Provins Electus Benchmarking Tasting
Zurich, Switzerland
Tasted Wednesday, September 13, 2017 by rikipedia with 43 views
Introduction
Global Bordeaux-Style Blend Comparison - 2013 Vintage
Host: Provins, Switzerland's largest wine producer
This unique comparative tasting explored Provins' flagship red wine, Electus, within the context of the world's finest Bordeaux-style blends. Tonight we ask a fundamental question that has driven Swiss winemaking ambition for decades: Can the Valais produce truly great red wine?
Provins, producing 10% of all Swiss wine, represents the pinnacle of Swiss winemaking. As the country's largest wine company, they've invested significant resources into answering this question with Electus—a wine crafted from thick-skinned varieties including Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, combining Old World elegance with New World fruit intensity. All wines have been aged 18 months in oak, following classic Bordeaux protocols.
The Valais Context: A Story of Perseverance
The journey to tonight's Electus has not been straightforward:
* 2010: A challenging vintage that fell short of expectations
* 2011: A good vintage showing the region's potential
* 2012: Conditions prevented production entirely
* 2013: The vintage we taste tonight—representing renewed hope and ambition
This pattern of vintage variation mirrors what we'll discover was a global story in 2013, making this year particularly fascinating for cross-regional comparison.
The 2013 Vintage: A Tale of Two Hemispheres
The 2013 vintage proved to be a study in contrasts, with the New World generally performing better than Europe. Tonight's tasting captures this dichotomy perfectly.
France - Bordeaux
Much of Europe suffered from both a wet start and a slightly cooler growing season than normal, with Bordeaux having a particularly poor year plagued by wet weather and hailstorms. After a string of good to great vintages capped by the legendary years of 2009 and 2010, Bordeaux suffered three difficult years in a row, with 2013 characterized by unripe fruit and yields down by at least 25%.
The challenges were widespread: A cold and very rainy spring led to late and uneven flowering, setting vines' timing back several weeks, followed by violent hailstorms at the end of July and early August, and warm but wet September weather that brought attacks of rot just before harvest.
France - Northern Rhône
For the Rhône Valley, 2013 was good, particularly for the north, with both winter and spring cool and damp. June and July were cool and wet, with some producers losing close to 40% of their crop, but August and September brought a warm Indian summer and the surviving crop ripened beautifully.
Northern Rhône shone, with Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie and Cornas producing particularly rich, concentrated wines in the classic style. The vintage developed into a dense, concentrated and classically old-school style—while less consistent than 2012, Côte-Rôtie produced show-stopping wines, though the biggest issue was not quality but quantity due to lower yields.
There are some fine Côte-Rôtie wines, though the appellation became hugely varied, with some wines revelling in their pale, fragrant elegance while others rival Hermitage for deep purple colour and unashamed concentration. The late, cool harvest in September and October helped retain acidities, creating wines of both power and freshness.
Italy - Tuscany
Italy had a fantastic year with both Piedmont and Tuscany producing great reds. For Tuscany's Brunello di Montalcino, despite a cool, wet spring requiring vigilance against disease and an uneven summer with cool periods in August, a good September helped conclude the ripening period, resulting in more restrained and elegant wines rather than big, rich, tannic styles
Spain - Ribera del Duero
2013 was uninspiring in Ribera del Duero, presenting one of the region's more challenging vintages. The season was rife with challenges, with predominantly cool and overcast conditions where yields became the deciding factor in quality—producers who culled fruit early in the season saw balanced ripeness at harvest and brought fruit in well before September rains, while those who allowed vineyards to proliferate were forced to wait and the grapes failed to ripen.
The vintage saw a rainy harvest, yet reflecting the cooler, wetter growing season, the wines are graceful and perfumed. Interestingly, the conditions were described as unusually cold and rainy, fragile enough that Vega Sicilia chose not to bottle their flagship Único wine from this vintage. However, wines that were made are subtle, elegant, fresh, complex and silky with precision, showing less alcohol than typical years at around 14%.
California - Napa Valley
Napa Valley produced one of its finest vintages in history, with some critics proclaiming 2013 as Napa's best-ever vintage. The region enjoyed an early, even and excellent growing season with a warm, dry spring bringing early bud break, ideal conditions for flowering and fruit set, and cooler sunny weather throughout October allowing final grapes to develop more phenolic and flavor maturities. Winemakers praised the extremely even growing season with no heat spikes in August or September, allowing grapes to ripen to perfection with thick skins and small berries assuring plenty of tannins. Many winemakers noted that while the vintage is particularly stunning, wines are not always immediately approachable, with the highest scoring wines tending to come from the southern end of Napa Valley through Oakville and Stags Leap District, where they retained more acidity and feel more pleasurably balanced in their youth.
Tonight's Benchmarking Exercise
We've assembled wines from the Bordeaux, Northern Rhone, Tuscany, Ribera del Duero, Napa Valley and of course Switzerland.
Flight 1 - Electus Benchmark Flight (11 Notes)
Flight 2 - Eclat Flight (3 Notes)
Éclat 2015 marks only the second vintage of this experimental cuvée and represents a distinctive approach to alpine white winemaking. This bottling is a selective blend of Petite Arvine, predominantly, with a supporting component of Heida (also known as Savagnin Blanc). The grapes are sourced from meticulously chosen plots and harvested early to preserve their brisk acidity and fine tension.
Whole bunch pressing is employed, but only around 40% of the juice is taken—highlighting a precision-focused approach. The wine is barrel fermented exclusively in 100% new oak, using pedunculate wide-grain barrels subjected to a high Armagnac-level toast. Notably, the cooperage selection includes not only Demptos but also innovative barrels from François Frères, Sylvain, Tonnellerie Bordelaise, and Schaver, a respected Swiss cooper. Larger barrels are also incorporated for textural balance.
Ageing is deliberately brief—just nine months in barrel with full lees contact and regular bâtonnage (lees stirring), but no malolactic fermentation, preserving the wine’s incisive freshness. The style is bold yet precise, driven by acid, oak, and innovation. This wine sets the tone for the flight with its interplay of structure, purity, and vinous ambition.
2013 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 91 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Sassicaia
(Tasted Blind) Mid ruby red with exuberant but delicate aromas of ripe plum, blackcurrant, raspberry, cedarwood, milk chocolate with a dusting of cocoa, and sweet oak spices.
A well-framed, structured wine with gravelly tannins and crisp acidity carries ripe fruit notes, complemented by sour cherry and rhubarb. At first, the wine seemed like St. Emilion, yet the tart cherry notes felt more like Sangiovese. The finish is long and chalky but becomes dry, and I found the mid-palate lacks some flesh to round it out. As it opened, there seemed to be a slight edge of underripe red fruit (almost a mould note) and some fresh thyme notes, suggesting either early picking or vintage variability. Moderate length, the wine has a polish to it, but isn't quite occupying the space. Clearly a well-made wine, but vintage affected?
A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. Vinified in stainless steel before 24 months of ageing in French oak barriques, followed by a further 6 months in bottle before release.
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2013 Château Pape Clément 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
(Tasted Blind) Mid to deep ruby. A soft, open knit, almost heady nose with toast, sweet spices, tobacco, cassis, dark chocolate and a blob of creme fraiche.
The palate speaks in a modern, international dialect: bold, expressive, and full-bodied, with sweet, pliant tannins and generous oak influence. The fruit is ripe and plush, and while the wine offers substance and power, it lacks definition and precision. Acidity is crisp and keeps the wine from feeling overblown, lending balance to the dense, gravelly tannic frame. Flashes of Rhone-like pepper and Syrah suggestions emerge, though the core remains distinctly Cabernet-fruited. It bears some resemblance to styles from warmer climates—Spain, Australia, or even Napa—but with more acidity, pulling it back toward an Old World profile. Tricky to deduce the acid is likely Bordeaux but the wine lacks refinement and finishes early.
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2013 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia 94 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore
(Tasted Blind) Deep, saturated purple-ruby colour with notes of sticky black plum, cassis, redcurrant coulis/jelly, marjoram, and oak spices, with an overarching floral note of pressed blue flowers/woodland flowers.
The palate borders on a Napa-like ripeness where oak is dominant with that telltale exotic spices/Chinese 5 spice. It exhibits a modern sheen with a silky frame of fine-grained, polished tannins and a juicy core of ripe fruits, clove spice, and chocolaty sweetness. It is incredibly concentrated, and there is a rising bitterness from phenolics in the mid-palate that distracts, giving more warm, gravelly notes, which are accentuated by a generosity that feels chilli-spiced, evoking Bolgheri, Bordeaux, or possibly our Swiss contender. A full-blooded, polished expression of Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend—echoing left-bank styling, but with Bolgheri’s distinctive softness and a decent acidity to back. A long, harmonious finish that is a touch generous, but well-proportioned overall. Powerful wine!
A blend of 45% CS, 38% Merlot, 10% CF, 7% PV. Fermented in stainless steel and aged for 18 months in French oak (70% new).
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2013 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline 94 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
(Tasted Blind) Deep purple-ruby. The nose initially feels lifted and slightly awkward—high-toned with resinous, soapy notes before black cherry, Victoria plum, shrivelled blackberry, raisin and violet emerge. There are also whisky lactone notes that yield a prominent oak character.
The palate is angular, and whilst the fruit is cherry-driven, it struggles against the dominant oak influence. At the same time there is stemmy, spicy, cut grass, peppery notes suggesting Syrah but also whole-bunch. This component rises, adding some freshness to the wine, and as more air is introduced, the wine becomes even more appealing, gaining coherence and showing a more refined interplay between fruit, structure, and oak. The fruit gains the upper hand, and some liquorice, macchiato foam, and cigar box add to the complexity, whilst the tannins feel more filigree in their texture.
Aged 40 months in new French oak barrels.
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2013 Antinori Solaia 92 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Tasted Blind) Deep purple-ruby to the rim with aromas marked by ripe banana esters, pronounced oak spice, and toasted notes evocative of wafer biscuit, cigar box, Chinese 5-spice, bay leaf and furfural. An overtly modern profile—borderline excessive—suggesting over-ripeness and high toast levels, there are peeks of blackcurrant and ripe black cherry as it opens - Spain, Napa?
The full-bodied palate is fleshy, with a plush entry layered with rich, dark, and sweet fruit. However, the furry tannic frame seems insufficient to counter the sweetness, and the oak slightly dulls the fruit’s definition.
A lively acidity provides some respite and balance, and graphite, cedarwood, chocolate, and liquorice emerge with time in the glass, suggesting a more Cabernet lineage and a Pauillac-like edge, yet together this could point to Bolgheri, Italy.
The wine needs to knit further with the oak, yet still impresses with its complexity, concentration, and long, undulating finish.
A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Fermented in stainless steel with malolactic in French oak barriques, followed by 18 months' barrel ageing.
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2013 Château Pontet-Canet 88 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(Tasted Blind) Mid ruby colour with fragrant notes of strawberries with stems, raspberries, blackcurrant, pepper, mint leaves, and herbal elements that sit alongside some subtle oak nuances. A slight volatility creeps in as it opens further, along with a resinous quality. The palate is less convincing, with greener notes contrasting with warmed, almost stewed strawberry and raspberry notes, as well as summer pudding.
There is a juicy, sweet-edged texture, accompanied by plenty of acidic bite, but the herbal and minty notes verge on unripe, competing with the fruit rather than integrating harmoniously. As such, the tannins appear angular, firm, but poorly integrated, and that annoying resinous edge and greenness ultimately detract. The wine lacks drive and sits rather than moves. This feels like Bordeaux from a poorer vintage.
Score: 15-/20 | 88/100
13% ABV. A blend of 65% CS, 30% Merlot, 4% CF, 1% PV. The wine is aged in amphorae alongside traditional oak barrels.
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2013 Valais Mundi Uvrier Electus 92 Points
Switzerland, Valais
(Tasted Blind) Mid ruby in colour, the bouquet features the classic cedarwood aroma that hints at Bordeaux. The redder fruits of redcurrant and strawberry dominate the aromatic notes, but there is a floral lift of dried wildflowers, marjoram, and some black plum.
Fairly intense on entry, with a medium-bodied style featuring redcurrants, oven-baked plums, and blackberries, complemented by a peppery lift.
A supple texture with lively acidity to hold everything in check, the oak is noted but well-matched to the fleshier fruit. The tannins are firmer than expected for such supple fruit, lending a structural edge that pushes the wine into slightly angular territory. Riper than Bordeaux but not quite Bolgheri, this isn't easy to place. Finishes long with a chocolatey warmth and exhibits excellent concentration.
A blend of 35% Cornalin, 28% Humagne Rouge, 18% Diolinoir, 9% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Cabernet Franc.91
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2013 Opus One 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
(Tasted Blind) Deep inky black ruby to the rim. A bold, expressive nose of ripe blackcurrant, crème de cassis, crème de mure, dried purple flowers, wine gums, and oven-baked spiced plums, with pronounced oak influence of toast, vanilla, tobacco, and coffee grinds, reminiscent of macchiato foam.
Modern and distinctively New World, this feels Napa-esque or McLaren Vale. Its plush and mouth-filling palate displays multiple sticky fruits: blackcurrant coulis, cassis, dark cherry compote, liquorice, and dark chocolate. There is plenty of generosity with the warming alcohol, giving peppery edges and a slightly sweet note (Aussie?). The wine feels overripe (Napa?). There's breadth and volume in the mid-palate, with pliant tannins that carry a touch of grip, lending structure beneath the opulence. A polished wine, this feels more like Napa Cabernet. Powerful and concentrated, with moderate to lively acidity, the wine is extremely long in the mouth and on the finish. Possibly, sheer power rules the day with its fruit purity.
93+
A blend of 79% CS, 7% CF, 6% Merlot, 6% PV, and 2% Malbec. Fermented in stainless steel, followed by 18 months in new French oak. Alcohol 14.5%.
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2013 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(Tasted Blind) A deep, glossy ruby colour with effusive aromas of blackcurrant, cassis, blackberry, rubbed herbs, Assam tea, rhubarb, and mint, overlaid with spicy oak and dark chocolate, evoking either a modern Bordeaux or a more savoury-edged New World, such as South Africa.
The palate opens with a rich core of fruit, featuring blackcurrant, spiced blackberry, and dark cherry, all framed by assertive, precision-cut oak. Despite this richness, the wine maintains a relatively narrow frame of fine powdery tannins with juicy, lemony acidity, and there is an overall poise that pushes Bordeaux, yet there isn't the depth of flavour and integration of components, overall lacking some of the gravitas and integration expected from a top Left Bank wine. More medium than full-bodied, the acid is more strident, and the minty quality is leafier, suggesting a lesser year from a top producer. Still, the finish is elongated, and the wine has classy oak!
A blend of 82% CS and 18% Merlot matured 18 months in 70% new French oak barrels.
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2013 Château Angélus 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
(Tasted Blind) A mid ruby colour to the rim with an expressive, slightly fragrant bouquet led by ripe red and black fruits—Griotte cherry, raspberry compote, and hints of plum—layered with chocolatey decadence that evokes red velvet cake, black forest gateau and baking spice, all enhanced by generous oak influence. Not that you can smell sweetness, but this feels likely and pushed to either a New World example of a riper right-bank version, and possibly Spain.
A silky, soft texture that glides along, with lively acidity and plush fruit notes of redcurrant and blackberry, fluffed up by a banana and coconut quality that suggests a more Rioja-like tilt. The wine is warm and inviting, rich but not overwrought, with endearing aromatic lift and approachability. Medium-bodied, the tannins are supple yet present and, with their moderate acidity, lean more towards modern Bordeaux, possibly Pomerol or St. Émilion. Well-executed and technical, this is a crowd-pleaser through and through.
A blend primarily of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
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2013 Bodegas y Viñedos Alión Ribera del Duero 87 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
(Tasted Blind) Deep black-ruby in colour. The nose opens with resinous oak, toast, smoke, and furfural notes that seem intrusive, with the fruit struggling to assert itself. Moments of redcurrant and blackberry peek out, accompanied by a light dusting of pepper, suggesting Syrah.
The palate echoes the nose—the tannins and oak seem tight and unyielding, whilst the fruit is merely a bystander. Grainy in texture, the wine boasts bright acidity to propel it forward, and the evident influence of oak suggests pedigree. However, for me, this wine fell short, as the oak presence is too pronounced on the palate, resulting in a gravelly, underwhelming finish. Elevage, rather than a vineyard, worships oak at the expense of fruit or merely because the year was poorer, and the same oak regime was employed despite the lower fruit quality. No real clue as to its origin.
100% Tempranillo. Aged 12–14 months in new French oak, then rested in bottle before release. 2013 was a notably cool and challenging vintage.
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