were Ausone, Pichon Lalande and Ficeac, making St Emilion the best performing appellation. Pomerol, on the other hand (VCC, Conseillante) didn't shine. St Estèphe was surprisingly ready. Pauillac felt early, but incredibly structured. We kicked off with a Selosse Substance and finished with Yquem 2013 and I also snuck in a Pichon Baron 1923. Ranking of all wines included in the tasting story.

Ranking by group score (my score in brackets):

Ausone 96.9 (96)
Pichon Lalande 96.4 (97)
Montrose 95.9 (96)
Cos d'Estournel 95.0 (95)
Mouton 94.9 (94)
Coseillante 94.7 (94)
Figeac (94.3 (97)
Vieux Chateau Certan 93.7 (95)

• 2016 Jacques Selosse Substance (Dég. 10/23- 2016) 98 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Tasted blind. Ultra-fine layers of spice and freshly pressed citrus juice. Orange peel. Stylistically built in an oxidative way with distinct nutty notes. Thick mineral layer of chalk. A bit creamy on the texture with a smoky aftertaste in the long finish. An outstanding Champagne and no doubt one of my all-time favourites.

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• 2015 Château Mouton Rothschild Aile D'Argent Blanc 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux

  Pretty simple aromatically, mostly fruit (goose berry, some lychee in the distance) and with imagination some mineral elements. Came across quite a bit more aged in the group tasting this blind than it is with first hints of oxidation notes. On the palate not ideally balanced, too. Hoping this was a bad bottle, lacking significantly the finesse and subtle complexity of the last bottle I popped 2 years ago.

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• 2016 Château Ausone 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Small horizontal of Bordeaux 2016 five years on. We tasted 8 wines in total from 4 appellations with 2 each in every flight. The setting was single-blind. All wines were at least double-decanted. Top performers were Ausone, Pichon Lalande and Figeac, making St Emilion the best performing appellation. Pomerol, on the other hand (VCC, Conseillante) didn't shine. St Estèphe was surprisingly ready. Pauillac felt early, but incredibly structured. We kicked off with a Selosse Substance and finished with Yquem 2013 and I also snuck in a Pichon Baron 1923. Ranking of all wines included in the tasting story.
  
  Tasting note:
  Detailed and elegant with slightly jammy raspberry fruit, distinctly minty, green spice, sweet vanilla notes. More dark on the palate with a more cherry type of fruit profile. Finely-grained tannin, light yet layered with a great juicy finish. I found this to be slightly on the back foot, not yet showing all it's got – hence worth keeping these guns in the holsters for another 3-5 years. But it was abundantly clear that this is a profound and poetic wine.

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• 2016 Château Figeac 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Small horizontal of Bordeaux 2016 five years on. We tasted 8 wines in total from 4 appellations with 2 each in every flight. The setting was single-blind. All wines were at least double-decanted. Top performers were Ausone, Pichon Lalande and Figeac, making St Emilion the best performing appellation. Pomerol, on the other hand (VCC, Conseillante) didn't shine. St Estèphe was surprisingly ready. Pauillac felt early, but incredibly structured. We kicked off with a Selosse Substance and finished with Yquem 2013 and I also snuck in a Pichon Baron 1923. Ranking of all wines included in the tasting story.
  
  Tasting note:
  Roasted coffee beans, red and dark, dried herbs. Incredibly finely layered, also showing earthy notes. Seductive, intense and juicy palate. Tasted right next to Ausone, this showed more depth and came across more ready and showing more vigour. Going back to previous notes I can't say I'm surprised that in 3 rounds of 2016 tastings, Figeac came out on top twice! That said, I would anticipate Ausone to overtake this with more bottle age.

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• 2016 Château Cos d'Estournel 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Small horizontal of Bordeaux 2016 five years on. We tasted 8 wines in total from 4 appellations with 2 each in every flight. The setting was single-blind. All wines were at least double-decanted. Top performers were Ausone, Pichon Lalande and Figeac, making St Emilion the best performing appellation. Pomerol, on the other hand (VCC, Conseillante) didn't shine. St Estèphe was surprisingly ready. Pauillac felt early, but incredibly structured. We kicked off with a Selosse Substance and finished with Yquem 2013 and I also snuck in a Pichon Baron 1923. Ranking of all wines included in the tasting story.
  
  Tasting note:
  Bright cassis fruit, otherwise quite reductive immediately after opening hence decided to go for a 2h decant. Afterwards this added sweet, spicy accents and sour cherry fruit. Surprisingly red in terms of fruit profile on the palate. Silky texture with a linear structure to it. Early days obviously, but promising and already super palatable. The 2016 has come a long way already since bottling, taming the initial wildness.

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• 2016 Château Montrose 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Small horizontal of Bordeaux 2016 five years on. We tasted 8 wines in total from 4 appellations with 2 each in every flight. The setting was single-blind. All wines were at least double-decanted. Top performers were Ausone, Pichon Lalande and Figeac, making St Emilion the best performing appellation. Pomerol, on the other hand (VCC, Conseillante) didn't shine. St Estèphe was surprisingly ready. Pauillac felt early, but incredibly structured. We kicked off with a Selosse Substance and finished with Yquem 2013 and I also snuck in a Pichon Baron 1923. Ranking of all wines included in the tasting story.
  
  Tasting note:
  Great weight and density. Dark cherry on the nose turning into beautifully sweet berry on the palate. Lots of earth and sous-bois coupled with black tea and dried herbs. Pretty amazing for such a young Montrose. Since bottling this has added new layers and developed a sense of warmth to it. Definitely one to own from the 2016 vintage.

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• 2016 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Small horizontal of Bordeaux 2016 five years on. We tasted 8 wines in total from 4 appellations with 2 each in every flight. The setting was single-blind. All wines were at least double-decanted. Top performers were Ausone, Pichon Lalande and Figeac, making St Emilion the best performing appellation. Pomerol, on the other hand (VCC, Conseillante) didn't shine. St Estèphe was surprisingly ready. Pauillac felt early, but incredibly structured. We kicked off with a Selosse Substance and finished with Yquem 2013 and I also snuck in a Pichon Baron 1923. Ranking of all wines included in the tasting story.
  
  Tasting note:
  Dark cherry fruit. Incredibly intense, earthy, sweet fruit notes, minty spices and mineral notes of iodine. Fruit-forward palate, fabulously structured and perfectly balanced. This is keeping all the promises, an exceptionally great Lalande.

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• 2016 Château Mouton Rothschild 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Small horizontal of Bordeaux 2016 five years on. We tasted 8 wines in total from 4 appellations with 2 each in every flight. The setting was single-blind. All wines were at least double-decanted. Top performers were Ausone, Pichon Lalande and Figeac, making St Emilion the best performing appellation. Pomerol, on the other hand (VCC, Conseillante) didn't shine. St Estèphe was surprisingly ready. Pauillac felt early, but incredibly structured. We kicked off with a Selosse Substance and finished with Yquem 2013 and I also snuck in a Pichon Baron 1923. Ranking of all wines included in the tasting story.
  
  Tasting note:
  Black coffee, black tea, black currant and dark cherry, overall came across somewhat closed however, hence would at this stage recommend a good 2h+ decant. What follows is a nice and juicy palate with great tension. Compared to the Pichon Lalande next to it in the flight this was more decadent and show-off in style, but developing nicely in the glass – would have been great to follow the whole bottle over an entire day or two.

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• 2016 Vieux Château Certan 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Small horizontal of Bordeaux 2016 five years on. We tasted 8 wines in total from 4 appellations with 2 each in every flight. The setting was single-blind. All wines were at least double-decanted. Top performers were Ausone, Pichon Lalande and Figeac, making St Emilion the best performing appellation. Pomerol, on the other hand (VCC, Conseillante) didn't shine. St Estèphe was surprisingly ready. Pauillac felt early, but incredibly structured. We kicked off with a Selosse Substance and finished with Yquem 2013 and I also snuck in a Pichon Baron 1923. Ranking of all wines included in the tasting story.
  
  Tasting note:
  Signature sweet spices provide for a sexy and seductive aura. Polished fruit, but overall not as expressive as I would have hoped. Light and weightless on the palate even if the overall harmony may not yet be ideal, quite similar to La Conseillante in the same flight. Obviously this is complaining on a very high level. In direct comparison I remember the 2015 to be more open for business at this stage.

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• 2016 Château La Conseillante 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Small horizontal of Bordeaux 2016 five years on. We tasted 8 wines in total from 4 appellations with 2 each in every flight. The setting was single-blind. All wines were at least double-decanted. Top performers were Ausone, Pichon Lalande and Figeac, making St Emilion the best performing appellation. Pomerol, on the other hand (VCC, Conseillante) didn't shine. St Estèphe was surprisingly ready. Pauillac felt early, but incredibly structured. We kicked off with a Selosse Substance and finished with Yquem 2013 and I also snuck in a Pichon Baron 1923. Ranking of all wines included in the tasting story.
  
  Tasting note:
  Red cherry fruit – intense, jammy and polished in character. Lead and pencil shavings. Dense and incredibly structured but as with the VCC right next to it in the flight harmony was not really the strong suite. I do see amazing potential, but really best to cellar for at least 5 more years.

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• 1923 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  A bit of leather, forest floor, more red type of berry fruit. Coal, leather and smoke. Quite thin on the palate, but still very ok in terms of balance and sufficient fruit left. The intensity and precision is out of this world for a 100 (nearly) year old wine.

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• 2013 Château d'Yquem 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Plenty of saffron, some quince and candid fruit. Fine aromatics here, but not as nuanced as for example the 2015. That said, a breath-taking palate ensues. Slightly creamy on the texture, immensely layered and complex with sweet notes of honey, spices, melon and alpine herbs.

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