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| 2016 Bordeaux En Primeur: Château Cheval Blanc, Domaine de Chevalier,
& Château Pavie-Macquin |
| | | 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. |
| | | | | | | | | | “This is very powerful Cheval with searing tannins and bright fruit, acidity and mineral undertones. Full and muscular yet beautifully formed and polished. It’s all about the form to this. Better than 2015.” James Suckling 98-99 Points
“Fruit and tannins have combined so harmoniously in this impressive, magnificent wine. The acidity shoots through to give considerable freshness, lifting the blackberry fruit. What makes the wine though are the tannins, which support the marvelous fruit. It will obviously age for many, many years.” Wine Enthusiast 97-99 Points
“The 2016 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 59% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc and (the return of) 3% Cabernet Sauvignon from the gravel soils since in this vintage the vines showed absolutely no stress. It delivers 14.25% alcohol with an IPT of 75 and a pH 3.67, which Pierre Lurton told me is a little lower than normal. As usual, it is matured in 100% new oak. It has a very pure, correct and quite penetrating bouquet with black cherries, blackcurrant, graphite and a touch of wild mint. It is bashful at first but opens with confidence with aeration (incidentally, I allowed my sample 40 minutes to open). The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin and a killer line of acidity that imparts so much freshness from the starting gun. That soupçon on Cabernet Sauvignon does make a difference, lending a subtle vein of graphite that runs throughout the wine. It remains linear, with laser-like focus towards the extraordinarily persistent finish, pencil lead on the "HB" aftertaste. This is a classic and intellectual Cheval Blanc, not as charming perhaps as the 2015 Cheval Blanc, but it will unquestionably age gracefully over decades not years.” Wine Advocate 97-99 Points
“A wine of precision and extraordinary beauty, the 2016 Cheval Blanc is also one of the highlights of the year. In the glass, it is precise, delicate and understated. Hints of espresso, plum, spice and wild cherry all develop in the glass, but it is the wine's feel and vivid personality that stand out most. I expect the 2016 will put on weight during its aging, both in barrel and later in bottle. It is an absolutely stunning wine in every way.” Vinous 96-99 Points
“Tasty floral start and then quite rich. A bit of grainy astringency (from those concrete vats?) in terms of texture - by no means unpleasant. Lots of floral notes, hint of putty and then lovely richness underneath. Quite a contrast between nose and palate. Smudgy palate and precise nose. Tannins really present on the end. Very floral on the nose. Big gap! Not sweet!!” Jancis Robinson 18.5+ Points
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| | | | | | | “Mint aromas and flavors signal the new wood in which this wine is aging. It has impressive fruit, opulent and dense, balanced by fine acidity, crisp edges and solid tannins. A serious wine that will last for a long time.” Wine Enthusiast 96-98
“A dense and tight DC with minerals, crushed stones, cement and blackcurrants. Full, tight and racy. Gorgeous. Leaf and tobacco undertones. Very tannic. Tight. So structured. Complex.” James Suckling 96-97 Points
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| | | | | “A white with sliced apple, pear and lemon character. Medium to full body, layered and so long. Tight and exciting. So salty and minerally. Structured. Phenolic intensity and all wound up. What a white!” James Suckling 96-97 Points
“Rich and smooth, this is an impressively structured and concentrated wine. It has pleasant freshness and a crisp lemon flavor, but that is just a small part of this intensely ripe wine. It should last for many years.” Wine Enthusiast 95-97 Points
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| | | | | | “This is a really fantastic PM! The licorice, fresh mushroom, sous bois and stone character is so exciting. It’s full and very layered with exceptional depth and length. Compressed and focused. Pure silk.” James Suckling 97-98 Points
“Fragrant, perfumed and juicy, this is already an attractive wine, though one that has the stuffing to cellar well for many years. The structure is striking and solidly firm. It will be an elegant wine with opulent tendencies.” Wine Enthusiast 95-97 Points
“The 2016 Pavie-Macquin is a blend of 82% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon matured in 50% new oak, picked from 7 October (with the young Merlot vines) until 22 October. The pH is 3.35 and it has 14.4% alcohol. I appreciate the intensity of this Pavie-Macquin. This is no shy retiring flower but comes out with cylinders pumping while maintaining the delineation, the detail that you look for. The palate is smooth and sensual on the entry, velvety in texture with plenty of luscious red berry fruit, vanilla and a hint of blueberry. It glides across the palate, the new oak neatly integrated. This is easily my pick of Nicolas Thienpont's 2016s and one of the best Pavie-Macquins that I have tasted at this stage.” Wine Advocate 94-96 Points
“Juicy and alluring, with dark fig, cherry and currant fruit that has melded together, while lively minerality and anise notes course underneath. The long, refined finish has a gorgeous yin-yang between cashmere and chalky threads.” Wine Spectator 94-97 Points
“A wine of total finesse, the 2016 Pavie Macquin is also one of the most riveting wines of the vintage. Silky and supple on the palate, with no hard edges and exceptional balance, it takes over all the senses and never lets up. The flavors are bright, precise and beautifully nuanced. Above all else, Pavie Macquin is a wine of elegance, and that is exactly what comes through in the 2016. The wine plays in the dimensions of bright, floral-infused, red-toned fruits, silky tannins and length more than pure power or breadth. The 2016 is a stunningly beautiful bottle of wine and one of the finest reds of the year - it's as simple as that. In 2016, Nicolas Thienpont opted for long macerations of around four weeks in a combination of cement and oak. Tasted three times.” Vinous 96-99 Points
“Very dark. Pretty thick and ripe on the nose (2% Cabernet Sauvignon). Balsamic de Modena character! Just a bit much for me but I have to admire it. Big and beefy. Rather hard work. Very much sets its cap at the blockbuster lover. Well done within that framework... Marmite end.” Jancis Robinson 16.5+ Points
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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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Corporate Office
14201 Chambers Rd
Tustin CA 92780
USA
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Hong Kong Office
Room 1603, 16/F, Miramar Tower
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Fax: 949 567 1360
Email: Info@SpectrumWine.com
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