Does the 2016 Bordeaux vintage deliver on its promise? – Neal Martin
Today, Neal Martin (Vinous) released his in-bottle report for the Bordeaux 2016 vintage. In the report Martin says that “It goes without saying that 2016 boasts numerous wines pulled from top drawers, and readers will find many notes where I remark that the 2016 constitutes the best I have ever tasted at the property since my first primeur, the rather middling 1997 vintage”.
Martin awarded five wines a perfect 100 points: Cos d’EStournel, Figeac, Latour, Mouton Rothschild and Vieux Chateau Certain.
In his tasting note, Martin described Cos d’Estournel as “a monumental, benchmark Cos d’Estournel that will give not years but decades of pleasure”.
Martin said that “there must be a combination of quality that goes beyond sensory attributes into something quasi-religious and galvanised by unshakeable belief. Just a mote of hesitation prompts me to score a wine 98 or 99 instead of 100 points. But the 2016 Latour, Mouton-Rothschild, Cos d’Estournel, Figeac and Vieux-Château-Certan form a quintet that I cannot imagine being improved in any way, shape or form, which is why they deserve perfect scores”.
However, he added that scores are not everything, and that “this entire argument is ridiculous. How can you not marvel at the brilliance of Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion, Léoville Las Cases, Pétrus or Cheval Blanc? These are astonishing wines, and there are many more besides”.
Overall, Martin concluded his report by saying that “the 2016 vintage in Bordeaux will surely be seen as a high point of this decade. Though the 2015s are very close in overall quality”. He added, “to use an English phrase referred in the title of this report, the 2016 Bordeaux wines are the DBs – the dog’s bollocks”.
Based on Neal Martin’s in-bottle score for Cos d’Estournel, the wine falls below the price implied by our fair value methodology. It is also available at a 23.5% discount to the equally scored 2009 (LBP/RP). For those able to secure a case, this may look like a fantastic opportunity.
Neal Martin’s top-scoring wines can be found in the table above. You can read his full report at Vinous.com, here.
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