The fine wine industry’s key critics have all now published their in-bottle scores on the Bordeaux 2016 vintage. In barrel tastings in early 2017 indicated that this was a very good vintage and the tastings over the last few weeks as the wine is starting to be shipped in bottle has generally exceeded high expectations.
| WINE | Wine Advocate
IN BARREL SCORE (NM) | Antonio Galloni
IN BOTTLE | James Suckling
IN BOTTLE | Neal Martin
IN BOTTLE | Wine Advocate
IN BOTTLE SCORE (LPB) |
| Mouton Rothschild | 98 – 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Haut Brion | 97 – 99 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 100 |
| Cos d’Estournel | 98 – 100 | 95+ | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Petrus | 99 | 100 | 98+ | 100 | |
| Leoville Las Cases | 98 | 100 | 98 | 100 | |
| Lafite Rothschild | 98 – 100 | 99 | 100 | 98 | 100 |
| Pavie | 98+ | 100 | 98 | 100 | |
| Le Pin | 99 | 100 | 97 | 100 |
Source: Liv-ex.com
Neal Martin commenced his report on the vintage with the introductory statement, “…2016 boasts numerous wines pulled from top drawers, and readers will find many (tasting) notes where I remark that the 2016 constitutes the best I have ever tasted at the property since my first primeur, the rather middling 1997 vintage.”
Ground prepared, Martin has awarded five wines the perfect 100 point score, two of which are common to the other critics as featured in the table above. His top wines of 2016 at this stage are first growths Mouton Rothschild which was consistently perfectly scored by all of the key critics and Latour, along with Cos d’Estournel, Vieux Chateau Certan and Figeac. In his view “… the 2016 Latour, Mouton Rothschild, Cos d’Estournel, Figeac and Vieux Chateau Certan form a quintet that I cannot imagine being improved in any way, shape or form, which is why they deserve perfect scores.”
Cos d’Estournel showed consistency with 100 points awarded by James Suckling and the Wine Advocate’s Lisa Perotti-Brown. Martin described the 2016 Cos as “a monumental benchmark Cos d’Estournel that will give not years but decades of pleasure.”
He also goes onto to state that not everything hangs on the score and “How can you not marvel at the brilliance of Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion, Leoville Las Cases, Petrus or Cheval Blanc? These are astonishing wines, and there are many more besides.” He points to 2016 being a high point of the decade and through the 2015s may have a slight edge on overall quality he refers to the 2016 Bordeaux wines as the DBs – “the dog’s bollocks”.
Suckling was the last to publish his scores and throughout his report draws parallels between 2016 and the “superb 2015” vintage, stating that “2016 is one of the best vintages since 2010”. He ranks it “ahead of 2000 and 2003” and also better than “every vintage in the 1990s except 1990 itself. The only modern vintages that rate better are 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2015 – the latter only by a hair.”
Eight wines received a perfect 100 point score from Suckling who concluded his report “ I want to buy a number of wines in 2016 just like I did in 2015. And I recommend that you do the same if you love excellent Bordeaux. The two vintages produced wines that are incomparable to other reds made in the world.”
Liv-ex has already seen a flurry of trade in the 2016s since the scores were published and Cos, in particular, has been a focus offering great value for a wine of such quality.
For more information on the Bordeaux 2016 vintage and wines currently available call us now on 0203 385 2262.