Flickinger on 2016 BDX

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AKR
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Flickinger on 2016 BDX

Post by AKR »

This is from a Chicago vendor, Flickinger. I got another vintage report from GVWM, but theirs seemed thinner, and more about transactional details (storage for $5/cs, discounts for cases/cash etc.)
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2016 Bordeaux Report
Last week we had the pleasure of visiting Bordeaux to taste the latest vintage (it's always much nicer to visit the week after en Primeur as the experience is a far more relaxed one!), where we once again visited numerous chateaux on both banks in addition to attending a large comparative tasting at one of Bordeaux's biggest negociants. Our experience there has given us an invaluable into the vintage as a whole as well as how the individual communes and chateaux performed.

Weather: as is usually the case, this was the number one influencing factor on the style of the wines in 2016. To say that conditions were rather unusual is somewhat of an understatement: a very wet first half of the year up until the end of June made many vignerons very nervous, but a break in the rain for 7-10 days in June coincided perfectly with the flowering period and allowed the vines to settle perfectly - setting the wheels in motion for a quite abundant harvest. Fortunately the soils were, for the most part, well-stocked with water by this point, as thereafter followed a prolonged period of warmth and dryness throughout July, and while August was very dry also the temperatures cooled a little. The lack of rain continued up until September 14th when around 40mm fell and refreshed the vines at exactly the right time and with the right amount of water. Another rainfall a few days later preceded a long fall which had the perfect combination of warm days and cool nights which allowed the grapes to ripen perfectly while retaining high levels of acidity and freshness, and helped keep the alcohol levels down. Winemakers found themselves in the enviable position of being able to pick exactly when they wanted, and under absolutely ideal conditions.

However, it must be pointed out that the chateaux that performed best either have old vines whose deep roots were able to withstand the stress better than younger vines, or whose vines were planted on clay or limestone soils that are better at retaining water than those with a deeper gravel or sand content.

While in 2015 each appellation experienced different conditions around harvest-time, in 2016 the weather was virtually identical everywhere which means that the real differences come down purely to terroir and winemaking skill (nowhere is this underscored more than when comparing the masculine style of Pichon Baron and the more feminine Pichon Lalande - truly the Baron and the Comtesse). Terroir is important as those soils that were able to retain water better than others allowed the vines to thrive throughout the summer - after all there are no great wines without top-quality grapes.

Appellations: This year, in contrast to 2015 where it was clear that Margaux and Pessac-Leognan fared the best, it is much harder to pick out one appellation over any other in 2016. We can say for certain that the northern Medoc communes of St-Estephe, Pauillac and St-Julien are stunning, while perhaps Margaux is marginally less so. Pessac-Leognan was again superb. St-Emilion and Pomerol were generally very good, but perhaps less consistent than the left-bank communes - but the all-important point to note is that in 2016 over-extraction in right-bank wines is virtually eliminated, whereas in 2015 it was quite a different story. If you want the most voluptuous wines of the vintage then you should look at Pavie-Decesse and Bellevue-Mondotte, though even these display considerable finesse.

Wines: the wines of 2016 offer a marked contrast to those of 2015: while the '15s are notable for their voluptuous fruit, silky textures and high levels of tannin that are mostly well-concealed by the fruit, 2016 offers a magnificent study in focus, balance, elegance and freshness. While many wines have a very distinctive fruit character, which, rather than being broad and all-enveloping is more vibrant and pure in style, while the cool fall nights imparted soaring aromatics and added considerable freshness, with the higher acidity levels adding extra focus and length. Tannin levels are high again this year, but because of the more refined style of the wines they are more noticeable than they were in '15. Fortunately the superb conditions at harvest time means than in general the tannins are perfectly ripe, extremely refined and quite silky in nature (the exceptions to this are from vines that suffered from hydric stress and whose tannins therefore have a more rugged edge to them).

One final, and very important, point to note is that alcohol levels are generally around one percentage point lower than they are in 2015, and on occasion they are closer to 2 points lower than in 2010.

Overall the 2016s are very classically-styled and structured wines which are as refined-a-vintage as I can remember tasting at this young age. Often classical can be used as a euphemism for light and thin, but with this vintage this is certainly not the case as the wines have wonderful intensity, complexity and depth to them. Overall this is a vintage that imposed itself on the growing conditions and not the winemaking - vignerons were free to make whatever choices they wanted both in the vineyard and in the winery without being dictated to by the weather. While the 2015s are sumptuous and exuberant, the 2016 reds are almost the polar opposite in that they are structured, serious and soulful efforts that truly speak of a sense of place.

The story is slightly different for the dry white, as picking for these began before the refreshing rains in mid-September and the vines had lost some of their freshness during the summer's drought. However they seemed to recover some of their acidity during fermentation, and the end wines are delicious, lively and buoyant, even if they lack the depth of the greatest vintages.

Sauternes and Barsac played a game of wait-and-see as the dry summer and early-fall conditions meant that the onset of botrytis was delayed, and the dry conditions after the mid-September rains slowed its advancement through the vineyards. Fortunately humidity levels finally rose in mid-October after a brief rain on the 10th, and thereafter botrytis spread rapidly, concentrating the grapes beautifully. The resulting wines are refined, finessed and very focused with excellent freshness and drive; it is a more delicate and elegant vintage than the massive 2009s, but many wines have superb depth, exceptional purity and perfect balance, and they should age effortlessly for many years.

Our recommendations from each commune:

Haut-Medoc/Medoc: Cantemerle, Sociando Mallet, La Lagune, Potensac
St-Estephe: Calon Segur, Montrose, Lafon Rochet
Pauillac: Mouton-R, Lafite-R, Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pichon Lalande, Pichon Baron, Lynch Bages
St-Julien: Ducru-Beaucaillou, Leoville Las Cases, Leoville Barton, St Pierre, Branaire-Ducru
Margaux: Ch. Margaux, Palmer, Rauzan Segla, Giscours, Malescot St-Exupery, D'Issan, Brane-Cantenac
Pessac-Leognan: Haut-Bailly, Pape Clement, Haut-Brion, La Mission H-B, Les Carmes H-B,
St-Emilion: Figeac, Cheval Blanc, Pavie, Pavie-Decesse, Pavie Macquin, Larcis-Ducasse, Canon
Pomerol: La Conseillante, L'Eglise Clinet, Vieux Chateau Certan, L'Evangile
Blanc: Margaux, Haut-Brion, Dom. de Chevalier, Pape Clement, Smith Haut Lafitte
Sauternes/Barsac: Suduiraut, Coutet, Climens (Yquem not available until the fall)

Best Values:
Tour St-Christophe (St-Emilion)
Potensac, Cantemerle (Medoc / Haut Medoc)
Les Cruzelles, La Chenade, Montlandrie (Denis Durantou)
Labegorce (Margaux)
Most second wines from classed growths are shining this year too

Pricing: of course the question of pricing is all-important, and while chateau-owners and negociants in Bordeaux are optimistic for a positive campaign it will very much depend on how they choose to price their precious juice. With the benefit of hindsight it is now apparent that certain chateaux were underpriced last year (Malescost St-Exupery) while others were priced sensibly (Pape-Clement, Smith Haut Lafitte) and others were likely priced higher than the market could bear (Cheval Blanc, First Growths), and it is likely that we will see varying levels of change across different levels. The hope is that most will keep to small rises (or in the case of the First Growths either no rise or a nominal one at worst). Of course we should spare a thought for our friends in the UK who are certain to feel the pain of price rises much more than anyone else due to the devaluation of the Pound that has occurred since last year - fortunately the Dollar is close to the same exchange rate as it was last year, if not slightly stronger. This is the time of year when merchants across the world make their pleas to the chateaux to be reasonable - and we certainly weren't shy in offering our opinions last week!

Summary: overall it is no exaggeration to say that the 2016 vintage in Bordeaux was a resounding success. Topsy-turvy growing conditions that saw a year's worth of rain fall between January 1st and Jun 20th, with a short and perfectly-timed break in early June which allowed flowering to occur unimpeded, led into a warm and dry summer with cool nights and little in the way of heat spikes. The exceptionally dry conditions, the driest seen in over a century, did cause stress to the vines, but those that had deep-enough roots, or that were grown in moisture-retaining clay or limestone soils, fared just fine and produced berries that were small and with concentrated juice with high acids. Thick skins gave the end wines plenty of structure, and the perfect conditions during the fall (with warm days and cool nights) allowed the phenolics to ripen perfectly and permitted development of the wines' intense aromatics. The reds are generally quite refined and elegant in style, with lower levels of alcohol than previous vintages, and display a vivid freshness and purity of fruit which are married with silky textures and beautifully ripe tannins. The best-made wines also have an exceptional sense of overall balance which will allow them to age and develop in bottle for many decades.
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Carlos Delpin
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Re: Flickinger on 2016 BDX

Post by Carlos Delpin »

Thanks for sharing. Good stuff.
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Comte Flaneur
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Re: Flickinger on 2016 BDX

Post by Comte Flaneur »

Good report, but confirms what others are saying, not exactly going out on a limb or being controversial?

One theme in recent vintages is how certain estates have really come on strong. Two that immediately come to mind are Haut-Bailly and D'Issan. Parker was the first to figure this out.
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JimHow
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Re: Flickinger on 2016 BDX

Post by JimHow »

I'm in!
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DavidG
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Re: Flickinger on 2016 BDX

Post by DavidG »

Sounds like the ripeness of 2015 is reminiscent of 2009 while the freshness of 2016 is reminiscent of 2010.
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Nicklasss
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Re: Flickinger on 2016 BDX

Post by Nicklasss »

You're always "in" Jim.

Like all other here.

Nic
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brodway
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Re: Flickinger on 2016 BDX

Post by brodway »

with some many successful vintages, namely the 2009/2010 and 2015/2016 one has to believe the in between vintages are going to offer superb values.

i'm with Jim....going to get involved in a half dozen names on futures...same as i did in 2010.....not buying any first growths, but wines that are going to shine in a great vintage for only a few dollars more than they would cost in an average year. in 2010 i bought Lafon Rochet and Cantemerle for around $40 per bottle. i don't think that is a lot of money to spend for a tasty Bordeaux. going to use same strategy in 2016.
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