Variable is the best way to describe the 2006 vintage in Bordeaux--except for the dry whites, which are consistently excellent. That's my assessment after tasting about 250 wines--all barrel samples--in Bordeaux last month. Some properties, such as Château Mouton and Château Lafite Rothschild, made fabulous wines. Some châteaux actually made better wine in 2006 than 2005--Mouton and Cos d'Estournel pop to mind. But the consistency of the 2005 vintage is lacking in 2006. Except for the prices, the consumer had it easy in 2005. All the wines, at all levels, across all appellations and across all price levels, were good. You could close your eyes, point and select a fine wine.
But 2006 is not a 'point blindly and shoot' vintage, except for the dry whites. Variability extended across appellations and price categories. Properties with less exalted pedigrees (such as Château Joanin Bécot in Côtes de Castillon, Château de la Dauphine in Fronsac, and Domaine de Courteillac, a Bordeaux Supérieur) succeeded in this tricky vintage and made very good wine. Neighboring estates made over-extracted wines with unpleasantly bitter tannins. Quality was inconsistent even in up-market appellations. Château L'Angelus and Château Canon in St. Emilion and Château Clinet, Château La Croix and Château Feytit-Clinet in Pomerol turned out lush and balanced wines while nearby estates made wines marred by bitter, stemmy tannins.
How winemakers reacted to the weather during the growing season explains the variability of the wines. A hot July allowed for good early ripening, but a cold August slowed it. Rain descended during the second half of September, including harvest, and set the stage for rot. Winemakers who failed to adjust their techniques and monitor the pace of extraction wound up with bitter, green, unripe tannins. Those who performed a careful selection at the sorting table and performed a gentle extraction during fermentation made balanced wines with plenty of fruit and firm--but not bitter or green--tannins that will require aging.
Paul Pontallier, the General Director of Chateau Margaux, told me that gentle extraction was key in 2006. According to him, 'some winemakers want to extract everything from the grapes. That may have been possible in 2005 (because the weather delivered fruit in perfect condition) but it was not advisable in 2006.'
The best wines from 2006 are packed with succulent fruit buttressed by firm tannins. To me, they were reminiscent of the wines from 1988 or 1986, two years that produced wines that initially had hard edges, but that have developed into beautifully balanced Bordeaux. Patrick Maroteaux, President of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (and who, along with his family, owns Château Branaire Ducru), aptly described the vintage as 'classic,' referring to the balance between the fruit and the tannins. Consumers will just need patience to enjoy this classic vintage.
The top properties made very good to excellent wines in 2006 because they could afford to make the requisite selection. 'Selection was key in 2006,' according to Thomas Duroux, General Manager of Château Palmer.
The key was to remove unripe or diseased grapes, a labor-intensive and hence expensive process. In the vineyard, workers spent more time discarding unsuitable bunches. Others scrutinized the grapes as they come into the winery rejecting the unripe or diseased ones before they reach the fermentation vat. Pontallier believes the 2006 Margaux will ultimately be superior to the 1986--one of the top wines from that châteaux in the last two decades--because of the severe selection. 'If people told me 20 years ago, we would be making the kinds of selections we make today I would have told them they were crazy.'
The final stage of selection occurs after the wines are made when the winemaker determines which barrels are good enough for the grand vin, which go into the second label, and which are sold off in bulk. Marcel Ducasse, the long time Manager Director at Château Lagrange who just retired in April, gave me figures that demonstrated just how important this final selection was in 2006. Lagrange turned out a gorgeous wine in 2006, but to do so, the firm sold nearly 20% of their production in bulk, opting not even to use it in their second wine. By contrast, in 2005, 97% of the estate's production was good enough for either the first or second label.
The frenzy that surrounded the release of the 2005 vintage is absent with release of the 2006s. While prices for Sauternes and some Cru Bourgeois have been released, look for the prices of the classified wines to start to appear this week. Most brokers and importers with whom I have spoken believe that the prices of the Médoc Cru Classé and prestigious Right Bank wines will not come down enough from the record levels of the 2005 vintage to induce the American consumers to open their wallets.
One broker described the current American market for the 2006s as 'dead,' but admitted that could change depending on the prices of major châteaux. Many of the châteaux owners with whom I spoke in April noted that prices will come down, but perhaps not has much as the American buyers would like because the crop was small and the dollar continues to weaken. Still, Jeff Zacharia, the Bordeaux expert at Zachy's Wines in Scarsdale, NY (www.zachys.com), one of the country's leaders in selling Bordeaux futures, has already seen interest in the vintage by his customers. He expects prices of the major châteaux to be released before Vin Expo in mid June.
Unless the prices are reasonable, I advise against buying the 2006 Bordeaux as 'futures' except for those properties with tiny production or those that made spectacular wine, such as Mouton. Although the volume of wine produced in 2006 is down, so is demand in America and Britain. It is hard to imagine that the emerging markets of China, Russia and Japan will completely fill the void left if the Americans and the British reduce their purchases of the 2006s. Hence, the wines should still be available over the next few years. The lack of consistency of the vintage--it will never have the cachet of a 'great' vintage--and its following and always being in the shadow of the acclaimed 2005 vintage should keep the prices from escalating in the future. With the dollar at record lows against the euro, any rebound in its value will likely offset any increase in price of the wines over the next several years.
The 2006s will need a decade or two for the tannins to soften and the flavors to mature. If you are not prepared to wait, revisit the 2001s, a highly under rated vintage overshadowed by the exceptional 2000, or the 2004 vintage--another under rated that turned out many fine wines.
Most of the wines offered for tasting in Bordeaux the first week of April were what the winemakers called 'representative blends' made expressly for the tastings from wines still in barrel. In some cases, they were the final blend (of varieties), but still a sample from an individual barrel. Even in those cases, we did not taste finished wines. The wines still have roughly another year of aging in barrel before bottling. There can be enormous variation from barrel to barrel even if the varietal blending has been completed. That's why before bottling, all of the barrels will be tasted again--some may be excluded--and the rest combined in a tank to ensure homogeneity. Tasting barrel samples is like looking at a photograph that is slightly out of focus--the overall picture is there, but the details are not. And as the saying goes, 'the devil's in the details.'
The notes are less comprehensive than last year and reflect the lack of consistency of the 2006s. I have focused on wines that I recommend people buy or at least taste for themselves when they arrive on our shores in two years. I am happy to respond to individual questions regarding wines I've not reviewed here, but may have tasted. E-mail me at mapstein@winereviewonline.com
The prices of only a few of the wines reviewed have been released. For those wines, prices were supplied by Zachy's (zachys.com) and MacArthur Beverages (bassins.com), two highly regarded retailers in Scarsdale, NY and Washington, DC, respectively. Check with your local retailer for prices and availability in your area.
After a note on the performance of whites in 2006, you'll find specific notes and scores on whites below, followed by reviews of reds.
Overall, the dry whites from Bordeaux were excellent in 2006--in many cases better than the excellent 2005s. They are far more consistent than the reds. It is very nearly a 'can't miss' vintage for the dry whites. They have great minerality supported by acidity and vibrancy. There is a welcome range of styles from the linear Malartic-Lagravière to the richer Smith-Haut-Lafitte. I find both styles appealing, but undoubtedly there will be partisans for each. Despite stylistic differences, the vast majority of wines are readily identifiable as dry Bordeaux--not some Chardonnay wannabe.
Daniel Cathiard, who with his wife, Florence, own Smith-Haut-Lafitte says that one reason the whites were superior to the reds was that two of the primary grapes, Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris, were harvested in the beginning of September during periods of good weather before the rain and storms started on September 11th. Still, Cathiard emphasized that once again it was selection at the sorting table and the position of the vineyards that determined quality. Those vineyards with the best drainage made the most successful wines, according to him.
Equally important is that making white wine, compared to red wine, involves far less contact between juice and skins, so extraction of hard or bitter tannins--components that marred so many red wines--was not an issue with the whites.
The white wines from Graves and Pessac-Léognan were tasted blind. Pavillon Blanc and Monbousquet were not.
Bouscaut (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: Bouscaut delivers a fine combination of minerality, freshness and subtle creaminess. The acidity transports the flavors through the finish. 91
Chantegrieve (Graves) 2006: An expressive, vibrant nose leads to bright grapefruit-like flavors on the palate. A fleshy texture and slight creaminess fills out this solid Graves. It should be a great value. 90
Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: A standout even in this high quality group, Domaine de Chevalier has produced a stunning white wine in 2006. Even though it's tightly wound, a lemony creaminess combined with minerality comes through, initially on the nose, but then also on the palate and finish. Well focused, this wine should develop well for a decade or more. 94
Fieuzal (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: Another one for creamy lush category, Fieuzal also pulls it off because the balancing citric edge carries into the long finish. A mouth-filling richness is very satisfying--not heavy--because of the bright acidity. 91
de France (Graves) 2006: This property has been making lovely wines--both red and white--for the past few years. A mixture of creaminess and minerality--apparent on the nose--carries onto the palate and makes this a weightier wine. It's polished even at this young stage. 90
Haut-Bergey (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: The characteristic freshness of the vintage supports a mouth filling citric edge. A lovely texture adds to the appeal. 90
Larrivet-Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: A fullness and richness in addition to the citric edginess adds an extra dimension to this wine, which is not often seen on our shores. It's worth searching for this classy wine. 92
Latour Martillac (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: Grapefruit and spice predominate in this long, lovely wine. Subtle creaminess means it falls somewhere between the Smith-Haut-Lafitte and Malartic-Lagraviere style, leaning more toward the latter than the former. 91
Malartic-Lagravière (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: The pungency of Sauvignon Blanc sits atop a stony, mineral-like base. This clean, focused wine has a bracing citric edge running through it that keeps it refreshing and bright. 91
Monbousquet (Bordeaux) 2006: A blend of two-thirds Sauvignon Blanc and one-third Sauvignon Gris, Monbousquet is an opulent wine. A great floral nose precedes slight apricot overtones. It's so richly textured, it almost comes across as sweet. It would be a good match for foie gras, but if you are looking for a traditional dry white Bordeaux you have come to the wrong place. 85
Olivier (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: Château Olivier has fashioned a clean, precise--but not thin--wine in 2006. An ever-so-slight creaminess modulates the otherwise bracing citric edginess. Its length and riveting focus makes it easy to recommend. 90
Pavilion Blanc de Château Margaux (Bordeaux) 2006: This powerhouse of a wine--with an alcohol of just over 15%--resulted from a measly 12 hl/ha yield since half the crop was lost to frost in April. Although made entirely from Sauvignon Blanc, it is unusually rich with a ripe, peachy character and far less of the pungency and acidity usually associated with that grape. An atypical white Bordeaux, consumers will either like it for it richness and power or avoid it for its lack of typicity. Count me in the latter group. 85
Smith-Haut-Lafitte (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: People either love or hate this wine because of its modern, creamy-toasty style. I love it because it's balanced, not overdone. Made entirely Sauvignon Blanc (Daniel Cathiard says he and Semillon don't get along) it has a lush, suave texture balanced by a grapefruit-like zing in the finish. They've managed to combine brightness of Sauvignon Blanc with richness. It's a marvelous contrast to the more linear--and equally enjoyable--style made at Château Olivier or Château Malartic-Lagravière. 94
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