Bordeaux 14 En Primeur

20 BORDEAUX 14 EN PRIMEUR Averys personal selection from Bordeaux’s 2014 vintage TOP PICKS Bordeaux 2014 En Primeur 2014 is being touted as a Cabernet vintage and the well-drained gravel soils of the Médoc are the heartland of Bordeaux’s Cabernet Bordeaux Sauvignon grape. Long-term Averys favourites like Beaumont and Cissac performed particularly well and Lanessan was one of the best ‘junior’ wines we tasted. There are some good buys to be had on the right-bank too with excellent showings from Siaurac and Les Hauts Conseillants. Château Cissac Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois Code: C0919414 12 Bottles £85 Château Cissac has been in the hands of the Vialard family since 1895. The vineyards themselves are close to the border with Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe and the wines are classically made and well-priced. Not surprisingly, Cissac has developed a loyal fan base among Averys Bordeaux 2014 En Primeur customers and this year’s wine, which is in the classic Cissac style – well-structured, elegant and fragrant – is sure to be well-received. Château Senejac Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois Code: C0387614 12 Bottles £85 The winemaking at this property is under the control of Alfred Tesseron’s team from Pontet-Canet. This has not only led to a significant uplift in quality in recent years but the vineyards are also now biodynamically farmed. This year’s wine is very pretty with lots of pure, sweet, lifted MATTHEW’S red fruits and a toasty overlay. Very flattering, easy and generous. TOP PICKS Château Beaumont Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois Code: C0918914 12 Bottles £90 By Matthew Hemming, Master of Wine. Château Beaumont is always popular with Averys customers and represents good value for money. In 1986, it was acquired by Société Grands Millésimes de France, who also own Château Beychevelle in Saint-Julien. The 2014 is full of energy with succulent, juicy red berry fruits and a supple, silky structure. A charming and appealing wine. It will come as no surprise that the top châteaux made some excellent wines in 2014 but what’s more interesting about this vintage is that there are some unexpectedly delicious wines at much more affordable prices. These are two wines that really stood out in my week of en primeur tasting for their exceptional value for money. Château Lanessan Haut-Médoc Code: C0921014 12 Bottles £100 I remember John Avery remarking as we drove past Lanessan once that it had a fantastic vineyard site but rarely fulfilled its potential. That’s not the case this year because this was one of the best junior wines I tasted. Very stylish with ripe fruit, savoury notes and appealing freshness. A classic Médoc with great intensity and balance. Le Petit Caillou Saint-Julien Château Ducru-Beaucaillou produces one of the finest and most sought after wines in Bordeaux. Even its second wine, La Croix de Beaucaillou, holds its own against the best of Bordeaux. But lesser-known is that Château de Bel ‘La Capitaine’ Bordeaux Superieur Code: C0957114 12 Bottles £70 they also produce a third wine which offers a taste of Beaucaillou excellence at a surprisingly reasonable price. ‘La Capitaine’ is a tiny production, artisan-made Bordeaux Superieur from our good friend, Olivier Cazenave. Yields are extremely low and the Le Petit Caillou still comes from Ducru-Beaucaillou vineyards but unlike the other two wines, this needs wine spends at least 18 months in barrel before release. Made from 100% Merlot, this is rich and pure with deep notes of ripe blackcurrant, little or no cellaring and will be ready to be enjoyed upon release. What we like about Le Petit Caillou is that black cherry, mocha and vanilla. it is still very much in the house style and fans of this super second-growth estate will not be disappointed. Beautifully glossy with a leafy Cabernet Sauvignon nose and juicy, plush blackcurrant fruits. Very pretty and silky on the palate with bright fruit and a lifted, fragrant freshness. Château Gigault Cuvée Viva Côtes de Blaye Code: C0934914 12 Bottles £75 Code: C2319514 12 Bottles £150 We’re always impressed with Christophe Reboul-Salve’s wines at this over-achieving estate and were delighted when this was released at a pre-2009 price. He employs Stéphane Derenoncourt as consultant winemaker, one of Bordeaux’s leading lights and Cuvée Viva is treated like a classed growth. The 2014 has great tension and drive with rich, ripe fruits and a plush texture. Terrific value. Château Villars Fronsac Château Villars has been in the same family for seven generations and is today looked after by winemaker Château Siaurac Lalande de Pomerol Code: C0922114 12 Bottles £115 Thierry Gaudrie. Thanks to a combination of great terroir and a long winemaking tradition, Thierry makes “One of the top Fronsacs year in and year out.”(Robert Parker). Very supple with pure, precise fruit, this is another great offering from the Goldschmidt family, who also own Château Vray Croix de Gay in Pomerol. “Meaty, savoury nose with some dark fruit notes. Generous fruit on the palate - almost a lush Pomerol feel. Fine, chalky tannins. The wines of Fronsac were once in greater demand than those of neighbouring Pomerol and with wines Long, firm finish. Moves up a gear this year.” 16.5/20, James Lawther MW, Decanter. like this, it’s not hard to see why. Thierry’s limestone soils gave him a big advantage in the rainy summer of 2014 and with more Cabernet Franc than most, he’s produced a wine with a beautiful perfume and lots of glossy fruit. “Dark fruit aroma and flavour with a touch of leafy freshness. Supple texture then firmness on the finish. Château Les Hauts Conseillants Lalande de Pomerol Code: C1018714 12 Bottles £115 Undemonstrative but plenty of potential.” 16.25/20, James Lawther MW, Decanter. Jean-Baptiste Bourotte, whose family established this property in the 1970s, also owns Château Bonalgue in Pomerol where this wine is vinified. Like some of the best soils in Pomerol, Les Hauts-Conseillants lies on a clay/gravel bed which made a big difference in 2014. Code: C2231014 12 Bottles £120 A ripe and glossy perfume leads into a juicy, fresh palate with good volume and a mineral finish. 2 Reserve yours today 03330 148 208 or www.averys.com/bordeaux2014 Reserve yours today 03330 148 208 or www.averys.com/bordeaux2014 3 SAINT-ESTÈPHE PAUILLAC Bordeaux 2014 En Primeur Saint-Estèphe is the most northerly of the great Haut-Médoc communes and if we had to pick just one commune that really shone With three of the five first growth estates centred on Pauillac, this commune, for many, epitomises fine claret. As always, the best in 2014, this would be it. The North benefited from less rain than the south and really capitalised on the September sunshine. châteaux in Pauillac had the financial ability and the dedication to ensure a rigorous selection process in both the vineyard and Most surprising was the phenomenal quality to be found from the likes of Chateaux Meyney and Lafon Rochet. the winery. These remarkable wines are testament to this hard work and the 2014 wines are exceptionally well-balanced. Château Lynch Moussas Pauillac 5ème Cru Classé Code: C1020714 12 Bottles Château Capbern Saint-Estèphe Code: C0296514 12 Bottles £115 £205 Lynch Moussas has been completely renovated since it was purchased by the Casteja family in 1969 and the quality of the wine has been Previously known as Capbern Gasqueton, this fine textured red has fresh and fragrant fruit on the palate, followed by smooth supple tannins. tranformed. This year’s wine is nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon (very unusual for Lynch Moussas). A beautiful Pauillac cassis perfume with a a really great fruity claret. ripe and spicy fleshy mid-palate. Bordeaux 2014 En Primeur Château Meyney Saint-Estèphe Cru Bourgeois Code: C1422914 12 Bottles £165 Château Haut Batailley Pauillac 5ème Cru Classé Code: C1018414 12 Bottles £225 Another exceptional Saint-Estèphe. This is only the second vintage made under the supervision of Hubert de Bouard, owner of Château Angelus, and it’s arguably the best Meyney ever made. Almost black in colour with a dark-toned, cocoa-tinged nose. Muscular and classically Owned by the Borie family of Ducru Beaucaillou and Grand Puy Lacoste fame. 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot. Classic Pauillac in style tannic with a very balanced finish. with a fresh, fragrant, tobacco-edged nose. Ripe and creamy with delicate complexity and great clarity. Château Lafon Rochet Saint-Estèphe 4ème Cru Classé Code: C1019114 12 Bottles £225 In 2012, Lafon Rochet hired Jean-Claude Berrouet of Château Pétrus fame and the estate has gone from strength to strength. A very successful Château Batailley Pauillac 5ème Cru Classé Code: C0918514 12 Bottles £234 vintage, the 2014 is ripe and lush with concentrated sweet fruit and substantial tannin balanced by lovely freshness. In 1942, Chateau Batailley was divided into two properties as we know them today: Chateau Batailley and Chateau Haut Batailley. Château Batailley is run by the Casteja family, who also own Lynch Moussas. Shy initially, this is focused, precise and direct – benchmark Château Montrose Saint-Estèphe 2ème Cru Classé Code: C0921314 12 Bottles POA classic claret in style. A brilliant wine with a great sense of power and complex mineral structure. “Dense, irony Cabernet nose and deep chalky fruit typical of Montrose. Rich but with clarity and precision, robust yet elegant – one for the long term.” 18.5/20, Steven Spurrier, Decanter. Château Clerc Milon Pauillac 5ème Cru Classé Code: C1016914 12 Bottles £330 Made by the team at Château Mouton Rothschild.

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