Appellations

Bordeaux 2016: Langoa Barton, La Croix, Sociando Mallet...

Chateau Langoa Barton.jpg
 
We begin the day in Saint Julien with an enticing LANGOA BARTON and a deuxieme vin that deserves attention, CROIX DE BEAUCAILLOU. 

The 2016 is a great LANGOA BARTON that is nearly as good as Leoville and released at £420 per 12.  Always a popular wine en primeur, prices for back vintages of Langoa have been rising steadily over the last year. 
 
We loved CROIX DE BEAUCAILLOU this year, released today at £420 per 12.  La Croix is the second label from Ducru Beaucaillou which comes from its own vines located in the centre of St Julien.  Antonio Galloni "Readers will have a hard time keeping their hands off the 2016. It is a wine of pure and total pleasure."  
 
SOCIANDO MALLET is situated just to the North of Chateau Montrose and has long been seen as a savvy buy for Bordeaux lovers.  Released at £315 per 12, the 2016 is a knockout success with 92-94 from Neal Martin: "this 2016 is totally convincing. It comes highly recommended as one of the best wines produced at this estate in the northern Médoc. This is an outstanding wine from Mon. Gartreau.".

BEYCHEVELLE is also released but quantities are once again reduced and we will have to allocate it first to last year's buyers.  Finally we can offer BOYD CANTENAC at £380. 

Chateau LANGOA BARTON - £420 per 12 in bond 
93-96 Wine Spectator "The fresh blueberry, cherry and black currant flavors give this a wide range, while racy graphite and a mouthwatering anise streak drive the finish. The fruit is so enticing that you lose track of how solidly built this is through the finish."
 
Chateau CROIX DE BEAUCAILLOU - £420 per 12 in bond
92-94 Neal Martin "It has quite a rich and opulent bouquet, quite glossy with scents of kirsch, crushed strawberry, crème de cassis and a touch of vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied with quite sumptuous tannin counterbalance but a keen thread of acidity (the pH is 3.65). There is great tension here, immense purity with quite a structured, almost flinty finish that is classic in style. Though it is a Deuxième Vin, it deserves several years in bottle."
 
Chateau SOCIANDO MALLET - £315 per 12 in bond 
92-94 Neal Martin "very intense and rich, you might say "ambitious" bouquet with layers of small black cherries, blueberry and a touch of sloes, less tertiary than previous vintages and certainly more opulent. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannin that almost disguise the firm structure underneath. I admire the completeness of this Sociando-Mallet, the neatly embroidered new oak and the freshness on the finish. The 2015 Sociando-Mallet did not fire on all cylinders last year, but this 2016 is totally convincing. It comes highly recommended as one of the best wines produced at this estate in the northern Médoc. This is an outstanding wine from Mon. Gartreau."
 
Chateau BEYCHEVELLE - £680 per 12 in bond - ON ALLOCATION
96-98 Neal Martin "It has a very pure, fragrant bouquet with black cherries, cassis, cedar and wet limestone, extremely precise to the point where you might think it was from the Right Bank (logical given the proportion of Merlot in the blend). The palate is sensational: understated at first and bridled with ultra-fine tannin, it is a Beychevelle armed with a disarming sense of symmetry. It builds in the mouth towards a fabulously tensile finish that is so fresh and full of energy that the senses are almost overwhelmed. Frankly, it leaves all the other Beychevelles in recent years standing. This is an electrifying 2016 from winemaker Philippe Blanc and his right-hand man, technical director, Romain Ducolomb."

Chateau BOYD CANTENAC - £380 per 12 in bond 
94-95 James Suckling "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."
 
 
To place an order, please contact us at sales@albanyvintners.com