2017 Primeur Bordeaux/ Bordeaux Superieur

2017 Balthus

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, some spices, fruity, woody nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise and spices, good length. 87-89

2017 Domaine des Cambes

Ruby. Dark berries, anise, spices, fruity, blackberries nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise and spices, juicy, long. 91-93

2017 Clarendelle rouge

Ruby. Scented, dark berries, lovely nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, juicy, some structure, good length. 86-88

2017 Château Croix-Mouton

Ruby. Herbs, blueberries nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, leaner, red fruity . 83-85

2017 Château Francs Magnus

Ruby. Cassis, blueberries, spices nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, woody palate, bitter, sweet fruits. 83-85

2017 Girolate

Ruby. Blackberries, coffee, plums nose, bit jammy. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, blueberries, anise, juicy, good length. 88-90

2017 Grand Village Rouge

Ruby. Scented, red berries, floral, nuanced nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, red berries, anise, some spices, juicy, good length. Almost 90% loss in total. 88-90

2017 Grand Village blanc

Pale lemon yellow. Apples, some citrus and grapefruits, nuanced nose. Fresh acidity, fruity, apples, some citrus, nuanced, good length. 88-90

2017 Grand Village Les Champs Libres blanc

Pale lemon yellow. Apples, fruity, minerals, some grapefruits and citrus nose. Fresh acidity, fruity, apples, minerals, lemons, citrus, nuanced, vanilla, creamy, long. 91-93

2017 Hubert de Boüard Le Chardonnay

Pale lemon yellow. Some apples, fruity, light minerals and citrus nose. Fresh acidity, fruity, app,es, some spices, elegant texture, long. 89-91

2017 Hubert de Boüard Le Sauvignon

Pale lemon yellow. Apples, peach, fruity, touch floral nose. Fresh acidity, fruity, apples, some spices, juicy, elegant, fresh, good length. 88-90

2017 Hubert de Boüard Le Semillon

Pale lemon yellow. Apples, fruity, peach and apricots nose, lighter. Fresh acidity, fruity, apples, playful, rounded, elegant. Good length. 88-90

2017 Hubert de Boüard Le Cabernet Franc

Ruby. Blackberries, some floral notes, light herbal touch and mint nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise, juicy, good length. 87-89

2017 Hubert de Boüard Le Cabernet Sauvignon 

Ruby. Cassis, blueberries, scented, touch of cedar nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, anise, blueberries, cassis, some spices, good length. 88-90

2017 Hubert de Boüard Le Merlot

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, fruity, blueberries nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, dark berries and spices, good length. 88-90

2017 Clos des Lunes Lune d'Argent

Pale lemon yellow. Apples, fruity, some citrus nose. Fresh acidity, fruity, leaner, minerals, apples and pears, good length. 88-90

2017 Château Monbousquet blanc

Pale lemon yellow. Apples, fruity, some grapefruits nose. Fresh acidity, lighter, fruity, apples and citrus. 86-88

2017 Château Mont-Pérat

Ruby. Fruity, dark berries, anise, blueberries nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise, spices, juicy. 86-88

2017 Château Penin

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, some spices, fruity nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, juicy, dark berries, anise, some vanilla, good length. 86-88

2017 Château Penin blanc

Pale lemon yellow. Apple,s fruity, fresh nose, some grapefruits. Fresh acidity, fryity, fresh, apples, some minerals. 84-86

2017 Petit-Verdot by Belle-Vue

Ruby. Anise, red berries, fruity, some spices nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, red berries, anise, lighter. 85-87

2017 Château Peyfaures

Ruby. Herbs, scented, dark fruits nose, spices. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, anise, spices, blueberries, leaner. 85-87

2017 Château Peyfaures Dame de Coeur

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, fruity, blueberries nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, blackberries, anise, some spices, bit herbal finish. Coffee. 86-88

2017 Reignac

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, fruity, blueberries, intense and rich nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise, spices, bit woody. 87-89

2017 Château de la Rivière Rosé

Watery pink. Fresh, fruity, red berries nose. Fresh acidity, fresh, light and bright. 83

2017 Château Sainte-Barbe

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, spices, dark fruity nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise and spices. Good length. 86-88

2017 Château Sainte-Marie

Ruby. Dark fruity nose, scented, fresh. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh and fruity. 84-86

2017 Château Sainte-Marie blanc

Pale lemon yellow. Light tropical and fruity nose. Rounded and fresh palate before grapefruity finish, fresh. 86-88

2017 Château Thieuley

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, fruity, some spices nose, light. Lean and herbal palate. 82-84

2017 Pomerol primeur tasting notes

77 wines from Pomerol tasted, quite a few down from usual and the names missing could have suffered from the frost or drought issues that hit Pomerol this year. Some brilliantly seductive wines made in the region, and some quite diluted ones. Choose carefully and be pleasantly surprised.

2017 Château Beauregard

Ruby. Dark fruits, anise, blueberries, floral, violets nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, spices, bit leaner mid palate, long. 90-92

2017 Château Bel-Air

Ruby. Scented, red berries, anise, fruity nose, elegant. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, juicy, fresh, nuanced, lively, long. 89-91

2017 Château Le Bon Pasteur

Ruby. Scented, violets, floral, nuanced, lovely nose, charming. Detailed. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, detailed, elegant, nuanced, long. 92-94

2017 Château Bonalgue

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, spices, dark fruity nose, intense. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, juicy, bit leaner but lovely balance, long. 91-93

2017 Château Bourgneuf

Ruby. Blueberries, fruity, anise, spices, blueberries nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, juicy, red berries, some anise, good length. 88-90

2017 Château La Cabanne

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, spices, detailed, layered nose. Elegant. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, elegant, playful, lovely La Cabanne. Long. 89-91

2017 Château Le Caillou

Ruby. Scented, blueberries, anise, fresh and fruity nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, lighter, elegant. 86-88

2017 Château Le Castelet

Ruby. Raspberries nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, light but fresh. 83-85

2017 Château Certan de May

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, spices, scented, detailed nose, nuanced. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, liquorice, blueberries, elegant, lovely balance but a bit light on its feet. 91-93

2017 Château Le Chemin

1500 bottles made. Ruby. Blueberries, anise, scented, fresh nose, floral. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise, lighter but elegant. 86-88

2017 Château Chêne Liège

Ruby. Anise, fruity, blueberries, scented nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, red berries, lighter. 85-87

2017 Château La Clemence

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, fruity, vanilla nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, some spices, good length. 88-90, some spices, blueberries nose. 

2017 Château Clinet

Ruby. Blueberries, fruity, spices, detailed, blackberries, intense nose, layered. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, blueberries, anise, some spices, detailed, juicy, tight, intense and long. 94-96

2017 Clos 56

Ruby. Cassis, blueberries, anise, floral nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, red berries, anise, juicy if lighter. 86-88

2017 Clos du Clocher

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, spices, blueberries, floral nose, some minerals. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, juicy, fresh and lively, elegant, lovely balance, long. 91-93

2017 Château La Commanderie

Ruby. Blackberries, fruity, anise, floral notes nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, some spices, bit leaner. 87-89

2017 Château La Conseillante

Ruby. Scented, red berries, darker fruits, blueberries, detailed, nuanced and floral. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, blueberries, detailed, intense, some spices, smooth texture, velvety, playful and long. It wasn’t as generous to taste this year as in some years, so it might go higher. 95-97

2017 Château La Croix

Ruby. Anise, floral, blueberries, scented, elegant nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, lighter, fresh and fruity. 85-87

2017 Château La Croix du Casse

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, light nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, red berries, light. 83-85

2017 Château La Croix de Gay

Ruby. Blueberries, scented, detailed, floral, minerals, nuanced, superb nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, red berries, bit leaner mid palate, detailed, true charmer, long. 91-93

2017 Château La Croix St. Georges

Ruby. Scented, blueberries, anise, some spices nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, red berries, leaner, good length. 88-90

2017 Château La Croix Taillefer

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, some floral notes, light nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh and fruity if light. 84-86

 (Surprisingly good they say...)

2017 Château La Croix Toulifaut

Ruby. Scented, red berries, anise, fruity nose, blueberries. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, leaner, dark fruity, some bitterness, bit short. 86-88

2017 Clos L'Eglise

Ruby. Nuanced, floral, red berries, detailed, elegant nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, red berries, anise, playful. 89-91

2017 Château du Domaine de L'Eglise

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, fresh and fruity nose. Fresh acidity, red berries, lighter, some herbs. 83-85

2017 Château L'Eglise-Clinet

90 M 10 CF Picked between 12th and 22nd of September while Cabernet Franc was picked solely on the 22nd of September. 70% new wood. Ruby. Scented, floral, nuanced, seductive nose, layered and detailed, blueberries and blackberries, layered, refined, seductive even at this stage. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, smooth, elegant, detailed, playful, lovely balance, rich and intense, riper yet smooth and soothing. Bit of warmth in the finish. 14,3 alcohol. 95-97

2017 La Petite Eglise

100 M Ruby. Red berries, anise, some spices, detailed, nuanced, quite intense nose. Lots of blueberries. Floral. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, red berries, blueberries, fine minerals, elegant and nuanced, playful, long. 92-94

2017 Château L'Enclos

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, fruity, spices, detailed. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, dark berries, anise, juicy, lovely concentration this vintage, long. 91-93

2017 Château L'Evangile

100 M First vintage with Merlot only. Ruby. Blueberries, anise, scented, detailed, nuanced, floral, faint minerals, denser nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, ripe, rich, fruity, blackberries, rich and intense, smooth texture, velvety, bit of alcohol warmth, long. 14,6 alcohol. Going towards biodynamic growing. 94-96

2017 Château Fayat

Ruby. Anise, blueberries, some floral notes, light nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, juicy if leaner. 86-88

2017 Château Ferrand

Ruby. Woody, spice, toasty coffee nose. Lacks fruit to balance the wood completely. Dried out already. Avoid. 

2017 Château Feytit-Clinet

Ruby, blueberries, anise, fruity, some spices, elegant nose, detailed. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, anise, spices, fruity, dark berries, bit bitter finish. 87-89

2017 Château La Fleur de Gay

Ruby. Scented, blueberries, anise, fresh and bright nose, detailed. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, bright, elegant, playful, lovely balance, detailed, layered, long. 94-96

2017 Château La Fleur-Pétrus

Ruby. Scented, detailed, nuanced, fresh and bright nose, elegant, refined, floral, violets, minerals, lovely depth to it. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, detailed, anise, some spices, layered, playful, silky and nuanced, long. Superb effort! 95-97

2017 Château La Fleur de Plince

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, fruity, some spices, anise, scented if lighter. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, some spices, anise, juicy if leaner. 85-87

2017 Château Gazin

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, spices, detailed and intense, layered nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, anise, blueberries, spices, detailed, long. Another Gazin following in the smoother style since 2014 with more fine-tuned tannins. 93-95

2017 Château Le Gay

Ruby. Dark fruity, blueberries, scented, elegant nose, floral. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, blueberries, juicy, rounded, elegant texture, long. 90-92

2017 Château Gombaude-Guillot

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, scented, blackberries nose, floral. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, anise, fruity, dark berries, some spices, lighter finish. 88-90

2017 Château Grand Beauséjour

Ruby. Blueberries, floral, fruity, elegant nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, red berries, anise, elegant. 87-89

2017 Château La Grave Trigant de Boisset

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, fruity, some spices, dark berries, liquorice nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, blueberries, ripe, fruity, structured, quite intense, liquorice finish, long. 91-93

2017 Château Haut-Ferrand

Ruby. Scented, red berries, anise, some spices, floral. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh if light. 86-88

2017 Château Haut-Maillet

Ruby. Blackberries, fruity, elegant nose, scented. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, red berries, anise. Good length. 86-88

2017 Château Hosanna

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, spices, dark berries, spices, ripe nose, towards jammy. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, anise, spices, blueberries, liquorice, ripe and intense. 92-94

2017 Château Lafleur

53 CF 47 M Ruby. Scented, blueberries, violets, nuanced, detailed, denser, tight but layered nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, structured, lots of fine tannins, intense, detailed and layered, nuanced, denser, ripe, long. Very long. 96-98

2017 Les Pensées de Lafleur

Ruby. Scented, red berries, bright, fruity, nuanced, elegant and detailed nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, juicy, fruity, detailed, intense, nuanced and long, a sort of subtle but playful Les Pensées, maybe more linear. 93-95

2017 Château Lafleur-Gazin

Ruby. Scented, blueberries, anise, fruity, floral, elegant nose, lighter. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, fresh, detailed, elegant, spices, anise, dark fruits, long. 90-92

2017 Château Lafleur du Roy

Ruby. Red berries, anise, fruity, some spices nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, lighter bodied, bit thin. 84-86

2017 Château Lagrange

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, spices, mint, faint herbal note nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise, detailed, blackberries, spices, juicy with some structure behind, long. 90-92

2017 Château Latour a Pomerol

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, some spices, scented, blackberries, intense nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, blueberries, anise, some spices, fresh, detailed, nuanced, layered, playful, intense and long. Stunning Latour a Pomerol. Structured. 94-96

2017 Château Lécuyer

Ruby. Dark fruits, some spices, lightly floral nose, blueberries. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise and spices, good length. 88-90

2017 Château Maillet

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, some spices, quite intense nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise, spices, juicy, long. 89-91

2017 Château Mazeyres

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, dark fruity, some spices, elegant nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, blueberries, anise, spices, blackberries, good length. 87-89

2017 Château Monregard la Croix

Deep ruby. Blackberries, anise, dense and jammy nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, ripe, rich, dense, fruity, jammy. 87-89

2017 Château le Moulin

Ruby. Scented, red berries, anise, fruity, dark berries. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, hollow. 85-87

2017 Château Nenin

42 CF 58 M Ruby. Dark fruity nose, violets, spices, nuanced, quite dense nose, raspberries. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, raspberries, anise, spices, detailed, quite intense yet somewhat leaner mid palate, long finish. Some herbal notes. 92-94

2017 Fugue de Nenin

70% lost due to frost, not tasted. 

2017 Château Petit-Village

Ruby. Blueberries, fruit driven, floral, elegant nose, scented, detailed. Violets. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, detailed, minerals, anise, juicy, spices, layered, superb balance, long. 94-96

2017 Petrus

Ruby. Incredible purity on the nose, blueberries, dark fruits, some red berries, an array of floral notes nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, playful and detailed, lovely balance, nuanced and long, superb! 97-99

2017 Le Pin

Ruby. Anise, fruity, red berries, scented, detailed, blueberries, elegant, floral, minerals, graphite notes. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, minerals, detailed, intense yet silky, nuanced, playful, refined, touch of tobacco, long, incredibly long. Subtle yet incredible depth. 97-99

2017 Château Plince

Ruby. Vanilla, spices, blueberries nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise, lighter. 85-87

2017 Château Plincette

Ruby. Dark fruity, some spices, leaner nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, lighter and fresh fruity. 83-85

2017 Château Porte Chic

Ruby. Anise, spices, woody nose. Woody palate with blackberries behind. 84-86

 (Who wouldn't want a tank full of Château Lafleur 2016?)

2017 Château La Renaissance

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, fresh, some spices nose, floral. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, lighter, some dark fruits and spices. 86-88

2017 Clos Rene

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, lighter nose, some spices. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise, leaner. 87-89

2017 Château Rouget

Ruby. Denser, jammy blackberries nose, fruit driven. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise, juicy. Bit bitter. 86-88

2017 Château de Sales

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, some spices nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, blueberries, anise, structured, good length. 87-89

2017 Château Saint-Pierre

Ruby. Scented, dark berries, nuanced, floral, elegant nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, red berries, anise, some spices, good length.88-90

2017 Château Taillefer

Ruby. Dark fruits, anise, spices, blueberries nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise, spices, bit lean finish. 87-89

2017 Château Tour Maillet

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, some spices, blueberries nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, anise and spices, good length. 89-91

2017 Château La Tribune

Ruby. Blackberries, blueberries, anise, ripe and fruity nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, dark fruity if leaner. 86-88

2017 Château Trotanoy

Ruby. Scented, denser, blueberries, spices, fruity, anise, some spices, layered nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, blackberries, anise, spices, juicy, layered, denser, playful, lovely fruit and liveliness, long. 95-97

2017 Château de Valois

Ruby. Scented, blueberries, anise, lighter but floral nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, red berries, elegant if leaner. 86-88

2017 Château Vieux Maillet

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, blueberries, fruity nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries, some anise, juicy, good length. 88-90

2017 Château Vray Croix de Gay

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, fruity, some spices, floral nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, red berries, anise. Good length. 87-89

2017 Clos de la Vieille Eglise

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, spices, blueberries nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, red berries, anise, lighter. 87-89

2017 Vieux Château Certan

Ruby. Scented, red berries, fresh, fruity, elegant, detailed, floral, superb nose, seductive. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, dark berries, anise, blueberries, detailed, intense, elegant body and balance, utterly charming and seductive but lacks some depth to be truly outstanding. 95-97

2017 Vieux Plateau Certan

Ruby. Red berries, anise, fruity, some spices nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, leaner but fairly lively, red fruity. 84-86

2017 Bordeaux

After 648 wines tried, here are some thoughts. Vintages ending in seven hasn't been great since 1947, so has the spell been broken? That depends on who you ask. Some lost an entire crop to the late April frost, so clearly that wasn't a great vintage for them. Others lost a lot, some lost little, some nothing. 2017 is a vintage with four factors in the game. The spring frost is the first one out. Some lost it all during those two to three nights. Just small lower indentations could lose you the entire harvest on that specific spot. Not being afflicted much, Château de Pressac as an example lost the crop in a small plot that sits just 45 centimeters below the rest of the ground around it. What happens is that the air stops moving and the coldest air collect in these small indentations. Or larger ones like Grand Corbin Despagne experienced, and nothing was made here. In May while dining at La Terrasse Rouge at La Dominique one could clearly see the frozen and therefore brown areas of the vineyards between Saint-Emilion and Pomerol where the land is lower.

La Tour Figeac's massive 3000! bottle production this year is the opposite of a normal blend with 80 percent Cabernet Franc and 20 percent Merlot. Merlot is often planted on clay soils which are cooler and therefore doesn't have much heat stored which can be critical during cold nights. Clay also has a tendency to be on lower grounds even if that isn't always the case. Cheval Blanc, the prestigious First Growth pretty close to these two latter estates has vineyards like waves that roll gently over the landscape and that matched with more gravel soils and they escaped with two thirds of normal production, and it was the second wine that was hit with lower laying vineyards making up the backbone of this wine in a normal vintage. La Fleur Cardinal only made a 1000 magnum bottles. Most Right Bank producers lost some of their normal crop, 5 percent up to everything as Dassault did. Pomerol has some to full loss, but the drought in summer and the rains in September diluted some of the remaining wines. 

Pessac-Léognan was hit as well with total loss (unconfirmed) at Fieuzal, 30 percent loss at Haut-Bailly and at Haut-Brion the production was smaller due to uneven ripening after the September rains, rather than frost. In Médoc some estates didn't suffer, mainly those very close to the estuary and seemingly Pauillac came out of it with less trouble than anyone else. During primeur this year (2018), the plants were about three weeks after last year. 

May and June was wetter than usual which didn't cause much trouble as it was fairly dry during the weeks of flowering. This rain turned out to be a blessing in disguise as there was little rain in the weeks to come. Summer drought in July and August was the next issue for the winegrower. This made for new trouble in some vineyards with either young vines or on soils that doesn't retain enough moisture. At Petrus the berries were on average about two thirds their normal size.1,1 grams compared to 1,4-1,5 on average. In some vineyards the maturity stopped and it could also cause too much tannin to go with the juice later on, some gentle extraction, or rather infusion as some said was necessary after picking. Most seems to have handled this wisely and the resulting wines have a precision to them. Many took down the percentage of new oak, like Château Mangot, and you get a very juicy wine. It is impressive to see how many winegrowers at all levels now focusing on the right balance instead of trying to over extract and over oak difficult vintages to hide the flaws. In 2017 they were clever and tried to balance out flaws, if they were there in the first place, giving an unusually large amount of really lovely wines for the medium ageing term. 2017 at most estates is better than their 2014 or 2012, but there are exceptions. You cannot go out and buy whatever this year. It is not on the level of 2015 and 2016, but it has something of a mix between 2014’s pure fruit and 2016’s playful freshness to it that excites me. Panos Kakaviatos compares it with 1985 which is an interesting thought. 1985 has been delicious for the last twenty years where I have been at the age and had the interest to follow it, and they have been lovely all the way. Talking to older wine collectors and writers, 1985 seems to have been charming from start, and I imagine that will be the case of 2017 as well. It is not the best vintage ever, for sure, but it is a vintage that you shouldn’t skip either, at least if they price it correctly, and I would say that would normally mean 20-30% down on 2016 prices. I think 2017 will be a lot of fun and enjoyment for the wine drinker. The claret lover.

September rains was the third issue to handle, some vineyards needed it desperately but some winemakers harvested and the wines can be somewhat diluted because of this. But there are wines with narrower and even lean mid palates due to lack of Merlot that normally fills in this gap of the palate because of frost as well. Some unusual blends have been made for some properties. What caused what in each leaner wine needs to be considered for each estate. Financial muscle is the fourth together with willingness to take risk. It paid off with beautiful weather after the rainy ten days or so that also affected vineyards differently even in very local areas. Nothing is homogenous in 2017 and neighbours can have had totally different issues at hand, and totally different remedies to fix or avoid how they were hit differently and unequally. These four factors make up who managed to do what and where. 

The wines in general are bright fruity, floral and scented with a playful acidity, gentle extraction, elegantly balanced alcohol that will give the wine drinker more pleasure than the investor. Tannins are silky. There are plentiful of excellent wines to buy, but choose wisely. This is a vintage to know who to trust among the wine writers. Who you share palate with.