2016 Vintage report

It is a real pleasure to report another excellent vintage
after the excitement of 2015. We heard very many
superlatives from both winemakers and other buyers,
journalists and consumers alike. After exhaustive tasting,
I can faithfully say that it is a year of extremely high
quality across the region and a remarkable vintage.

It is being hailed as better than the 2015 vintage, and in my view, this
is absolutely true although the style is very different with the emphasis
far more on precision, finesse and elegance rather than the weight
and power of the 2015s. This is a year that will stand shoulder to
shoulder with the other recent greats such as 2005, 2009 and 2010.

Consensus says it is a year for the Cabernets with emphasis therefore
on the Left Bank, with wines of astonishing ripe fruit, elegance and
polished, silky tannins. However, the Right Bank also shone with a little
more weight but still with the uplifting, crackling acidity and freshness
that marks this vintage.

The key to this balance of ripeness, freshness and fine grained tannin
came from the complex weather through the year that eventually was
perfectly timed to create ideal harvest conditions.

The start of the year was incredibly wet, with “biblical amounts of
rain”, leading to concerns over fungal disease at the time, but also
excellent soil water reserves which were to prove vital for the summer
months. Flowering and fruit set were relatively quick in a warm dry
spell in early June which set the scene for even ripening. Then followed
a prolonged period of hot, dry weather through July and August
which created the gradual onset of vine water-stress and triggering
veraison by the beginning of August. Wide day and night temperature
variation during August allowed for potential anthocyanin formation
and also preserved aroma and the wonderful freshness and acidity
that is so clear in so many wines.

There were then concerns that rain was needed to complete ripening
and that vine shut down and scorch were real dangers. Mother Nature
smiled again and provided the wherewithal at the right time and in
the right quantities to set up for a perfect harvest from late September
onwards.

Yields were generous, grapes were both physically and phenolically
ripe and with care and manpower in the vineyard, it was more than
possible to produce a breathtaking vintage.

The are full bodied, rich and sweetly ripe yet have a wonderful purity
of fruit and precision of style and fine closed-fist tannins that make
for elegance with great ageing potential. Furthermore, it is good to
see more restrained alcohol levels than in recent years, mostly pulled
back to between 13 and 13.5%, furthering the freshness and liveliness
of style.