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2016 Bordeaux En Primeur: Château Montrose
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As the current harvest comes to market, it is important to remember what made 2016 a uniquely extraordinary vintage. |
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The winter and spring saw heavy rains and cool temperatures that eventually gave way to a long, dry summer. From mid-June until mid-September, Bordeaux experienced drought-like conditions with several heat waves and virtually no precipitation. The intense heat coupled with the dry weather strained the vines, particularly allowing older vines with deeper roots to fully express themselves. Substantial diurnal temperature variation helped to retain acidity, and, finally, a brief shower fell in mid-September, refreshing the vineyards just in time.
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The warm and dry summer allowed for long, even ripening, particularly for the Cabernet Sauvignon that is the Médoc’s specialty. Wines in 2016 contain lower alcohols and showcase more acidity than in recent vintages, complementing their vibrancy, fruit, and structure. The 2016 vintage appears to challenge the historic 2005 and 2000 vintages for sheer complexity, concentration, balance, and ultimate ageability. As Mathieu Chardonnier of CVBG puts it,
“This is as good as Bordeaux gets.”
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What are the advantages to buying Bordeaux En Primeur?
Bordeaux's history of selling futures dates to at least the 17th century. Buying the new Bordeaux vintage as a future allows you to lock in the lowest available pricing for highly-allocated wines before they reach the rest of the market. Acquiring wines via this method also allows you to secure wine with the best possible provenance: once bottled, these pristine, just-released wines are shipped directly from Bordeaux to our warehouse. |
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| | | | | | | | | Marking another excellent vintage, the 2016 Cos d’Estournel showcases the balance and per for which the Château is justly renowned. According to Hervé Berland (Manager of Château Montrose): “The 2016 offers the quintessence and the signature of our terroir, with a perfect balance between rich aromas, great freshness and powerful tannins. Its depth is combined with great length, and a touch of salinity on the finish which gives this “indulgent” quality to the great vintages of Montrose. We put 2016 on a level with our best vintages, or even beyond. Personally, I have never tasted such a successful Montrose as this. We believe that this vintage crowns the exceptional trilogy of the past 3 vintages of Château Montrose – 2014, 2015, 2016.”
"Big in tannins and fruit, this is an impressive, complete wine. Its structure and density are magnificent, as is its black fruitiness. The wine has an edge of austerity, along with dry tannins that promise considerable aging. A major performance from this estate." - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast
"A solid and tight Montrose with a linear structure of ripe tannins that gives wonderful length and energy. Full-bodied, yet reserved and toned. Stone and mineral character underneath is impressive. Beautiful center palate. The class and focus are marvelous. Better than 2015. This is what Montrose is all about." - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
"This is an animated, vivacious Montrose that starts in almost understated fashion yet builds in the mouth towards what is almost a sensual finish, not a descriptor often applied to Montrose. It is a disarmingly and hauntingly beautiful 2016, extremely long and the aftertaste lasting two or three minutes." - Neal Martin - Wine Advocate |
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| We are also pleased to offer 2016 futures from the following Châteaux: |
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Please Note :
Orders subject to confirmation
All allocations are secured with trusted négociants, with delivery anticipated in Spring 2018
All wines must be purchased in quantities of 6 or 12 Bottles (except in larger formats)
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