En Primeur Bordeaux 2016

The 2016 Bourgneuf from the Vayron family is a wine to watch, especially with the talented Frédérique Vayron in charge of winemaking duties. A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, it has an elegant, quite nuanced bouquet with blackberry and black truffle aromas, quintessential Pomerol in many ways. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins that exert a gentle grip. The acidity is very well judged and there is impressive complexity interwoven into the long finish. What a superb Bourgneuf. This comes highly recommended as one of the best wines I have tasted from Trotanoy's next-door neighbor!

Score: 91 - 93 Neal Martin, robertparker.com Maturity: 2020-2040

Deep purplish crimson. Lifted nose and really polished. Less dense than some. Elegant almost1! (16.5+ Points)

Score: 16 - 17 Jancis Robinson MW, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2024-2040

The 2016 Bourgneuf is a very pretty, hushed wine, with lovely purity and all of its elements in the right place. Soft, fine tannins and bright flavors add to an overall impression of finesse. Bourgneuf shows the more delicate side of Pomerol.

Score: 88 - 91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinousmedia.com

Extremely dense, fruity and full-bodied, yet it’s also tight and very refined with silky tannins and a flavorful finish. This is something in the making. Best in years.

Score: 94 - 95 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

The 2016 Branaire-Ducru is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc picked from 28 September until 19 October at 50 hectoliters per hectare, one of the longest harvest periods at the estate. The nose is quite intense with black fruit infused with pencil shaving and a touch of tobacco, unashamedly classic in style, a little distant compared to some other Saint Juliens but undeniably well defined and full of character. The palate is structured and masculine, exerting a firm grip in the mouth, spicier than its peers with cracked black pepper complementing the black fruit, tobacco and smoke towards the structured finish. There is great length here, very persistent in the mouth, a little "rougher" in texture than others, but that will be smoothed out during élevage and in bottle. Give this Branaire-Ducru five or six years in bottle because it has great potential, one of the best produced at the estate in recent years. (NB This sample was taken from a new barrel, though the final blend will be 60%.)

Score: 92 - 94 Neal Martin, robertparker.com Maturity: 2023-2050

This is clearly the best wine I have tasted from Branaire-Ducru. Exquisite depth and richness are on offer, yet this is always framed and focused. Layers of fruit and tannins. So deep and long. Incredible quality.

Score: 95 - 96 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

A fresh bay leaf note leads off, followed quickly by pure, enticing layers of cassis, blackberry and black cherry fruit that emerge steadily through the long finish. Offers lovely mouthfeel and purity. A very pretty expression of St.-Julien.

Score: 94 - 97 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Always a supremely elegant, measured take on St-Julien that delivers in spades in 2016. Plush damson fruit comes through with just the right level of extraction. Beautifully rich, ripe fruit is joined by touches of oak at exactly the right moment. An exceptional showing from Branaire that rises above its 2015.

Score: 94 Decanter Maturity: 2027-2045

The 2016 Brane-Cantenac is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Carmenere picked from 22 September until 17 October (the tiny parcel of Carmenere picked three days later). The yields came in at 51 hectoliters per hectare and it is matured in 75% new oak and 25% one-year-old barrels, the final alcohol level 13.3%. It has a beautifully defined, very detailed bouquet with mineral-rich black fruit laced with cedar and graphite notes, living up to its nom de plume as the "Pauillac of Margaux." The palate is simply the best that I have ever tasted at the estate, without question. This has presence, but also weightlessness, filigree tannin and perfectly pitched acidity, with real intensity and drive. The tension here is outstanding and the persistence is incredibly long. It is not the showiest of all the 2016s by a long stretch, and yet it is everything you could possibly want from a Margaux. Like Beychevelle this year, the 2016 Brane-Cantenac puts recent vintages in the shade, thanks not only to the growing season, but also a new punching down system in their gravity-fed winery that was completed in 2015. The 2016 is a benchmark against which future vintages will be compared.

Score: 96 - 98 Neal Martin, robertparker.com Maturity: 2026-2060

This is really strong from Brane-Cantenac this year with toned muscles and beautiful fruit. Full-bodied, chewy and polished. Shows wonderful intensity and density yet remains reserved and very tight. Very impressive from here. Grabs you. One of the best ever from here.

Score: 95 - 96 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

Shows a coffee edge, along with tobacco and bay notes that meld steadily into the core of steeped plum and black cherry fruit. The fleshy finish lets the bay element take an encore. A touch old-school.

Score: 90 - 93 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Gorgeous campsite woodsmoke effect on the nose and the effect, as is so often the case with Brane, is that their use of oak ageing is extremely cleverly thought out. This is a luscious wine with rich, deeply layered fruits and gentle spices, all set against well brushed, caressing tannins. This is a great vintage for this property, so effortless. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere (now old enough at 10 years, and successful enough due to the late harvest, to finally make it into the grand vin). Excellent.

Score: 94 Decanter Maturity: 2027-2050

The 2016 La Cabanne is a blend of 94% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc picked from the end of September. François Estager told me that like last year, he did not add any sulphites until after the malolactic fermentation. It has a well-defined bouquet with black cherries, a touch of cassis, a lovely marine influence and crushed violets. It opens beautifully in the glass. The palate is fresh on the entry with crisp, tensile tannin and very well-judged acidity. This Pomerol displays great energy and poise, fanning out on the second half that demonstrates superb mineralité. This is an unmissable follow-up to the 2015 La Cabanne. Tasted twice with consistent notes.

Score: 91 - 93 Neal Martin, robertparker.com Maturity: 2021-2040

Big and bold with pinched sweetness on the end but a neat, dry finish.

Score: 16 Jancis Robinson MW, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2020-2027