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| 2016 Bordeaux En Primeur: Château Palmer
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| | | As the current harvest comes to market, it is important to remember what made 2016 a uniquely extraordinary vintage. |
| 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. |
| | | | | | | | | | | "Some vintages, it seems the entire cycle of life, from bud break to harvest, progresses at the tranquil tempo of exquisite clockwork. Yet it’s when the seasons go offbeat, and vignerons must dig deep to find their rhythm anew, that estates can truly reveal the essence of a grand cru – so it was in 2016. A winter so mild the Merlot vines budded early, a spring so wet we feared a mildew calamity… 2016 kept our vineyard team on their toes. They improvised with gusto and grandeur, until a dry, mellow summer brought a sigh of relief. As autumn neared, the grapes began to don their habitual midnight blue. Finally, on October 3 began the latest harvest in memory! Yields were modest, unsurprising given the year’s ordeals, but quality was simply stunning. Powerful, perfectly ripe tannins, extraordinary aromatics… sublimating such superior fruit is a cellar team’s raison d’être. Though still maturing, the nascent Palmer and Alter Ego 2016 already boast equilibriums wholly distinct from previous great vintages. Balancing elegance and depth, their alcohol content is quite typical, yet their tannic structure utterly exceptional. In the end, it’s Palmer’s unmistakeable velvet character which distinguishes these wines as our own, silken proof that in this unexpected vintage, Château Palmer found its rhythm after all." - Château Palmer
“Potentially a 100-point wine, this is beautifully ripe and rich, with sweet tannins as well as opulent black fruit tones. A higher than usual proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend gives the wine its density, sophistication and great sense of presence." - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast
“I wrote that the 2015 was incredible, and this 2016 is again. It’s equally structured and powerful as the 2015, yet there’s an underlying intellectual serenity to this wine. You taste it, and you want to know and experience it even more. Full and tannic yet ever so polished and beautiful. Mesmerizing." - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
“Sophisticated and polished from the outset, the 2016 Palmer is utterly captivating. Dark shades of fruit, accented by hints of smoke, leather and discreet French oak open up in the glass, but it is the wine'e effortless, gracious personality that stands out most. The 2016 literally hovers on the palate with exquisite grace. I can't wait to see how it ages.” - Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com
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| We are also pleased to offer 2016 futures from the following Châteaux: |
| | | Be sure to inquire about availability as more wine is released from the Château |
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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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Corporate Office
14201 Chambers Rd
Tustin CA 92780
USA
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Hong Kong Office
Room 1603, 16/F, Miramar Tower
Ruttonjee Centre
132 Nathan Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
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Telephone: 949 748 4845
Fax: 949 567 1360
Email: Info@SpectrumWine.com
Hours: Mon - Fri 9:00am - 5:00pm
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