UK £
EU €
HK $
US $Appellations
Bordeaux 2016: La Clotte, Le Prieure, Serilhan, Lalande Borie...
Today started with "a temptress from Saint Estèphe" that looks to be one of the best value releases of the campaign. The "Utterly seductive" Chateau Serilhan (91-93 NM) is offered at £150 per 12, a great example of the appellation that comes strongly recommended.
Quinault l'Enclos, from the team at Cheval Blanc, is also now available at £285 per 12 (91-93 NM). We enjoyed the 2016 but the lovely and "very attractive" 2015 Quinault looks a better deal at £235 per 12 with similar scores.
Lalande Borie is situated just west of Lagrange in St Julien and is owned and managed by the Borie family of Ducru Beaucaillou. This St Julien is made in an approachable early drinking style and is released at £230 per 12.
Quinault l'Enclos, from the team at Cheval Blanc, is also now available at £285 per 12 (91-93 NM). We enjoyed the 2016 but the lovely and "very attractive" 2015 Quinault looks a better deal at £235 per 12 with similar scores.
Lalande Borie is situated just west of Lagrange in St Julien and is owned and managed by the Borie family of Ducru Beaucaillou. This St Julien is made in an approachable early drinking style and is released at £230 per 12.
The small vineyard of La Clotte is located close to Chateau Ausone on the limestone plateau of Saint Emilion. In 2014 Ausone's owner Alain Vauthier purchased La Clotte from the Grailly family and great improvements have been made. The 2016 is now the third vintage to be made here and La Clotte is "rapidly becoming one of their standout wines alongside Ausone" according to Neal Martin. "Superb".
Le Prieure now enjoys the patronage of Chateau Latour (who own a minority stake) and the services of veteran Chateau Petrus winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet. The 2016 certainly impressed Antonio Galloni (96-97): "One of the most exciting wines of the vintage... Saint Émilion of the highest level".
Finally we have "a very, very good" Pomerol from Bon Pasteur at £650 per 12, 96-97 from James Suckling and preferred by Neal Martin to the 2015. In 2013 Bon Pasteur became one of the biggest names in Bordeaux to be sold to Chinese investors.
Chateau SERILHAN - £150 per 12 in bond
91-93 Neal Martin "The 2016 Serilhan is a treat. It has a gorgeous, beautifully defined bouquet with blackberry, cigar box and smoky aromas that gently unfold in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent black and red fruit, very fine tannin, a veneer of quality new oak but with more than sufficient fruit underneath and a long sensual finish. Utterly seductive, this is a temptress from Saint Estèphe!"
Chateau QUINAULT L'ENCLOS - £285 per 12 in bond
91-93 Neal Martin " It has a very pure bouquet with macerated black cherries, a touch of blueberry, a subtle flinty note just tucked underneath. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin on the entry. This feels very fresh and lively in the mouth, perhaps a little more compact than others I tasted, although that is probably because it had been taken from barrel less than an hour before my visit. It is very precise on the brisk, punctual graphite-tinged finish, an almost clinical Quinault l'Enclos that will benefit from five or six year aging in bottle."
Chateau LALANDE BORIE - £230 per 12 in bond
90-92 Neal Martin "The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, very harmonious and cohesive, citrus-like freshness from start to finish with a long and velvety blueberry and blackberry finish. This is very polished and it should give plenty of drinking pleasure for several years."
Chateau LA CLOTTE - £560 per 12 in bond
94-96 Neal Martin "a fragrant bouquet with plenty of redcurrant, wild strawberry and rose petal notes, real gusto here but also elegance. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a beautiful line of acidity, great substance and fine mineralité on the finish. La Clotte was in a poor state in terms of old and missing vines when the Vauthiers took over the property in 2014, but it is rapidly becoming one of their standout wines alongside Ausone. Superb."
Chateau LE PRIEURE - £365 per 12 in bond
95-98 Antonio Galloni "One of the most exciting wines of the vintage, the 2016 Le Prieuré is another superb wine from the group of estates owned jointly by Paul Goldschmidt and the Artemis Group that also includes Siaurac and Vray Croix de Gay. A rich, sumptuous wine, the 2016 Le Prieuré possesses stunning depth in all of its dimensions, yet at the same time remains fresh and vibrant throughout. Potent tannins drive the finish, but they are nearly buried by the sheer intensity and luxuriousness of the fruit. A host of dark red cherry, woodsmoke, tobacco, herbs and crushed flowers build in a deeply expressive and resonant Saint Émilion of the highest level."
Chateau BON PASTEUR - £650 per 12 in bond
96-97 James Suckling "Reminds me of the splendid 1998. Full-bodied yet balanced and rich, showing velvety tannins and a long and beautiful finish. All here. Better than the 2015?"
92-94 Neal Martin "a very, very good Bon Pasteur that I prefer to the 2015. I would not be surprised if this lands at the top of my banded score once in bottle."
Chateau LARRIVET HAUT BRION ROUGE - £295 per 12 in bond
93-94 James Suckling "Pretty young wine. May be the same level as the 2015"
Chateau LARRIVET HAUT BRION BLANC - £265 per 12 in bond
89-91 Neal Martin "This is certainly one of the better dry white Bordeaux wines in 2016."
To place an order, please contact us at sales@albanyvintners.com