2017 Red Bordeaux
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Chateau Palmer,
For laying down,
Inky black/purple colour with a concentrated, intense nose of ripe blackcurrant and plum, sweet spice and violets. There is a lifted elegance here which is very appealing. The palate is full-bodied and concentrated, but is so fresh and mineral with juicy blackberry and bramble fruit, lots of sweet spice and herb notes. It’s complex and beguiling, with a lovely creamy texture and supple, elegant tannins. The finish is extremely long and fresh showing wonderful poise. The blend is 53 percent Merlot, 41 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 6 percent Petit Verdot. This is a great Palmer.
Chateau Lafite Rothschild,
For laying down,
As usual the 2nd wine of Lafite Rothschild is a little shy, needing a little coaxing from the glass. Cassis abounds with a gentle hint of plum and lead pencil. The palate is caressing and gentle as usual with a lovely interplay between the filigree tannins and crunchy acidity. Never a large wine, this is a pretty wine that will reward cellaring over the next 10+ years. Pure.
Chateau Mouton Rothschild,
For laying down,
A blend of 90 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, nine percent Merlot and one percent Petit Verdot, this falls into the glass with a deep, dark colour. There are strong aromatics of dried flowers, pepper and blackcurrant. Well-structured, it has lively acidity and compact, fresh fruit with mature tannins and a smooth mouth-feel. The palate offers notes of redcurrant, cherry and cassis, with a hint of pine. There’s lovely blue fruit on the mid-palate, with great texture that builds to a long finish, with smoky mocha notes and finely integrated tannins. A compact and lovely Mouton, this is a rich wine with huge complexity that goes on and on.
Chateau Pichon Lalande,
For laying down,
The blend here is 70 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 23 percent Merlot, six percent Cabernet Franc and one percent Petit Verdot. This wine exhibits flavours of blackcurrant, spice, cedar, coffee and dark fruit. Medium-bodied, with good vitality, and savoury, grippy tannins. A powerful, intense attack. Nice juice, gentlemanly and fine. Good length, fine pepper and cassis notes.
Chateau la Mission Haut-Brion,
For laying down,
Dark ruby with attractive aromatics of blackcurrant, wood smoke and mocha, the wine is medium-bodied with a fresh, lively acidity and rich, dark fruit. It finishes long with a saline, taught minerality. The 2017 is a blend of 56 percent Merlot, 40 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and four percent Cabernet Franc.
Chateau Pape Clement,
For laying down,
The 2017 Ch. Pape Clément falls into the glass with a deep maroon colour. It has a delicate, expressive nose of red fruit, cassis, iron and wet stone. The blend is 49 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 48 percent Merlot, two percent Petit Verdot and one percent Cabernet Franc planted on clay gravels. The palate is medium-bodied with a lively, tannic grip. It finishes with a long, peppery, saline minerality. A complex wine which will reveal itself over many years.
Chateau Angelus,
For laying down,
A blend of 70 percent Merlot and 30 percent Cabernet Franc, the 2017 has a deep crimson colour and appealing aromatics which display coffee and mocha notes with blackberry and damson fruit. Unctuous fruit and a suave texture, there is bright acidity that brings freshness and flesh. Behind the notes of berry and cassis there is a hint of mint. Powerful and rich on the palate, this is a very good Angélus which combines freshness, finesse, tension and elegance.
Chateau Pavie,
For laying down,
What a dark and intense nose. At first, layers and layers of blackberries abound with purple juicy plum, with cherry, and some macerated cherry. This flows into eucalyptus, liquorice and a touch of menthol with a little chocolate and vanilla. On the palate the same concentration and abundance of flavour comes through. Tannins are bite-y so we would recommend this as one for laying down.
Chateau Capbern,
For laying down,
Capbern sees 18 months in 60 percent new French oak barrels. It is a blend of 55 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 39 percent Merlot, three percent Cabernet Franc and three percent Petit Verdot. Dark crimson, the nose is redolent with notes of blueberry, dark fruit and damson. On the palate there is a suave suppleness which is really very appealing. With medium tannins it finishes with a saline fresh finish. Really very good.
Chateau Calon Segur,
For laying down,
The second wine of Château Calon Ségur is a blend of 57 percent Merlot, 38 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and five percent Cabernet Franc and sees 17 months in 30 percent new French oak barrels. It has an attractive bouquet of blackcurrant and cassis but what really shines this year is the thrilling acidity and freshness. Very silky and sleek with ripe, juicy tannins giving way to a long finish.
Chateau Branaire-Ducru,
For laying down,
A vivid crimson, the 2017 is a blend of 65 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 24 percent Merlot, four and a half percent Cabernet Franc and six and a half percent Petit Verdot. There is a slight earthy note to the nose, mingled with red fruit and spice. Medium-bodied, the palate has stylish, juicy fruit with grippy soft tannins and a core of ethereal acidity and freshness. It finishes with a consistent, saline minerality and a long, fine finish. Very charming.
For laying down,
A lovely property in the tiny appellation of the Côtes de Francs, the 2017 Marsau is deep ruby in colour with attractive aromas of bright redcurrants and wild black cherries, courtesy of the juicy Merlot dominance in the blend. Medium bodied on the palate with crunchy red fruit and silky, integrated tannins. A touch of chalkiness to the acidity brings a freshness throughout, and a purity of red cherry and forest fruit sits at the heart of this crowd-pleasing style. Suave and finely textured, a very decent effort which will drink well from 2020 – 2026+.
For laying down,
This 17-hectare vineyard produces a wine which is a blend of 75 percent Merlot, 20 percent Cabernet Franc and five percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark crimson in colour this has pleasing, generous aromatics of redcurrants and plum fruit. The texture is suave and harmonious, leaving a wine which is fresh and smooth.
Chateau Haut-Brion,
For laying down,
Jean-Philippe Delmas compares the 2017 to 1988 because of the freshness of the acidity and the ripeness of the fruit. A blend of 53 percent Merlot, six percent Cabernet Franc and 40 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, with aromatics of morello cherry and damson fruits. The palate is fresh with silky tannins, dark, ripe fruit that really shines through on the palate and coats the mouth giving the sensation of vibrant acidity coated by expressive, blue fruit. It finishes very long with a gentle, saline finish.
Chateau Clinet,
For laying down,
A blend of 92 percent Merlot and eight percent Cabernet Sauvignon, this is aged in 72 percent new barrels and 28 percent second-fill barrels. Dark crimson, this wine delights with notes of mixed red berries, violets, rose petal and a hint of chocolate, with a thin ribbon of spice running through it. Medium-bodied, there is a suave, supple, persistent finish.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - 27/04/2018, The Wine Advocate