2016 Bordeaux clearly belongs on the best vintage list for any Bordeaux wine lover. But there are hits and misses here, along with several high points. The wines are stylish, age worthy and will age and evolve for decades. But there are vineyards and appellations that did better than others.
1999 Chateau Palmer is the wine of the week. Perfectly mature, this is pure, silk, with beautiful, elegantly textured fruit, freshness and complexity.
Domaine de Chevalier combines purity of fruit, rock and mineral character with loads of sweet, juicy, fresh, just squeezed citrus fruits and an almost unequaled ability to age and evolve for decades.
There is a lot to like with 2007 Beaucastel. It’s complex, earthy, spicy and sensuous, with ripe fruit that tastes ad feels great. Plus, it’s ready to drink!
While not at the same level of the more, recent, exalted vintages for the sweet, wine of Bordeaux, there are several good wines with looking at in 2016.
There are years when the white Bordeaux wine outperforms the red wines for example, most recently, 2013, 2011 and 2007. 2016 is not going to one of those vintages. That does not mean one should overlook some of these wines, as they can offer near term, delicious drinking.
