Bordeaux 2021, Bordeaux harvest 2022 and P. Baron 1989

[greatbxfreak]

On the 8th of September, app. 50-60 properties from Bordeaux came to Copenhagen, arranged by negociant Beyerman. The main theme was vintage 2021, but many properties showed their 2017 and a few properties their vintage 2016 plus 2019.

2021 presented themselves very well, and it seemed that their aromatic profile got an extra boost up, wines got more body and complexity. The ones I didn't taste during primeur, Ducru Beaucaillou and Leoville Lascases, were excellent and deserved 95p each. 2017s put all the charm and seductive approach on this particular evening. This vintage can be enjoyed now and has some similarities to 2012 vintage, although 2017 fatter and longer. 2016 d'Armailhac and Clerc Milon represented the vintage in an awesome way and 2019 Pontet Canet was very impressive.

Harvest 2022 is going on well, very early, meaning 10-14 days earlier than normal, Merlot grapes are finally brought into the cellars in perfect condition. Now it's time to harvest Cabernets, but there's no rush as the weather allows winegrowers to wait. Warm days and cool nights (wind from the North). It'll be interesting to find out after harvest if there is enough acidity in the wines and how different or similar 2022 will be to 2003.

After the tasting on the 8th of September, I had dinner with a friend from Bordeaux, and I brought a bottle of Pichon Baron 1989 from my wine refrigerator, where it had been perfectly stored since 1992. The level was less than 1 cm from the end of the cork! An incredibly youthfully tasting wine, 33-year-old, dark colour, lots of freshness, a great nose of Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of red meat, tobacco and cigar box. Great complexity as well, paired with excellently ripe berries and tannin, exquisite balance, midpalate and length. Awesome stuff from this property!! Can easily keep for 50 more years. 96-97p.

[Winona Chief]

Lotta great red Bordeaux from 1989. Palmer, Montrose, Pichon Baron and Lalande, Haut Brion, La Mission Haut Brion and (of course) Lynch Bages .

Chris Bublitz

[JimHow]

That 89 Lynch may be a 200 year wine.

[DavidG]

That 89 Lynch may be a 200 year wine.

Pretty sure none of us will ever disprove that claim. But I think you may be right!

Izak, we’re you surprised by how well the 2017s showed? At 5 years out, they “should have” been in a dumb stage. No doubt the Chateaux that brought them knew otherwise from in-house tastings. I guess no one told the wines what the rules were.