BORDEAUX 2013 : THE OUTCOME (10)

The 2013 dry white 2013 (58 wines)Report 10 (2 May 2014) In theory, the vintage appeared set to go properly. The dry weather in August, moderately warm during the day and cool at night seemed to deliver what is required for the precursors of aromas to develop. Low acidity raised hopes for flavoursome wines on the palate and vibrancy, a positive model or at least one claimed to be positive for quality. However, my tastings reveal only moderate aromas on the nose and wines that lack rich suppleness on their mid-palate that are sometimes bland, sometimes fluid and often light. In fact, they are lively on the finish. They often share an acidic hint of lime. Are these great white wines? I don’t think so. In the light of these impressions, I believe that all the grapes, both for red and white wine, suffered in 2013 from a growth cycle that was too erratic, too wearing for the fruit to be able to give its best. In fact, liveliness turns out never to be worth the enjoyment of drinking a ripe wine that is in no way flabby. Among recent vintages, many customers prefer the 2009’s, a vintage with really ripe fruit, to the 2008’s which are always more lively, deemed to be more concentrated, but rarely smooth or melting. The leading Bordeaux dry whites in 2013 are not as good as in other vintages. As with the reds, the white wine outcomes are very irregular. You will see three new wines in this Report: Puygueraud white, Martet white and the excellent Les Champs Libres. My favourite has to be the distinctive style and the mysterious taste of Le Retout white, whose blend includes 42% of Gros Manseng, 37% of Sauvignon Gris, 13% Savagnin and 8% Mondeuse Blanche. AILE D'ARGENT Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 89 Enjoyment: 88 Fruit compote and mint on the nose, melting and richly supple on the palate. Good flavoursome length. A blend of 67 % sauvignon and 33 % sémillon. 2016 - 2022 ARUMS DE LAGRANGE (LES) Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 86 Enjoyment: 86 Pale colour. Aroma of boxwood on the nose. Silky, very fruity and tender on the palate. Medium length. 2015 - 2020 BOUSCAUT Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 86 Enjoyment: 86 Pale colour. Lovely fruity, pure, smooth nose. Pleasant, very fruity, flavoursome and tender on the palate with medium body and length. 2016 - 2022 CARBONNIEUX Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 86 - 87 Enjoyment: 86 Pretty, fruity, pure nose that is moderately aromatic. Fruity, tender, flavoursome and enjoyable on the palate. 2016 - 2022 CHAMPS LIBRES (LES) Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 90 Enjoyment: 90 Outsider This is the new name of A Louima, a superb wine only produced in 2012 and not sold. Two hectares (3 acres) of Grand Village white have been added on. This is a Sauvignon varietal with an elegant nose of pear and truffle. Delicious, melting and fragrant on the palate, it bounces back on the finish, which is long and impossible to spit out. It will be bottled very soon to seal in all its freshness. Well done! 2015 - 2022 CHANTEGRIVE Graves Blanc Potentiel: 83 Enjoyment: 83 Fragrant and light. 2015 - 2020 CHANTEGRIVE Cuvée Caroline Graves Blanc Potentiel: 86 Enjoyment: 86 2016 - 2022 CHARMES GODARD (LES) Côtes de Francs blanc Potentiel: 88 Enjoyment: 87 This wine is less oxidised than previous vintages; it is less tannic and woody too. Scheduled to be bottled in May to conserve its fruity sparkle and its elegant rich suppleness. A blend of 60 % sémillon, 35 % sauvignon and 15 % sauvignon blanc. 2015 - 2020 CLARTE DE HAUT BRION (LA) Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 Very regular quality. White fruit on the nose. Very pleasant, fragrant and caressing on the palate. 2015 - 2022 CLOS DES LUNES - lune blanche Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 Outsider! After the extraordinary development of the 2012, here is Lune Blanche’s second vintage. This wine combines the smooth softness of Semillon with the freshness of ageing with no oxidation in stainless steel tanks. It is a caress of sparkling fruit! Delicious, impossible to spit out, it has no peer! Thoroughly deserves the status of Outsider. Well done! A blend of 70 % sémillon, 30 % sauvignon. 2015 - 2020 CLOS DES LUNES - lune d'argent Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 This wine has been aged in wood, which takes away some of its fruit and makes it like so many others. It’s good but doesn’t stand out. Tender, smooth body. Pleasant taste of pear. A blend of 70 % sémillon, 30 % sauvignon. 2016 - 2022 CLOS DES LUNES - lune d'or Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 89 - 90 Enjoyment: 88 This wine derives a nose that is more multilayered than the other two Lunes, a richly supple mouthfeel and a long, subtle, sappy finish from its initial fruit, as well as from its fermentation and its long ageing in barrel – the 2012 has still not been bottled. It has been built as a keeping wine, which also has a lot of competitors. A blend of 70 % sémillon, 30 % sauvignon. 2018 - 2025 CLOS FLORIDÈNE Graves Blanc Potentiel: 90 Enjoyment: 90 This wine remains loyal to its style this year with a little more compote on the nose than usual, but still as much ethereal subtlety and multilayered flavours on the palate. Lovely flavoursome finish. 2016 - 2025 CLOS MARSALETTE Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 Aromatic wine (ripe white fruit), silky on the palate and impossible to spit out! 2015 - 2020 CLOS NARDIAN Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 90 Enjoyment: 90 Jonathan Maltus has produced this superb, different wine that is both fresh and dense at once from a small yield and using light osmosis. Fruity, discrete nose. Smooth and fully constituted on the palate, very fragrant with subtle lemon hints as it lingers. Worth getting to know. A blend of 50 % sauvignon, 40 % sémillon et 10 % muscadelle. 2016 - 2022 COUHINS Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 83 Enjoyment: 83 Light wine with a vivid note of lime. 2016 - 2022 COUHINS LURTON Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 85 Enjoyment: 85 Fruity nose with a hint of menthol and light on the palate. 2016 - 2022 CYGNE DE CH. FONRÉAUD (LE) Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 Still just as flavoursome, smooth and refined with medium body in 2013. But what irresistible flavours! A blend of 65 % sauvignon, 25 % sémillon and 15 % muscadelle. 2016 - 2023 DOISY DAËNE Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 Still as elegant, ethereal and sinewy all at the same time and impossible to spit out. Subtle lemon hints on the finish. 100 % sauvignon. 2016 - 2025 Domaine de CHEVALIER Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 91 Enjoyment: 90 Pale colour. Elegant nose of lime and vanilla. Especially fruity, flavoursome, fresh and slender on the palate with taste and a lovely mouthfeel. A vivid note of lime as it lingers. Lovely sappy, flavoursome finish. A lively vintage characteristic of Chevalier. 2016 - 2025 FERRANDE Graves Blanc Potentiel: 85 Enjoyment: 85 Pale colour with green tints. Nose of ripe fruit. Fruity, tender, light and flavoursome on the palate. 2015 - 2020 FIEUZAL (DE) Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 88 Enjoyment: 88 Pale colour with green tints. Fruity, fresh nose with a hint of pear. Lovely mouthfeel Good flavoursome length. Delicious wine. 2016 - 2022 FRANCE (DE) Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 Fruity nose with a lovely smell of pear and vanilla. Richly supple and energetic at the same time on the palate. Sappy finish with a taste of lime. It’s really delicious. 2016 - 2022 G de GUIRAUD Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 86 Enjoyment: 86 2015 - 2020 GAZIN ROCQUENCOURT Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 86 Enjoyment: 86 2015 - 2020 GRAND VILLAGE Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 Hints of truffle on the nose. It is richly supple, fresh and fragrant on the palate and avoids the blandness that I have sometimes found this year. Real enjoyment! Well done! 2015 - 2020 GRANDE CLOTTE (LA) Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 Sauvignon aroma on the nose. A touch of new wood. Delicious, fruity, ripe, lively, fragrant and enjoyable on the palate. 2016 - 2022 HAUT BERGEY Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 Pale colour with green tints. Fruity, fresh nose with a touch of compote, smelling of mint and boxwood. Rich and supple, very fruity, pleasing and flavoursome on the palate. Standard length. 2016 - 2022 HAUT BRION Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 90 Enjoyment: 90 Pale green colour. Fruity and fresh on the nose with hints of lemon and aniseed. Silky, smooth, flavoursome and fragrant on the palate with standard girth and an elegant mouthfeel. A blend of 66 % sauvignon, 34 % sémillon. 2016 - 2025 HAUT NOUCHET Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 85 Enjoyment: 83 2016 - 2022 HOSTENS PICANT Cuvée des demoiselles Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 86 - 87 Enjoyment: 86 Pineapple odour on the nose. Soft and smooth, flavoursome and pleasant on the palate. 2015 - 2020 JEAN FAUX Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 86 2015 - 2020 LAFONT FOURCAT Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 85 Enjoyment: 85 Fragrant, fruity, smooth and light, but delicious. 2015 - 2020 LARRIVET HAUT BRION Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 This estate is changing everything, opting successfully for a fresher, less woody product, preferred quite rightly by Bruno Lemoine and more importantly by the people who drink it and the market! Enjoyment and accomplishment. 2016 - 2022 LATOUR MARTILLAC Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 86 - 87 Enjoyment: 86 Graceful, melting, fruity, spicy and a little light on the palate. Standard length. 2016 - 2022 LESPAULT MARTILLAC Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 88 Enjoyment: 88 Outsider. This estate managed since recently by Olivier Bernard has a ripe, solar note, which gives it an advantage over many others, by concealing its sinew. Elegant nose of pear and vanilla. Its graceful poise on the palate shows how it comes from a great terroir. Elegant mouthfeel and fragrant finish. In fact, it’s a potential competitor for Domaine de Chevalier! 2016 - 2022 LOUVIÈRE (LA) Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 Fruity nose of ripe fruits that is moderately aromatic. Fruity, tender, flavoursome and enjoyable on the palate. Standard length. 2016 - 2023 LUCHEY HALDE Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 85 Enjoyment: 85 Pale green colour. Fruity, fresh nose. Tender, soft and smooth on the palate, more in terms of its aromas than its body; gets a little lively as it lingers. Medium length. 2016 - 2022 MALARTIC LAGRAVIERE Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 89 Enjoyment: 88 Good nose, good body, good taste, rich and supple and fresh. Good length. An achievement. 2016 - 2025 MARTET Vigne de Compostelle Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 86 Enjoyment: 86 This is new. It is the first white Martet to be produced. It has been in bottle for a month already. Blended from 50% Semillon planted in 1958, 20% White Sauvignon, 20% Grey Sauvignon and 10% Muscadelle. Elegant, subtle nose. Fragrant on the palate with the characteristic rich suppleness of the Semillon and a little weak. 2015 - 2020 MISSION HAUT BRION (LA) Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 89 Enjoyment: 88 Pale green colour. Elegant, fruity, ripe nose with a lovely smell of citrus. Delicious and fragrant on the palate, moderately dense, but juicy on the finish. A blend of 76 % sémillon and 24 % sauvignon. 2016 - 2025 MONBOUSQUET Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 2015 - 2020 OLIVIER Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 86 - 87 Enjoyment: 86 Lovely fruity, pure, nose. Silky on the palate with an elegant and delicate mouthfeel, and melting. Standard length. 2015 - 2020 PAPE CLEMENT Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 Feeble on the attack and more acidic on the finish. It doesn’t have the sparkle of the best. 2016 - 2022 PAVILLON BLANC Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 91 Enjoyment: 90 Pale colour. Elegant, fruity nose of Cabernet Sauvignon. Delicious, melting, fragrant, sappy and quite full considering the year. 100% sauvignon. 2015 2025 PICQUE CAILLOU Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 87 Enjoyment: 87 A fine accomplishment, this wine is caressing and silky and has sinew all at the same time. Enjoy it young. 2015 2023 PORTETS (DE) Graves Blanc Potentiel: 86 Enjoyment: 86 Pale colour. Elegant, fruity nose with hints of menthol and a slight touch of truffle. Silky, melting, fragrant and enjoyable on the palate. Medium body and length. Enjoy this wine, while it is young. 2015 - 2020 PUYGUERAUD Côtes de Francs blanc Potentiel: 86 Enjoyment: 86 This is the first vintage blended with 45% sauvignon blanc and 55% sauvignon gris. Age of the vines: 6 years. 2015 - 2020 RAHOUL Graves Blanc Potentiel: 81 Enjoyment: 81 Fruity and fluid. 2015 - 2020 RETOUT (DU) Vin de France Potentiel: 88 Enjoyment: 88 My favourite. This is the best white Retout that I have tasted in the last three vintages. Remember, it is made in the Medoc from grape varieties that are sometimes not allowed in Bordeaux and that the wine is entitled to strictly no AOC – see Chronicle 164 dated 3 April 2014. Pale colour with green tints. Lovely, elegant nose that is subtle and multilayered. Big, very fruity, flavoursome, sappy and melting on the palate, lingering with hints of lime and white flowers. Good flavoursome length. An amazing achievement and a revolution. Sold directly from the chateau. Contact: contact@chateau-du-retout.com 2017 2025 REYNON Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 86 Enjoyment: 86 A Sauvignon varietal that is fresh and ripe on the nose and delicious on the palate. 100 % sauvignon. 2015 - 2020 S DE SUIDUIRAUT Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 86 Enjoyment: 86 This is a wine I don’t talk about often, although it always catches my attention, when I taste it as an aperitif in various situations. Pale colour. Elegant, fruity, floral, subtle nose. Tender on the palate with a lovely mouthfeel. Floral and fruit flavours. Medium, melting body. Very flavoursome finish. Delicious. 2015 - 2020 SARTRE (LE) Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 86 Enjoyment: 86 Pale colour with green tints. Lovely, fruity nose. Fragrant on the palate, light and delicious. 2015 - 2020 SMITH HAUT LAFITTE Pessac-Léognan blanc Potentiel: 91 Enjoyment: 90 The clear-cut nose, the subtlety of the feel, the rich suppleness, the sinew, the total lack of oxidation and wood puts this 2013 fairly and squarely in the class of the two greatest vintages of this property – 2010 and 2006 – with less vigour. Long, delicious and impossible to spit out. Well done! 2016 - 2025 TURCAUD Entre-Deux-Mers Potentiel: 86 Enjoyment: 86 Here is the best wine of the Entre-Deux-Mers and at €5 a bottle, the best value for money of all Bordeaux! I recommend that this wine should be decanted in its first year in bottle, to deliver it from an odour that is quite often lactic. 2013 has a lovely ripe grapefruit smell. Silky and very aromatic on the palate, flavoursome and very well balanced. Great for summer drinking. 2015 - 2020 TURCAUD cuvée majeure Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 86 Enjoyment: 86 Nice wine, a little more structure to it than the Entre-Deux-Mers and richly supple, flavoursome and slender on the palate. Medium body, good length. 2016 - 2022 VALANDRAUD BLANC Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 88 Enjoyment: 88 Subtle nose and palate. Melts in the mouth, very pleasant, ripe and sinewy at the same time. 2016 - 2022 VIRGINIE de Valandraud Bordeaux blanc Potentiel: 86 Enjoyment: 86 Fruity, pleasant wine with slightly flabby body. 2015 - 2020 _______________________________________________________________________© Copyright This publication is the original work of Jean-Marc Quarin Sarl, 10 allée de Ginouilhac, Le Taillan-Médoc. France. - E-mail : jmquarin@quarin.com The news media and subscribing wine distributors, importers and retailers may use portions of this material (such as tasting notes, ratings or quotes) provided that it is not distorted, the proper wine and vintage are stated, www.quarin.com is given credit for the material utilized, and Jean-Marc Quarin (JMQ) is shown as the Copyright holder.

2013 Futures live

BORDEAUX 2013 : THE OUTCOME (10)

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