Red Graves 2016
Over in Bordeaux, the 2016 vintage is acknowledged as one of the finest of the century – so far! This added extra interest to an exciting tasting of red wines from Graves and Pessac-Léognan, already notable for being the last ever Decanter panel tasting to be held in its former Canary Wharf office, before the company’s move to offices in Paddington, west London.
The judges were highly impressed with 2016’s winning combination of succulent, ripe fruit interwoven with fine tannins and an enduring freshness on the finish. Out of 65 wines tasted, six were awarded scores of 95 points (and above), with almost one third of the wines tasted scoring 93pts or more.
Graves and Pessac-Léognan are located southwest of Bordeaux on the Left Bank of the river Garonne. ‘Graves’ refers to the gravel deposits which characterise much of the region’s soils. Although larger in area than the Médoc, Graves produces about 50% of the volume of wine and is, with the exception of a couple of top estates, less revered.
The wines of the Graves can be beautifully perfumed and often have an earthy, mineral character which distinguishes them from the more blackcurrant and lead-pencil style of many Haut-Médoc wines.
Graves was first granted appellation status in 1953, with Pessac-Léognan separated out from it as an appellation and confirmed in 1987. This tasting did not feature Châteaux Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion or Smith Haut Lafitte, but included several of the Pessac-Léognan cru classé estates. These did live up to their higher AP status, with six out of the seven wines present scoring 93pts and above, and three rated Outstanding – Pape Clément, Carbonnieux and Latour-Martillac.
Tim Triptree MW was impressed, stating that ‘overall quality was high and confirmed the outstanding quality of the 2016 vintage’.
Triptree found ‘the best examples were harmonious and powerful, rich – wines with depth of black fruit flavours, yet balanced with freshness and elegance, and silky ripe tannin’. Robert Mathias, Bordeaux
