Bordeaux 2017: Cos (97-100), Carmes Haut Brion, Pichon Baron...

Cos d'Estournel.jpg
7th June 2018.
 
MORNING:
We kick off with a "truly profound" Cos d'Estournel.  Just like the 2016, the 2017 also receives a potentially perfect score from the Wine Advocate (97-100) but with a euro release price 10% down on last year we can offer it at £1300 per 12, a good discount to other top scoring vintages.
 
Cos was one of the big successes of the 2016 campaign and sold out immediately on release.  The 2017 is the highest scoring red wine of the vintage in the Wine Advocate (with Lafleur) and outperforms all of the First Growths.   This is an exceptionally fine Cos d'Estournel and we expect this to sell quickly.
2003 (97 RP, £1650), 2009 (100 RP, £2400), 2016 (98-100 NM, £1620) 
 
The second wine Pagodes de Cos is released at £360 per 12 and we can also offer Cos d'Estournel Blanc at £1020 per 12 which Jane Anson believes is the best for many years.
 
Moving into Graves we have one of the most eagerly awaited releases of the campaign with Carmes Haut Brion at £672 per 12.  This estate has seen huge investment in recent years and it is undoubtedly paying dividends with the 2017 continuing an excellent run of recent vintages.  Always an insider secret, Carmes has been elevated to new levels under Guillaume Pouthier and is now at the forefront of what Bordeaux can achieve.  The distinctive blend (41% Caberent Franc, 30% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon) coupled with the use of whole clusters in the fermentation creates a beautifully fragrant and utterly unique expression of Bordeaux. 93-96 Galloni "sure is gorgeous. Don't miss it!"
 
Neal Martin states Pavie Macquin"could turn out to be one of the picks on the Right Bank"  and it is released at £632 per 12 (92-94 NM and 95-97 WA).  Staying in St Emilion we also have;  Clos Fourtet at £882 per 12 (production 50% down), Larcis Ducasse at £588 per 12 and Gaffeliere at £570 per 12 which Antonio Galloni belives is "without question one of the wines of the vintage in Saint-Emilion".
 
AFTERNOON:
Following the release of Pichon Lalande earlier this week we can now offer its neighbour and fellow Second Growth Pichon Baron at £1176 per 12.  93-96 Galloni "a wine of incomparable elegance and total finesse. I loved it".
 
Smith Haut Lafitte is released at £824 per 12 and is "very close to recent successes" (94 Decanter).  94-97 Galloni "2017 Smith Haut Lafitte is easily one of the highlights of the vintage".   
 
The high quality Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is also available at £496 per 6.  Unfortunately only produced in even more miniscule quantities than usual this year.


St Estephe

£1300 per 12 btl  /  £650 per 6
97-100 Wine Advocate "medium-bodied with very firm yet wonderfully ripe, "sweet", fine-grained tannins at just 13% alcohol—something of a miracle in our modern times. The palate sports fantastic freshness and tons of energy emitted from the intensely perfumed black fruit layers, finishing on an epically long-lingering mineral note. Truly profound."
94-96 Neal Martin  "The palate is very well balanced with filigree tannin, rendering this one of the most approachable barrel samples from the estate in recent years. The coolness of the latter part of the season defines this Saint-Estèphe more than the precocity of June: streamlined, cool and linear with a velvety finish that feels sleek, to the point of being understated, though that belies its length and focus. This is simply a very classy wine in the making and typical of the more recent sophisticated style pursued by the property in recent years."
 
£360 per 12 btl  /  £180 per 6
90-92 Neal Martin  "There is certainly impressive intensity here considering this is the deuxième vin. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannin. It is furnished with pretty blackberry and wild strawberry notes laced with white pepper and a subtle graphite seam. It has good sustain in the mouth with a “Pauillac” inspired finish"

£1020 per 12 btl  /  £510 per 6
96-97 James Suckling "This is going to be a wonderful Cos white with green mangoes, sliced apples and crushed-stone character... Full-bodied and very rich with tension and brightness. Fantastic length."
95 Decanter  "This is totally delicious, the best Cos white for many years. There's excellent shape and form through the palate, with a huge intensity of flavour. This has a slatey lick of minerality that almost knocks you off your feet but ends up just making you want more."


Graves

CARMES HAUT BRION     ON ALLOCATION
£672 per 12 btl  /  £336 per 6
93-96 Antonio Galloni "The 2017 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is subtle and understated, but it’s all there. Lifted aromatics, bright, red-toned fruit and silky tannins add to the wine's brilliant, chiseled personality. I find the 2017 more precise and nuanced than in the recent past, with less overt power. It's hard to know exactly if the style of the 2017 is a result of the growing conditions of the year, or the result of an evolution in winemaking that includes the introduction of terra cotta, among other things. I certainly get the sense Guillaume Pouthier reined the wine back a bit in 2017. No matter. The end result is all that counts, and in 2017 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is positively stellar. As always, the high percentage of Cabernet Franc and a healthy dollop of whole clusters give Les Carmes an explosive bouquet and plenty of saline-infused energy. A closing flourish of sweet red berry fruit, mint, rose petal and mocha leaves a lasting impression. The 2017 is not an obvious wine, but it sure is gorgeous. Don't miss it!"
 
£824 per 12 btl  /  £412 per 6
93-95 Neal Martin "medium-bodied with fine tannin that comes across just a little chalky in style. This feels very cohesive and comes replete with a detailed and nuanced finish that might lack the flair and volume of the 2016, but it is certainly sustained and persistent... this may well land at the top of my banded score."
  

Pauillac
 
£1176 per 12 btl  /  £588 per 6
95-97 Wine Advocate "deep garnet-purple in color and simply sings of vibrant blackcurrants, black cherries and rose hip notes with nuances of potpourri, incense, licorice and pencil shavings plus touches of cigar box and fertile loam. Medium-bodied, super intense and possessing stunning poise, it has very firm, fine-grained tannins and a beautifully silken texture, with bags of freshness and a very long, perfumed finish."
93-96 Antonio Galloni  "Pichon Baron is one of the sexiest Pauillacs I tasted in 2017. Silky, nuanced and finessed to the core, the 2017 hits all the right notes. In the glass, the 2017 possesses striking aromatic presence, vivid flavors, silky tannins and exceptional balance. In 2017, Pichon Baron is a wine of incomparable elegance and total finesse. I loved it."
 

St Emilion
 
£632 per 12 btl  /  £316 per 6
95-97 Wine Advocate "Medium-bodied with a firm backbone of very finely grained, very ripe tannins and tons of freshness, it has wonderfully elegant yet intense fruit layers and a long, minerally finish. Just beautiful."
92-94 Neal Martin  "I am quite smitten by the nose here, perhaps more than Larcis-Ducasse at this early stage – very pure with scents of black cherries, cassis and violet, showing a little more opulence than the aforementioned Saint-Émilion. The palate is sweet and sensual on the entry with blackberry, raspberry, a pinch of white pepper and spice. The tannins here feel very fine and the final half is unapologetically silky smooth in texture, the new oak seamlessly integrated. This could turn out to be one of the picks on the Right Bank."
 
£588 per 12 btl  /  £294 per 6
92-95 Anotnio Galloni "The 2017 Larcis Ducasse is a rich, sensual wine, with softer contours and more plushness than is typically the case, part of which is attributable to the vintage and part of which is the result of gentler winemaking. Dark red cherry and plum fruit is nicely pushed forward in this succulent, racy Saint-Émilion. Mocha, licorice and menthol wrap around the juicy, pliant finish. The 2017 is an especially succulent, racy Larcis. It has been consistently brilliant on the four occasions I have tasted it so far."
92-94 Wine Advocate  "a bombastic, gregarious nose of preserved plums, baked blackberries and mocha with hints of sautéed herbs, pencil lead and chargrilled meats plus a waft of yeast extract. The palate is big, rich and full-bodied with a very firm frame of chewy tannins and lashings of oak joining with opulent fruit, finishing long."
 
£570 per 12 btl  /  £285 per 6
95-97+ Wine Advocate "medium to full-bodied with a firm frame of ripe, fine-grained tannins, an electric intensity of bright black and blue fruits and wonderful freshness, finishing long and minerally."
94-97 Antonio Galloni  "The 2017 La Gaffelière is without question one of the wines of the vintage in Saint- Émilion. Bright, precise and wonderfully lifted, the 2017 is all precision. Exquisite aromatics and lively, red-toned fruit infuse this mid-weight, remarkably pure Saint-Émilion. Spice, blood orange and floral notes add the closing layers of nuance. The 2017 really dazzles. Don't miss it."
 
£882 per 12 btl  /  £441 per 6
92-94 Neal Martin "medium-bodied with supple tannin, more rounded in texture than its peers. There is impressive volume towards the finish that is uncommon in this vintage, but you have to just stand back and admire its persistence."
93-96 Wine Spectator  "Intense, with blackberry, cassis and boysenberry puree notes racing through, inlaid with subtle anise and black tea details. Offers a gorgeous feel, with a long, fine-grained chalky spine buried on the finish. A beauty."
 

Please enquire, order online or contact us at sales@albanyvintners.com.
 
En Primeur wines, offered lying In Bond in the UK Summer 2020. 
Wines may be ordered in special sizes for a small supplement (6x150cl Magnums, 1x300cl double magnum, 3x300cl double magnums, 1x600cl imperial) . Please enquire for details.
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