2016 Bordeaux - 20 Bottles Tasted & Also Some Bottles From 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014!

I recently had the opportunity through Winefinder to taste through a range of 2016 Bordeaux. Lots of winemakers were present and even though it was crowded you had the chance to talk to most of them.

After tasting through 20 bottles from the 2016 vintage there is no arguing against the hype of this vintage, this is a great vintage.
Judging from these bottles they will drink beautifully from 10 years of age and then for 20+ years on. Bordeaux is expensive in the upper echelon but there is plenty of fine wines to be found without an outragous price tag.

All wines are given an approximate score since I only spent a minute or two with each wine.

2011 Château Lafon-Rochet
A classic, low keyed but fine nose with a tight, medium bodied finish with a fine coffee note.
~89p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Lafon-Rochet
The 16 Lafon-Rochet is a stunner with compact, finely tuned black currant fruit and a long, intense finish. Going to age beautifully.
~92p   (tasted 2017/09)

2011 Château Phelan Ségur
A round, elegant, fine nose with a long, fresh, dry taste.
~89p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Chàteau Phelan Ségur
A firm, tight nose and a concentrated, ripe, black currant filled palate. Really fine.
~92p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Haut-Bages-Liberal
A fine, deep, warm nose with cold coffee and chocolate and a stern palate that is a bit dry in the middle.
~85p   (tasted 2017/09)

2012 Château Pichon Baron
A cool, finely tuned nose with a lighter style palate with dried black currants and warm gravel.
~89p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Pichon Baron
A very deep, handsome nose alongside a refined, long, beautifully structured palate. One for the ages.
~93p   (tasted 2017/09)

2011 Château Pichon Lalande
A smooth, intense nose and a long lasting, silky palate. A lovely drink now and the coming 10 years.
~90p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Pichon Lalande
A restrained powerhouse, both on the nose and palate with a silky, concentrated black currant fruit. A truly great wine in the making.
~95p   (tasted 2017/09)

2008 Château Beychevelle
Nine years old and showing of a beginning maturity with notes of tobaco and autumn leaves. The taste is restrained and fine with notes of cold coffee and warm tiles.
~90p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Beychevelle
A deep, concentrated nose with a very fine black currant fruit and a tight, intense, lingering taste. Really fine.
~92p   (tasted 2017/09)

2012 Château Léoville Poyférre
A somewhat, mature, lightly smoky nose followed by an oaky taste with blueberries and smoke. Good but not more than that.
~86p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Léoville Poyférre
Surprisngly, one of the weakest of the 2016 tasted. A inky, hot nose with lots of sweet tobacco and a big, seedy taste with lots of ripe black fruit and stern tannins. Will maybe melt together?
~87p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Durfort-Vivens
A deep, focused nose with notes of ripe black currants and blueberries. The taste is tight and very fine with sliky, salivating tannins. Very, very good.
~91p   (tasted 2017/09)

2010 Château Cantemerle
A slightly mature, refined nose and a long lasting, structured palate that ends dry and inviting, like old school Bordeaux bottles.
~90p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Cantemerle
The 16 Cantemerle offers up a dense, structured nose with smoke, plums and graphite. The taste is tightly knit with ripe fruit, silky tannins and a finish that goes on for over a minute. Very fine.
~92p   (tasted 2017/09)

2012 Château Haut-Bailly
One of my favourite wines from Bordeaux delivers a cool, balanced wine in the 2012 vintage with a smidgeon of maturity and notes of ripe red currants, warm tiles and tobacco. Really good.
~91p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Haut-Bailly
A deep, dark, tobacco filled nose that is dense and restrained. Needs air. The taste is tight and concentrated with notes of hot gravel and black currants leaves. Needs lots of time.
~91p   (tasted 2017/09)

2013 Château Latour-Martillac
A cool, spicy nose with notes of leather and cold coffee and a fine, medium bodied taste. For drinking now and the coming 6+ years.
~88p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Latour-Martillac
A racy, balanced and yummy nose with lots of ripe black currants and some pencil shavings is followed by a refined, structured taste with an impressive finish. One for the cellar.
~93p   (tasted 2017/09)

2012 Château Smith Haut Lafitte
A lovely, crisp, high nose with energy and intensity. The taste is complex and balanced and the fruit is of the highest quality. A gorgeous 12.
~93p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Smith Haut Lafitte
The 16 Smith Haut Lafitte is strikingly beautiful with everything you want and ever need. A perfect wine in the making. 8 years.
~96p   (tasted 2017/09)

2014 Domaine de Chevalier
A deep, fine nose with plums, black currants and pipe tobacco and a rich, velvety palate. Really good.
~91p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Domaine de Chevalier
Very, very good but compared to most of the 16 and being Domaine de Chevalier, somthing is missing. Deep, dark, concentrated fruit, yes, but the real nerve, balance and energy are not.
~87p   (tasted 2017/09)

2014 Château Beauregard
A warm, comforting nose with notes of plums, tobacco and moist earth. The taste is round, warm and long lasting. Very, very good.
~90p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Beauregard
A deep, structured nose with a lovely sweetness and a fine coffee aroma and a following ripe, balanced palate with lots of enjoyment. For the shorter term, 5 years.
~91p   (tasted 2017/09)

2012 Château Clinet
A maturing, fine nose with notes of leather, plums and fresh stables. The taste is round, inviting and with a fine warmth. Drinking great now and the coming 8+ years.
~91p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Clinet
The 16 Clinet has a more structure, restrained nose with notes of ripening plums, dark chocolate and sun warm rocks. The taste is strong ans sturdy with a very fine, ripe fruit and polished tannins. 6+ years.
~91p   (tasted 2017/09)

2014 Château Petit-Village
A warm, grassy and plummy nose and light chocolaty flavours make up a nicely structured wine.
~87p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Châtau Petit-Village
The 16 Petit-Village has a young, hedonistic nose with ripe plums and coffee scents and a multi layered, intense palate. Great wine.
~92p   (tasted 2017/09)

2011 Château La Conseillante
A balanced, maturing nose with notes of sweet red currants and autumn leaves and a round, inviting taste with warmth, balance and a sense of lightness.
~90p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château La Conseillante
A very deep, structured and classy nose and the wine flows over the palate with grace and harmony. A stunner in the making. 8+ years.
~94p   (tasted 2017/09)

2012 Château Gazin
A warm, spicy nose with notes of asphalt, plums and autumn leaves. The taste is mature, velvety and fine with soft tannins and a long, rewarding finish.
~90p   (tasted 2017/09)

2015 Château Gazin
A deep, concentrated nose with notes of ripening plums, bakelite and chrushed rocks. The taste is tight and seedy with a fine mineral touch and notes of black currants, coffee powder and dark chocolate. 6+ years.
~91p   (tasted 2017/09)

The Whites
2013 Château Malartic-Lagraviére
A pure, grassy nose with additional notes of elderberries and yellow apples. The taste is cool and fresh with a fine acidity and stony yellow fruit. Very, very good.
~90p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Malartic-Lagraviére
Very young, very handsome and very, very good with beautiful notes of ripe lemons, white flowers, vanilla pods and freshly cut grass. A beauty.
~93p   (tasted 2017/09)

2014 Château Smith Haut Lafitte
The wine of the tasting. Gotta get me some of these. A brilliant, focused nose with notes of white pears, grass, white pepper, birch leaves and minerals en masse. The taste is pure as a mountain river, one minute long and very intense and concentrated. Perfection in the making.
~97p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Domaine de Chevalier
A big, open, finely tuned nose with notes of green apples, lemon fudge, grass and minerals. The taste is tight, stony and grassy with a very fine lenght and cleansing acidity. Really fine.
~92p   (tasted 2017/09)

The Sweeties
2014 Château Suduiraut
A deep, complex, utterly gorgeous nose with notes of ripe peaches, vanilla cooked pears, handcream and dried up lavender honey. The taste is luscious, sweet, balanced and loooong. Great wine.
~95p   (tasted 2017/09)

2016 Château Suduiraut
A large scaled, intense nose with notes of peach, melon, pine apple and smoke. The taste is long and concentrated with massive fruit and a fine supporting acidity. Still young and a tad ungainly but this will surely turn out really fine.
~91p   (tasted 2017/09)