Appellations

Bordeaux 2017: Margaux, Pavie, Figeac, Conseillante, Ducru...

Margaux Chateau.jpg

13th June 2018. 

MORNING:
Another busy morning in Bordeaux with 5 big releases from properties that have really excelled, transcending the vintage to produce some exquisite wines.
 
Chateau Margaux has possibly been the most impressive of the First Growths in the last couple of vintages and the 2017 "purrs like a Rolls Royce" according to Neal Martin.  Released at £2160 per 6, the same price as Mouton.
 
The "Excellent" Angelus (94-96 NM) and Pavie - Jeb Dunnuck's pick as wine of the vintage - are both released at £1680 per 6.  Prices for both have been steadily rising in recent years since their elevation to Premier Grand Cru Classe A alongside Ausone and Cheval Blanc. 

Figeac is released at £1476 per 12 with quantities 50% down this year.  This is an impressive follow up to the stellar 2015 and 2016 that really put the estate back in the limelight and have made it one of the most in demand releases in recent campaigns. 94-97 AG "An utterly beguiling, captivating wine, the 2017 simply has it all", 93-95 NM "an impressive follow-up to that might pair that has really put Figeac back on the map". 
   
Finally in Pomerol we have La Conseillante, "a wine of total finesse and class" 94-97 AG, also released at £1476 per 12.  95-97 WA "an arrestingly beautiful expression of this vintage!"
 
AFTERNOON:
Ducru Beaucaillou is the only release so far this afternoon at £1488 per 12.  95-97+ Wine Advocate "an incredible core of muscular mid-palate fruit, this wine should age incredibly."

 

Margaux
 
£4320 per 12 btl  /  £2160 per 6
96-98 Wine Advocate "charges from the gate with opulent kirsch, raspberry preserves, wild blueberries and cassis notions accented by roses, violets, Chinese five spice and fragrant earth with touches of underbrush and truffles. Medium-bodied, it fills the mouth with vibrant, ripe red and blue fruits, layering in perfume and spice nuances. It's framed by very finely grained and plush yet firm tannins and great tension, finishing with epic length."
93-95 Neal Martin  "It has a very pure, floral bouquet with scents of iris and violet infusing the black and subtle blue fruit. There are touches of crushed stone and with aeration, a little candied orange peel. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannin, very harmonious in the mouth, caressing and sensual with black fruit, hints of graphite and a light marine influence. There is a fine build to this Château Margaux, commencing almost understated but finishing with an insistent grip and a long, quite spicy aftertaste. It's not the bewitching 2015 however, it purrs like a Rolls Royce and will age with panache."
 
St Julien
 
£1488 per 12 btl  /  £744 per 6
97-98 James Suckling  "Holy.... This is so powerful and dense with amazing depth of fruit and beautifully ripe tannins tannins. Full body, layers of fruit and tannins. It’s has a long finish but then kicks off at the end. Remains classic in style."
95-97+ Wine Advocate  "intensely scented of blackcurrant cordial, blackberries and lavender with hints of crushed rocks, iron ore, rose hips and Provence herbs plus touches of wood smoke and sandalwood. Medium-bodied, very firm and grainy in the mouth, it possesses lovely freshness, lifting the intense flavors, finishing long and minerally. Sporting an incredible core of muscular mid-palate fruit, this wine should age incredibly."
 
St Emilion
 
£3360 per 12 btl  /  £1680 per 6 
94-96 Wine Advocate "The 2017 Angélus has a crisp, direct and very pure bouquet that is almost Burgundy-like in style... There is a marine-influence to this Saint-Émilion with a chalky, lightly spiced and, relative to 2015 and 2016, quite conservative and linear style. It feels very saline on the finish, perhaps more than I have encountered in recent years. It foregoes the roundness of recent vintages, perchance an Angélus that will be best shown on the dinner table instead of on its own. That's not a bad thing. Excellent."
94-97 Jeb Dunnuck  "It's a polished, elegant, layered wine that has beautiful notes of crème de cassis, spice, graphite, and minerality. It has medium to full-bodied richness, fine, silky tannin, beautiful purity and more elegance and charm than normal. I suspect it will put on weight with time in barrel and have two decades or more of longevity."
 
£3360 per 12 btl  /  £1680 per 6 
97-99 Wine Advocate "2017 Pavie has a profound nose of crushed blackcurrants, warm black plums and black forest cake with nuances of licorice, espresso, Chinese five spice and violets plus wafts of smoked meats and garrigue. Full-bodied, rich, firm, velvety and packed solid with black and blue fruit layers accented by sparks of exotic spices and floral scents, it finishes very long and incredibly layered. This is a very unique expression of this vintage."
95-97 Jeb Dunnuck  "If I had to pick one wine to be the wine of the vintage, at least at this early stage, it would be the 2017 Pavie. One of the deepest, richest, most opulent wines produced, it offers a heavenly bouquet of black and blue fruits, crushed violets, graphite, and spring flowers... sensational purity, a seamless texture, no hard edges, and pumps out way more fruit and texture than just about every other wine made in 2017. Hats off to the Perse family for this incredible effort."
 
£1476 per 12 btl  /  £738 per 6 
94-97 Antonio Galloni "The 2017 Figeac is magnificent. Beautifully layered and exquisite in the glass, the 2017 possesses remarkable balance and harmony from the very first taste. An utterly beguiling, captivating wine, the 2017 simply has it all. Bright, red-toned fruit, mint, spice, lavender and rose petal overtones flesh out in the glass, but above all else, Figeac is a wine of total harmony... production is down around 50%."
93-95 Neal Martin  "fresh in the mouth with a sense of energy, quite precise and linear with a pinch of spice towards the finish, a little graphite lingering on the aftertaste. This is unapologetically classic in style and whilst it might be over-shadowed by the sensational 2015 and 2016 Figeac, this is an impressive follow-up to that might pair that has really put Figeac back on the map."

Pomerol
 
£1476 per 12 btl  /  £738 per 6
94-97 Antonio Galloni "The 2017 La Conseillante is a wine of total finesse and class. Bright, floral and beautifully lifted, the 2017 is exceptionally polished and nuanced from start to finish. Despite its mid-weight, gracious personality, the 2017 has real staying power... magnificent on each of the three occasions I tasted it."
95-97 Wine Advocate  "impressive richness at this elegant weight coupled with vivacity and supported by plush, velvety tannins, finishing with great length and energy. This is an arrestingly beautiful expression of this vintage!"

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.
Sweet wines may be ordered in half-bottles (case of 12x37.5 or case of 24x37.5) at no extra cost.