Friends, yesterday I had a chance to visit a great trade tasting put on by the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux. While not every producer was able to attend, those that did put on a very strong showing. Some wine writers have already been quite bullish on the 2017 vintage. Yields were down significantly in 2017 compared to 2016 as frost had quite a major impact on crop sizes. Rain and cooler temperatures in September contributed to ripening issues for some producers. Ironically the vintage also saw considerably less rain than usual during summer months, but also less sunshine than most vintages. While things were generally going smoothly for producers, a hail storm in August made for some initial challenges before harvest, lowering yields once again.
Still, speaking to many of the producers at the event, they were pleased with the results in the bottle. While this vintage may not gain the acclaim of the stunning 2015 and 2016 vintages, 2017 has a lot of promise from what I have tasted. Here are my notes from some of the new 2017 vintage Bordeaux wines.
Blanc:
2017 Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte Blanc- The 2017 Smith Haut-Lafitte is a head-turning wine that is absolutely singing in its youth and will provide drinking enjoyment for decades to come. Straight out of the gate the wine is beautifully perfumed as the wine shows bright honeysuckle and mango tones giving this an exotic edge aromatically. The palate shows off its silky smooth texture, providing a stunning mouthfeel. Once on the mouth the wine shows impressive length with an incredibly long finish. Simply put, this is a jaw-dropping Bordeaux Blanc that will cellar well for decades to come Drink 2020-2045- 97
2017 Chateau Bouscaut Blanc- Made from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, the 2017 Chateau Bouscaut Blanc is a gorgeous effort. The tension and minimality of the wine truly shines. On the palate this shows good weight and mouthfeel with bright citrus and orchard fruits flavors. Drink 2020-2033- 92
2017 Domaine De Chevalier Blanc- The 2017 Domaine De Chelvalier Blanc is a gorgeous blend of 70% Sauvignon and 30% Sémillon that was aged for sixteen months before bottling. Right out of the gate the wine feels very fresh and light with wet stone and melon tones. The wine shows vibrant acidity and a wonderful sense of balance, carrying good mid-palate weight. No doubt the 2017 Domaine De Chevalier will be long-lived and is fantastic to savor in its youth. Drink 2020-2030-93
Sauternes:
2017 Chateau Bastor-Lamontage- The 2017 Chateau Bastor-Lamontage is a beautiful showing in this vintage. Right away the wine provides an open texture and a good combination of tension and weight, with medium-bodied candied ginger, vanilla creme brullee and honey with cardamom accents. I can see this cellaring well for the next fifteen years. Drink 2020-2035- 92
2017 Chateau Coutet- The 2017 Chateau Coutet is a beautiful wine that is needing a bit more time in the bottle to gain complexity. Aromatically intense, the wine shows good range from honey and nutmeg infused creme brûlée tones that combine with lighter wet stone and brandy soaked pear aromas that take shape in the glass. Flavors of vanilla cream and butterscotch with apricot jelly accents highlight this gorgeous wine. The palate has great tension and verve, revealing a silky mouthfeel. The exceedingly long finish lingers long on the tongue. Give this beautiful wine a few years in the cellar prior to enjoying. Drink 2022-2040- 94
2017 Chateau Guiraud- The 2017 Chateau Guiraud is a stunning effort from this storied house in Sauternes. Immediately providing appeal, the wine shows good verve and tension with bright creme brûlée, orange marmalade and vanilla bean flavors.The long finish lingers. Outstanding in its youth, this will cellar well for decades. Try to give this a few more years if you can. Drink 2022-2040- 94
Rouge:
2017 Chateau Phelan Segur- The 2017 Chateau Phelan-Segur is a fantastic effort from this vintage. The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), and 34% Merlot with 1% Cabernet Franc. On the nose this takes on wonderful dark fruit tones with red bell pepper and accents of menthol that all mingle together in the glass. The palate has a good sense of balance and a soft mouthfeel. Light tannins line the core of dark fruits with pipe tobacco and red bell pepper tones. This is very elegant even in its youth, as there 2017 Chateau Phelan-Segur will provide drinking enjoyment for at least another fifteen years. Drink 2024-2040- 92
2017 Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste- Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste is one of the older houses in the Medoc. The final wine is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder Merlot which were sourced from vines that average roughly forty years of age. The wine has immediate appeal as it is dense and gratifying once in the mouth. The wine has really good weight, revealing creosote tones next to the blackberry and damp earthy accents that all mingle together in the glass. This is truly fantastic stuff even in its youth and will cellar well for the next two decades. Try to give this at last a few more years to develop. Drink 2024- 2040- 92
2017 Chateau Clerc Millon- The 2017 Chateau Clerc Millon is an awesome effort from this storied house. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère, right away the wine shows a good combination of weight and freshness, unveiling medium to full bodied blackberry, tar, sandalwood and mocha flavors.The lovely herbal undertones with light tannins lead to a long and gratifying finish. Enjoy this beautiful wine over the enact twenty years. Drink 2024-2040- 93
2017 Chateau D'Armailhac- The 2017 Chateau D’Armailhac shows beautifully already in its youth. A compelling blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the wine really nice herbal tones with tar and black licorice on this expressive nose. Once on the mouth the wine shows good salinity and tension with medium bodied dark fruit and tar flavors. The wine maintains a good sense of balance and a soft mouthfeel throughout. I can see this needing a bit more time to come together. Drink 2025-2040- 92
2017 Chateau Beychevelle - The 2017 Chateau Beychevelle is a stunning new wine from this storied house. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), and supplemented by Merlot (45%), Petit Verdot (4%) and Cabernet Franc (1%) This is a massive success for this storied house. The wine has a marvelously elegant nose with red bell pepper undertones that meld with cassis and blackberry cobbler. The senes of balance and weight is outstanding as the wine unveils a deep core of dark fruits and light tannins that connect with the creosote and Turkish coffee tones. The wine has marvelously length with great tension that runs through the core of the wine. This is one of the more impressive efforts from this house, as the 2017 Beychevelle will be exceedingly long-lived. Drink 2025-2050- 95
2017 Chateau Lascombes- The 2017 Chateau Lascombes is a fabulous showing in this vintage Right away the wine unveils a gorgeous nose with red rose petals that combine with copious dark fruits and chocolate, alongside herbal undertones on this intoxicatingly good bouquet. The palate is dense and fleshy revealing a great combination of weight and tension. A light salinity races through the blackberry cobbler mocha, anise and chocolate pie flavors. Fantastic now, the wine will continue to evolve for decades. If enjoying in its youth, give this a very long decant. Drink 2025- 2040- 94
2017 Chateau Giscours- The 2017 Chateau Giscours is an excellent effort in this vintage. The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) with smaller portions Merlot and Petit Verdot. The wine has good balance with medium bodied red and dark fruit flavors on the nose. A light dusting of salinity follows as the wine is moderately tannic, revealing forward blackberry cobbler and coffee ground flavors. Drink 2024- 2040- 92
2017 Chateau Gazin- The 2017 Chateau Gazin is already quite forward, as the wine shows a ripe core of dark fruits with Turkish coffee and milk chocolate accents. While this is not the most complex, the wine shows beautifully now and will continue to evolve well for the next fifteen years. Drink 2021-2036- 91
2017 Chateau Clinet- The 2017 Chateau Clinet is a simply magical effort from this storied house on the right bank. Almost entirely Merlot (92%) with the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Chateau Clinet opens with wonderful boysenberry preserve, mocha, tar and anise aromas that all march in harmony in the glass. Highly poised and marvelously balanced, the wine has a silky mouthfeel and unveils deep cassis, graphite and mocha flavors with lighter bell pepper undertones. The wine has a gorgeous finish with anise, minerals and a light dusting of cocoa powder. The 2017 Chateau Clinet is a marvelous effort that will evolve well for decades. Give this at least two more years of bottle age prior to enjoying. Drink 2022-2045- 94
2017 Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte- The 2017 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte is a thrilling wine that has already evolved well in its youth. The wine is a scintillating blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, with smaller parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The wine shows great weight and verve, offering some immediate appeal. Rich dark fruits combine with chocolate covered espresso bean flavors and moderate tannins entice on the palate. The elegance and mouthfeel of this wine is scintillating. The wine finishes strong with black fruits and minerals, showing excellent length. Fantastic already, the 2017 Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte will cellar well for decades to come. Drink 2024-2055- 95
2017 Domaine De Chevalier- The 2017 Domaine De Chevalier is a really good effort from this vintage.A compelling blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, the wine was aged in 35% new French oak prior to bottling. The wine has good richness and a light vein of tension that runs through the core of oak fruits and chocolate covered espresso bean flavors. While not highly nuanced, this provides some immediate appeal. The long finish entices. Drink 2024- 2040-93