Bdx en primeur, årg 2013

[StefanAkiko]

Fick mitt första ep-mail för årets omgång idag.
Siktar på att evt köpa ngn låda halvbuteljer av Coutet, Climens, Suduiraut och någon fler. Slinker evt med någon låda ekad torr vit Bdx också. Men, av de röda... Näe, jag blir personligen mer fundersam än inspirerad. Här mailet från Matt James på TBC:

Greetings from TBC,
Just a quick note to inform you that I've just returned from Bordeaux tasting the 2013 vintage & I will be passing on my assessment as soon as I get a chance. These days TBC is increasingly a restaurant supply business & I have a number of thirsty customers to attend to before being able to write anything of length. But it seems that our friends in Bordeaux have decided to start releasing the wines before many merchants have got home & managed to write up their notes...in Pontet Canet's case, they released before we even left home. I think they want this vintage out of the way!

My very brief assessment is that, for red wines, 2013 is definitely the weakest of the three recent tough vintages 2011, 12 & 13. (12 the strongest IMO...the '04' of the future but less of it!) However it's a superb year for white Bordeaux and especially sweet whites. It's up there with the very best in fact. In strong Sauternes vintages, if 11 was comparable to the awesome 01, 13 is holding court with the 07. Which makes Ch d'Yquem wine of the vintage by some margin! It was stunning. Ch Coutetas well was on incredible form. There were some well balanced, medium/light bodied red wines made with some expert winemaking...30 years ago 2013 would have been a total write off - but the tireless (applaudable) work in the vineyard & winery has given us some Clarets that will offer pleasure in early drinking. There's a few 'pretty' (a TN I used a lot) reds out there that are refreshingly lower in alcohol. Some have been chaplatised which is a very rare occurrence in Bordeaux. It's just about the prices now.....and.... early signs are annoying as Ch Gazin & Ch Pontet Canet have released at the same price as last year, for wines of inferior quality. Oh come on chaps!!!!! Well, there's a lot of factors other than greed that goes into these decisions (eg; they've got less than half the usual amount of wine to sell!) but still consumers shouldn't be footing the bill for that..and won't.

I will be offering some of the most significant estates to you guys but probably not buying too much myself. I will personally take a few cases of sweet & dry white & there are a very few Clarets that I buy every year anyway because I trust the winemaking & the Chateau pricing policy. Ch Angludet comes to mind...it's decent & they won't want too much for it. I can keep my vertical going & use it for various things. Vieux Ch Certan & Ch L'Eglise Clinet always seem to make delicious wine even in the hardest of years. EP also is a good time to order large formats for those that use & collect them. As I say there isn't much of 2013 volume wise so if prices are OK then it's sort of worth bearing that in mind. In 2008 prices were so low that they were impossible to ignore...there may just be one or two Chateau that do the same! Most probably won't or would rather hold on to their wine than sell it too cheaply (in their eyes). I know some of the people on this list will have their own favorites different to mine & may want a case - or at least see the prices. If you think I've missed one you like please do ask me? I import from Bordeaux all the time now & it's no problem to add your orders.

I'll also write something more lengthy & post it onto the website in due course. I'll keep a live pricelist on my website too & It's worth checking this out. It's certainly going to be a very short campaign & they are going to come out of the traps very quickly...in fact as I write;

Ch Angludet 2013 @ £162 per 12 En Primeur
As I suspected they have made the correct price for this pleasant Margaux. This is one estate that didn't need to chaplatise...Ben Sichel hasn't needed to since 1996 & didn't need to in 2013 like so many others did. it's well balanced with 56% Cab Sav/32% Merlot & 12% Petit Verdot. A fruit forward gentle Claret with only 32% new oak used to keep too much wood off a delicate wine. I'm happy to recommend it. It won't be cheaper in future IMO but may remain the same price! Your call!

Ch Pichon Baron 2013 Pauillac 5th Growth @ £300/600 per 6/12 En Primeur
priced a bit down on last year...not quite enough to tempt me (£500 may have!) but it's a good wine.

Ch Petit Village 2013 Pomerol @ £210/420 per 6/12 En Primeur

Ch Suduiraut 2013 Sauternes @ £235/465 per 6/12 En Primeur (supplements for halves apply)

Ch Smith Haut Lafitte 2013 Pessac Leognan @ £215/425 En Primeur

Ch Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2013 Pessac Leognan @ £300/600 per 6/12 En PrimeurThis was really fantastic along with Domaine de Chevalier Blanc. Those two always dual it out for top spot (leaving out Haut Brion blanc which is jaw drop stunning but 10 times the price!!)Ch Angludet 2013 Margaux @ £169 per 12 En Primeur

and these are already out previosuly...
Ch Pontet Canet 2013 Pauillac 5th Growth @ £335/665 per 6/12 IB
Monsieur Tesseron relayed to us all that he was proud of his decision. I can't deny that it's quality wine but I think it might be cheaper in future.
Ch Gazin 2013 Pomerol @ £210/420 per 6/12 IB

NB- these prices include import into the UK at LB Tilbury in 2016.

Happy hunting

thanks for reading

--
Matt James
The Bordeaux Cellar
www.thebordeauxcellar.co.uk

 

[Mattias Schyberg]

Låter som att det blir få köp från min sida av nya Bordeaux-årgångar den närmaste tiden, trist. Får passa på att tanka på sig en del av 10rna (och 09rna) som fortfarande går att få tag på med lätthet.

 

[Segol]

Det är som sagt ingen brist på äldre årgångar att få tag på så för mig känns det helt OK.
Hur bra -09 och -10 än är så lägger jag hellre pengarna på tex -04 & -06 som är mer sympatiskt prissatta plus att jag inte måste vänta på att dricka dem

 

[magnum]

r jag hellre pengarna på tex -04 & -06 som är mer sympatiskt prissatta plus att jag inte måste vänta på att dricka dem[/QUOTE]
Nån flaska 09 och 10 bör du nog ha!

 

[Segol]

r jag hellre pengarna på tex -04 & -06 som är mer sympatiskt prissatta plus att jag inte måste vänta på att dricka dem

Nån flaska 09 och 10 bör du nog ha![/QUOTE]

Förmodligen blir det så... Principfasthet är inte min bästa egenskap

 

[StefanAkiko]

Fine and Rare Wines, www.frw.co.uk, skriver sin rapport på dette vis:

Bordeaux 2013: Twist or Stick?

2013 is a Bordeaux vintage that has been challenged from the start. Challenged by the weather that made the vintage, challenged by the naysayers since the grapes were picked, challenged by a wine market disenchanted by Bordeaux and challenged now by those with the job of selling it. Asked earlier this week by the maker of one of the year's very few successes for our view on a pricing strategy, the conclusion was: well, whatever you do, it will be the wrong thing. This is a vintage that has been brushed with negativity from the start.

Which is a bit of a shame, for whilst it is clear that 2013 is, on the whole, a long way from being a great, or even a good vintage, there are some very nice wines. There are very few "grand vins" - you can count them on one hand - though there is no shortage of attractive, easy and soft claret which, if priced correctly, will appeal. Over the course of a week I tasted many wines that had me looking forward to drinking them in a few years' time. It's just that I'd probably be buying them in a few years' time too. This is, with a few wines excepted, not an en-primeur year.

St Estephe

To my palate this is probably the most successful appellation of the vintage. St Estephe missed most of the July storm that took out the church tower in Pauillac, and suffered less from the September rot that set in. St Estephe is beautifully desolate and exposed to what little wind there was in the hot and humid September. Calon Segur have made one of the best wines of the vintage: cool, svelte and with an energy that borders on the spiritual; Montrose have made a crunchy, mouthfilling wine and, notably, the best Tronqouy Lalande I have ever tasted. Cos d'Estournel have made a wine that returns to a classical St Estephe style and all of these wines are worth considering if the price is right.

Pauillac

The appellation where the big boys live, and where price will be so, so important.

Question one: is Pontet-Canet worth it?

Answer: if you are a fan of Pontet Canet then yes. The wine is idiosyncratic, in a flamboyant style that is incongruous with the vintage itself. As with the 2012, the style is so atypical that I do wonder how it will develop, but I can't argue that it is anything other than delicious. That said, for fans of Pauillac rather than Pontet, there are better buys.

Still in Pauillac, my wine of the vintage is Pichon-Lalande, though the bad news is that there is very little of it. There is no Merlot in the 2013 and the selection for the Cabernet was so strict that the property has produced about a fifth of their usual production. We were so struck by this wine that we returned the next day to retaste: this is "grand vin" and, along with Calon Segur, one of the wines that is genuinely special in 2013.

Lynch-Bages, Pichon Baron and "the usual suspects" have all made decent wines in 2013, and some of the second wines, notably Tourelles de Longueville and Echo de Lynch, are delicious "bistro claret". There is probably little point in buying them now unless they are very attractively priced, but they are lovely nonetheless (and this is a theme which is repeated throughout the vintage: lots of nice wine, especially for those that like a lighter and more elegant style, but from a purely financial point of view, you may as well buy them once they're bottled, shipped and ready to go).
St Julien

St Julien was true to form in what was easily the most consistent appellation on the left bank. Leovilles Poyferre and Lascases stand out (with a delicious Clos du Marquis), as do Gruaud-Larose, St Pierreand Ducru. Potensac is lovely, and I may have some magnums of this for myself (for me, if the prices are right, this is a large format year. Wine should be shared, no?)

Margaux

Margaux was the maze of inconsistency that it often is. Always the most varied appellation in terms of quality, it can be a minefield. In a year like 2013 the mines are very easy to spot. Margaux itself is excellent - Bud and I tasted the component parts of the blend in February and tasting the assembled cuvees was a little like hearing the choir sing having met the individual singers. Palmer and Rauzan-Segla both impressed though the issue of price will no doubt raise its head here and Rauzan will most likely be the most interesting buy.

Graves

In Graves it starts to get tricky, very tricky.Domaine de Chevalier and Haut Bailly both did well as one would expect, though the only real standouts for me were Haut Brion and Smith Haut Lafitte. The latter, both red and white, is one of my picks and there isn't much of it in either colour.

Across the river:

Pomerol

Pomerol was all relatively easy to taste. The weaker wines are simply dull at this stage as opposed to poor, and the winners are clear. Denis Durantou's Eglise Clinet is wonderful and this is a wine to secure when you can. And his "little" wines are, as ever, vibrant, fresh and full of pleasure. Bravo. Other winners are La Conseillante, Clinet andVCC: one of the prettiest wines of the vintage. Tasting VCC was like being gently kissed on the cheek: lovely. Lafleur have made something quite exceptional as one would expect and Feytit-Clinet, a F+R favourite, is quite, quite lovely and a wine to buy.

St Emilion

St Emilion is always a challenge. Can they not turn the turbochargers off? Tasting at the Union des Grands Crus in St Emilion is invariably a comparison of extraction rather than one of terroir though thankfully there are some winners. Ausone is just fantastic - a normally-aspirated V12 rather than a twin-turbo V10 and a similar sentiment popped up in my note for Angelus: these are both wines for drinking rather than for scoring. Cheval Blanc have made an equally laid back yet very "proper" wine, though one can only guess at this stage as to the price. Followers of Ch. Canon will be pleased: John Kolasa and his team have yet again crafted a lovely, balanced wine that for me is the epitome of what St Emilion should taste like. No turbochargers at this address.

Whites: dry and sweet.

We tasted a handful of sweet whites and probably should have tasted more. They are excellent.Suduiraut in particular is stunning. The dry whites are very, very good and our standout wine wasSmith Haut Lafitte - very "Smith" in style this year and a wine of remarkable precision and depth.
Prices and what we will offer

Not wishing to join the negativity that surrounds 2013 Bordeaux, this is a relatively easy year to sit out. Many wines, delicious or not, will be available once bottled (and will be easier to judge at that stage). We will list wines as they become available, and if you have particular interest in any wines please do let us know. Subject to pricing, we will recommend our favourites and our picks of the vintage, especially those wines that may well sell through (which is rather the point of buying them early).

Joss Fowler, Director of Fine Wine

 

[StefanAkiko]

The Chicago Wine Company kröp ut ur lådan idag med denna korta rapport:

2013 Bordeaux - Brief Vintage Report

We just returned from our annual trip to Bordeaux to taste the most recent vintage from barrel, in this case the 2013s. Much has already been written about this vintage. As seems to be the case every year, there is a rush to judgment with less than all of the facts (or tastings for that matter).

After tasting through most of the top wines, many times more than once, we can say that the vintage was not without its challenges and it showed in more than a handful of wines. That being said, the good wines, and there are more than many would have you believe, were very charming medium/light bodied wines that were well balanced, with clean fruit (very few showed any greenness or off flavors) and good length in the mouth. As a whole, this vintage did not produce wines that will be long lived but instead wines that will be approachable before any of the 2009-2012 vintages and will be excellent choices at the dinner table.

The big question will be pricing. It is easy to say that every wine should come down X% this vintage but the reality is the each wine needs to be looked at separately on its own merits (quality and market pricing) to see if it is worth considering. Our aim will be to act as a filter, focusing our offerings on those wines that we think are of particular interest. In addition we will list other 2013s worth considering on our web site and in summary offers.

 

[Emanuel]

-Är mest deppig eftersom jag fick en dotter 2013 och det ser ut som det kommer bli snålt med god BDX i källaren av "hennes" årgång om 20 år... Arma barn som ska behöver växa upp med den vetskapen. Som tur är görs det ju vin på fler ställen...

 

[gece]

-Är mest deppig eftersom jag fick en dotter 2013 och det ser ut som det kommer bli snålt med god BDX i källaren av "hennes" årgång om 20 år... Arma barn som ska behöver växa upp med den vetskapen. Som tur är görs det ju vin på fler ställen...

Det var väl ett bra år för Sauternes? Problemet löst. 20-årskalas med gåslever, roquefort och knappt mogen Yquem.

 

[Jos]

Intressant! Blir antagligen något köp om ett par år när 2013 blir prissänkta efter att ha stått på Stora Satans hyllor ett par månader utan åtgång.

 

[Emanuel]

Det var väl ett bra år för Sauternes? Problemet löst. 20-årskalas med gåslever, roquefort och knappt mogen Yquem.

Ja, det är förstås... Vet inte om jag tycker att hon ska gå på sötsakerna direkt bara...
-Hur gick det i Champagne 2013? -Ett par jeroboams med Krug -13 hade ju fungerat som en hyfsad nödlösning på 20-årskalaset?

 

[Vino fino]

Jag säger bara en sak pöjkar: är ni redo för lite sockrad Bdx? Det är inte jag....

Redo att betala €€€ för Lafite (jo, ni läste rätt, Lafite) med en extra dos strösocker? Inte jag....

"At Chateau Palmer, Thomas Duroux told Decanter.com that 2013 was the first time he had used chaptalisation since arriving at the property in 2004.
‘Our tanks came in at an average of 12.25«v, and we chaptalised up to 13%,' he said. 'The last time that happened was 1994.'
Charles Chevallier, of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, told Decanter,com that existing machines were a blunt tool for producers. 'When you use those machines it’s because you don't have the right balance at the beginning. If you use the machines you increase the difference, so if you have a bad balance at the beginning then you have a very bad balance at the end.'

Chevallier said chaptalisation of some vats at the first growth chateau was necessary for the 2013 vintage, 'to have a good balance' in the finished wine. 'We didn't reach the maximum [limit],' he added."

 

[magnum]

Ja, det är förstås... Vet inte om jag tycker att hon ska gå på sötsakerna direkt bara...
-Hur gick det i Champagne 2013? -Ett par jeroboams med Krug -13 hade ju fungerat som en hyfsad nödlösning på 20-årskalaset?

2013 i Champagne är en riktigt bra årgång! Problemet löst!

 

[Emanuel]

2013 i Champagne är en riktigt bra årgång! Problemet löst!

Lysande, lägger gärna mina slantar på årgångsskumpa från -13 istället... Ja, nån liten BDX lär väl slinka med oavsett men fokuset har ändå halkat iväg mot champagne på sistone... Verkar vara något som går på forumet....

 

[Mats]

Lysande, lägger gärna mina slantar på årgångsskumpa från -13 istället... Ja, nån liten BDX lär väl slinka med oavsett men fokuset har ändå halkat iväg mot champagne på sistone... Verkar vara något som går på forumet....

Champagne när det finns Sauternes som alternativ???? Jag tror vi måste ta ett allvarligt samtal om dina prioriteringar här!

 

[ChristianB]

Med en något för liten plånbok när det kommer till Bdx så får jag vara glad för att St Estephe fick goda omdömen överlag! De gör ju väldigt prisvärda viner i alla fall och då kanske man kan sno åt sig något där!

För övrigt en väldigt underhållande tråd, med precis den härliga nördighet som jag gillar i vinträsket. "Krug som nödlösning", "Champagne vs Sauterne"... Keep it up!

 

[StefanAkiko]

Har preliminärbokat mig för en låda halvor av 2013 Suduiraut.
24 X njutning på högsta nivå.
Förutsatt att de håller ett rimligt pris...

 

[Arvid]

Och Bourgogne... nästan alla vinmakare jag pratat med föredrar i smyg 2013, och fatproverna är inte tokiga alls. Fast volymerna är knasigt små.

Har preliminärbokat mig för en låda halvor av 2013 Suduiraut.
24 X njutning på högsta nivå.
Förutsatt att de håller ett rimligt pris...

Klart en av kapen än så länge..

Kanske blir det lite Sauternes i år, annars håller jag mig borta från en primeur 13.

 

[StefanAkiko]

Från Fine and Rare Wines
A simple rule in Bordeaux is that difficult vintages for red wine generally make for rather good ones for the whites. And, as for the sweeties, the Botrytis that was the scourge of the Medoc in 2013 was the golden goose for Sauternes and Barsac.

Not only is 2013 a very good vintage for the dry and sweet whites of Bordeaux, these wines are made in relatively small quantities. In short, they are worth buying. Herewith a roundup of the releases so far. Our picks would be Smith Haut Lafitte – our dry white of the vintage – and Suduiraut which, in our opinion, runs Yquem very close in 2013.

Dry
Blanc de Lynch Bages
GBP 120 per case (6x75cl) IB
“This is super-fresh and mineral with oyster shell and salt. Full body with dried lemons and hints of mango. Long and fresh. Crazy grapefruit. Tangy and energetic."
92-93 Points, James Suckling

Clos Nardian
GBP 202 per case (6x75cl) IB
“A dense white wine for the vintage with dried-pineapple and apricot character. Tangy acidity."
90-91 Points, James Suckling

Cos d’Estournel Blanc
GBP 235 per case (6x75cl) IB
“This is the best Cos blanc ever, with lots of sliced grapefruit, pears and hints of fennel and aniseed. Full body with bright acidity and fruit. Oyster shell and salt on the finish. Excellent. 76% sauvignon blanc and 24% sémillon."
94-95 Points, James Suckling

Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc
GBP 294 per case (6x75cl) IB
“Why drink Silex from Dagueneau? This is really something exceptional with incredible density and power. Full-bodied, dry and mineral and lemon zest with fabulous length and beauty. This is definitely one to buy in 2013. 90% savuignon blanc, 5% sauvignon grid and 5% sémillon."
95-96 Points, James Suckling

Sweet
De Malle
GBP 246 per case (12x75cl) IB
“Lots of dried fruits and sliced-apple character. Medium body, light sweetness and a medium finish." 86-87 Points, James Suckling

Doisy Vedrines
GBP 212 per case (12x75cl) IB
“Attractive apple-purée and honey character. Medium body, lightly sweet with a fresh finish. Outstanding length here."
90-91 Points, James Suckling

Filhot
GBP 157 per case (12x75cl) IB
“Some honey, sliced-pear and apple character. Medium to full body, lightly sweet and a simple finish." 85-86 Points, James Suckling

Guiraud
GBP 299 per case (12x75cl) IB
“This is tight and linear with dried-pineapple, honey and powdered mushroom character. Medium to full body, medium sweet and a light finish. Showing class for the vintage."
92-93 Points, James Suckling

La Tour Blanche
GBP 325 per case (12x75cl) IB
“Lots of spicy, dried-fruit character with underlying honey and sweetness. Full and fruity with a long, long finish. Serious for the vintage."
92-93 Points, James Suckling

Lafaurie Peyraguey
GBP 373 per case (12x75cl) IB
“A full and concentrated young Sauternes with lots of botrytis spice character such as dried mushrooms and nutmeg. It's full body, medium sweet with a wonderful length of fruit and intense acidity. It's layered and fascinating. Lots of dried fruits too. Sliced dried mango and pineapple."
93-94 Points, James Suckling

Suduiraut
GBP 449 per case (12x75cl) IB
“Serious finish to this young Sauternes with honey, caramel and dried-fruit character. Full body, long finish. Medium sweet. I love the dry, spicy botrytis character to this. Tangy. Excellent indeed."92-93 Points, James Suckling

 

[StefanAkiko]

Bordeaux 2013: Best Value Buys

© Wine-Searcher
Wine industry insiders name their value picks.
By Rebecca Gibb | Posted Friday, 11-Apr-2014
If you are one of the few interested in buying 2013 Bordeaux en primeur and want value for money, look to Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Calon-Ségur and Domaine de Chevalier.

That’s the word from wine merchants and négociants across Europe and Asia. A merchant survey published by fine wine trading platform Liv-ex this week suggested that these wines will offer the most bang for your buck (expected release price of less than 500 pounds).

Respondents were also impressed with Pauillac's Château Batailley, as was James Suckling, who awarded it a 91-92 in-barrel score. It is the only estate in the best value top five yet to hit the market: a bottle can be picked up for a relatively affordable $37 a bottle on Wine-Searcher, excluding taxes.

Best value for money wines in 2013*:

ChâteauSuckling scoreSpectator score
1. Grand-Puy-Lacoste89-9089-92
2. Calon-Ségur89-9089-92
3. Domaine de Chevalier91-9288-91
4. Batailley91-92n/a
=5. La Chenade89-9085-88
=5. Léoville Barton91-9290-93
However, this is not going to be an easy year for Bordeaux châteaux, négociants and merchants, with 78 percent of those surveyed saying the level of demand will be significantly lower than last year. “A few respondents reported no demand at all at present and possibly none to come,” the report revealed.

And that's due to mediocre wine quality. "Weak, disappointing and lacking personality" were commonly used by those who attended the en primeur tastings, noted Liv-ex. Similarly, wine critic, Antonio Galloni, who is due to release the first of his scores today, has labeled it "an average vintage with a handful or two of outstanding wines".