The F-Word: Bordeaux Left Bank 2017
BY NEAL MARTIN |
1) In 2017, Margaux was more affected by frost, resulting in less consistency. Some wines lack energy and structure.
2) Château Margaux and Palmer reign, Marquis d’Alesme Becker, Rauzan-Ségla and Malescot St. Exupéry just behind.
3) Generally wines for early to mid-term drinking.
The commune of Margaux was affected by the frost to a greater extent than those further north in 2017, the most high-profile casualty d’Angludet, denied a drop of fermented grape juice. That is partly down to the estuary being less wide than upstream compared to Pauillac or Saint-Estèphe. There is less mass of water, ergo less influence upon air temperature that helps protect vineyards from frost. In addition, it tends to be more “sensitive” than Saint-Julien or Pauillac. You have the feeling that a traumatic event like frost has greater impact upon the vines and resulting wines. However, there are some successes, not least an excellent Marquis d’Alesme Becker that has really ratcheted up the quality in recent years, likewise Malescot St. Exupéry. But let’s begin, where else, at those Doric pillars at Château Margaux.
Frost does not really give two hoots about the reputation of a vineyard, its historical importance, nor the price tag. It goes wherever it chooses. In 2017 the vines at Château Margaux were not spared. “Frost affected eight hectares,” estate manager Philippe Bascaules told me. “At the end of June there was more than 100mm of rain that helped with the drought. Summer was very dry in July and August. There was around 70mm of rain in September that changed the view of the vintage, then there was a bit of rain over the following days. Therefore we saw some botrytis in mid-September and we decided to wait a little, during a sunny period. We began picking the Merlot on 18 September but we stopped the harvest on 22 September and started again on 25 September with the Cabernet Sauvignon, each picker sorting in the vineyard. We were surprised by the concentration. The Grand Vin represents 37% of the total production this year, the Pavillon Rouge 22%.” Those last figures demonstrate the draconian selection at Château Margaux these days, a majority of the fruit now ending in either the second or recently introduced third wine. It is a “classic” Château Margaux that will not match the extraordinary 2015 or 2016, yet is reminiscent of say, the 2012, with just a little more depth. Whereas in some years I feel that the Pavillon Rouge pushes closer to the Grand Vin, in 2017 there is a distinct difference between the two and it is outshone by the superior Pavillon Blanc that relished the favorable growing season for the whites. This pure Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best that I have encountered in recent years, though I remain more parsimonious in my score compared to others I have seen since I do not find it possesses the longevity of the greatest white Pessac-Léognans.
Thomas Duroux at Palmer, a château that is embracing biodynamics and judging by the flock I witnessed in the vines back in January, sheep
Continuing the theme of frost not sparing the mighty, at Palmer, estate manager Thomas Duroux lamented that he lost some of his crop. “Fifteen hectares were hit by the frost, mostly Alter Ego vineyards. Towards the western side [of the vineyard] these were totally destroyed,” he explains. “One block was partially frosted with first and second generation bunches and at véraison we decided to lop off all the second generation fruit allowing the first to ripen. Picking started 20 September and finished on 29 September, a relatively early harvest. We knew from July we would not have very tannic fruit due to the rain postponing the vegetative growth and phenolic accumulation. In September the rain made the berries a little bigger, so we knew that there was a risk in terms of ripeness. The key was to find the right balance in the wine. Since 2014 we have not used sulfite before fermentation and this time, no SO2 in the fruit or selected yeast. Also we postponed the first SO2 addition, which was done at the end of February at blending instead of the malolactic. This helps the fruit expression and tannin finesse.” Similar to Château Margaux, this year I discerned quite a tangible difference between the Château Palmer and Alter Ego (even though the latter is not strictly a deuxième vin). As usual, my sample of the Grand Vin was extracted from a used barrel so I had to factor that in projecting how the wine will evolve going forward. It certainly has excellent depth and concentration, the texture satin-like and the length reassuringly long. I admire the typicité of this Palmer, how its place of origin shines through. It could only come from Margaux, those signature violet and iris scents blooming from the glass. I quipped to Thomas that it was so delicious that I almost wish there is not any new oak in the final blend. Though I know he would not countenance that, it did make me wonder how a cuvée that eschewed new wood altogether might taste.
Vinous readers can expect a vertical of Rauzan-Ségla on its pages in the near future but in the meantime, I met up with winemaker Nicolas Audebert to assess the latest offering from an estate that is flying high at the moment. “The impact of the frost was quite important on some terroirs. All the parcels on the western side of the estate, further inland where there is less wind ventilation and the cold stays longer were affected. The chef de culture woke up in a cold room and he knew something was up. Except for this, the other parts of the vineyard were fine. If you forget the frost in the beginning and the rain it was great. The flowering was quick and even, véraison by 10 August...people who have been here a long time had never seen anything like that. We had no lack of water or temperature heat spikes. It was cloudy and fresh but in terms of the evolution of the vine, everything happened at the right moment. We started the picking on 12 September until 28 or 29 September, stopping and starting during this period, picking when we wanted. We had to do a selection in the vineyard because there was botrytis. It was a question of pressure and picking at the right time, not at the latest. Where the frost impact was strong, it was rejected from the blend for both Rauzan Ségla or Ségla.” That strict approach to selection paid dividends in 2017 and whilst it does not match up to the 2015 or 2016, the 2017 continues a run of exemplary wines. Whereas in 2015 I might have opted for the Right Bank wine under Nicolas’s charge, Château Canon, in 2017 I have a preference for his Left Bank.
Henri Lurton pondering recent vintages of Brane-Cantenac that I tasted following his 2017s
Brane-Cantenac is a château that has been on a roll recently under proprietor Henri Lurton. The “Pauillac of Margaux” veers towards a classic style, more often than not, a tricky and deceptive wine to taste out of barrel. It can feel austere and even a little green however, as the wines mature these characteristics are subsumed and impart real complexity. You just have to be patient and keep faith. Unfortunately Henri told me that the vineyard was not spared frost damage. “Around 35% was destroyed and so we are going to mostly replant these parcels,” he told me. “They were mainly plots that go into the deuxième vin, Baron de Brane, than the Grand Vin. After that we now use drones to monitor the growth of the vine. Unlike in 1991 when the Brane-Cantenac came entirely from second generation fruit, in 2017 there is very little.” Those with a penchant for Brane-Cantenac will love the 2017. As usual, it comes across more Pauillac-like on the nose than Margaux, a little dry and maybe brusque on the palate, yet long in the mouth. Whilst it does not possess the flair of the 2015 or 2016, it is still a very commendable Margaux cru that should give 15 to 20 years drinking pleasure. The second wine felt a little under-ripe by comparison and here one could see that the frost had retarded ripeness and there is more secondary fruit.
Vegans. Don’t get me started on vegans. Ever tried cooking for a vegan family? Tortuous. What wine do you serve? At Château Dauzac, they eyed an opportunity and now produce a certified vegan wine. Estate manager Laurent Fortin told me that they even have a little escape channel for insects that might inadvertently find their wine into vat. It demonstrates the lengths that many estates are going to and Laurent is planning on converting his entire biodiverse vineyard to biodynamics by 2020. “We were not touched by the frost so we had a normal harvest, cropping at 47hl/ha,” Laurent informed. The 2017 Dauzac is one of the more successful wines in Margaux, perhaps one that punches above expectation with quite a precocious bouquet and a finely structured palate. It is often keenly priced and could represent one of the most tempting buys when released. And hey, if you have any vegan oenophiles coming for dinner then you know what to buy.
To the best of my knowledge, Alexandre Van Beek is not a vegan. I have spotted the estate manager at Giscours and du Tertre devouring foie gras at various dinners in the past. I turned up at Giscours at the crack of dawn to taste through his 2017s that follow back-to-back triumphs in 2015 and 2016. “We had a very good summer,” he explained. “We started getting worried at the end of August and then we got the splash of rain that we ordered. This brought the Cabernets to great maturity though we will have around 37% less of the Grand Vin. The historical parcels (that usually go into the Grand Vin) were not hit by frost, which affected more the lower parcels that were never planted in the past. We did not extract at particularly high temperatures because there was already concentration in the wine. Throughout the vinification, especially leading up towards Christmas, we became more positively surprised by the wines.” Whilst not in the same league as the 2015 or 2016, the 2017 Giscours is promising. It has a lighter “chassis” compared to the 2016 that gives the impression of a more accessible Giscours that should give 15 to 20 years of drinking pleasure, but will not require extended cellaring.
Another property relatively unscathed by frost was Château d’Issan. This is another Margaux growth whose golden age is not in the past. It is the present (as attested by a recent vertical that will appear on Vinous in the future) under Emmanuel Cruse that have produced a string of great wines that might well be flying under the radar of some. Fortunately in 2017 there was no frost damage within the walled vineyard, just some vines touched outside that is traditionally not used in the Grand Vin. At Château Siran, proprietor Edouard Miailhe told me how he increased the Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. “It was an incredible May and June, warm and dry,” he told me. “There was a little rain at end of June and then July and August cool and rainy. We had ten days of rain from 7 September, around 72mm and then we finished the picking on 5 October, the eventual yield 52hl/ha.” Siran and Dauzac, whose vines share the Labarde plateau and vie against each other, the result being both produce far better wines now than ten years ago. This year I just lean towards Dauzac that shows more freshness and a touch more depth.
Read All the Reviews from Margaux
1) A strong vintage for Saint-Estèphe with a clutch of great wines at the top.
2) Lafon-Rochet – a strong performance that places them amongst the leading pack.
3) Continued investment by wealthy proprietors means Saint-Estèphe has changed completely in recent years. Wines now much more approachable and less tannic.
Like 2014, the 2017 vintage played into the hands of Saint-Estèphe: a strong showing that will inevitably continue to consolidate its reputation, after playing second fiddle to Pauillac and Saint-Julien for a number of years. Its convincing performance is partly down to the vagaries of the growing season. The proximity of major estates to the Gironde spared them from frost damage and the water retentive clay soils spared vines from excessive hydric stress vis-à-vis those located on free-draining gravel croupes. It is also because millions of euros have been invested at Montrose, Cos d’Estournel and Calon-Ségur, completely changing the face of Saint-Estèphe. The bottom lines is money ain’t a problem for those aforementioned estates and we can now include Bernard Magrez, since he debuts his Magrez Le Peyre. As a consequence, a no-expense-spared approach is expected and this collective push for quality has elevated Saint-Estèphe’s reputation. I remember tasting here in the late 1990s when it was infamous for muscular wines, tannins made from iron girders and drinking windows so far into the future that only your grandchildren might be able to one day drink the wine.
