2012 Pessac Leognan wines are mixed. While Haut Brion clearly leads the pack, other chateaux turned in strong performances as well. 2012 Pessac Leognan was another year when the dry, white wines of the region were very successful.
2012 Margaux is perhaps the most consistent appellation in the Medoc. At their best, the wines are refined, elegant, floral and supple textured, with freshness and the best part is, most will drink well on release.
To produce the best 2012 St. Estephe wines possible, growers were forced to pick before the Cabernet Sauvignon was able to fully ripen. Often the tannins are hard, showing a dry, green character in the finish. 2012 St. Estephe is a year where a light touch was needed.
At their best, 2012 Haut Medoc will provide quite charming Bordeaux wine that will deliver pleasure on release. Other estates that over extracted and used too much oak produced wines with drying tannins that are never going to be a lot of fun to taste.
2012 Pauillac is not going to make anyone forget about 2010 Pauillac or 2009 Pauillac. But it does not need to. The wines are not for long term drinking, which is a good thing for fans of Pauillac
2012 St. Julien is a mixed vintage. There are some fine, medium bodied, classically styled 2012 St Julien wines, along with others displaying dry tannins and over extraction.