There were no revelations re-tasting Bordeaux’s 2014s at the
London UGC. We knew we liked the wines, but elevage hasn’t miraculously
transformed them into something ‘exceptional’.
Correct, poised, fresh, well
delineated flavours, balanced and charming; the 2014s
will, in general, be very enjoyable wines
with a plushness that suggests they will be approachable quite soon. People who
bought them en primeur will have no regrets.
The best wines we tasted possess a silkiness and refinement
that is very alluring, but not the depth or structures of the truly great
vintages such as 2005, 2009 and 2010. Earlier in the week I was fortunate
enough to re-assess the 2014 Tertre Roteboeuf with Francois Mitjavile. This
certainly had extra gears. And a recent tasting of the 2014 Ducru Beaucaillou
also indicated that the elite estates have produced more profound wines than
anything we tasted at the UGC.
Best in show was contested by the spectacular, but slightly
subdued Pichon Lalande (this appears to be in a slightly stubborn phase), a
muscular Lynch Bages, a surprisingly pliable Leoville Barton, the ever sleek
Smith Haut Lafitte, a magnificent Gazin and the ever dependable Domaine de
Chevalier.
It was reassuring to confirm that our misgivings about the
St Julien commune were unwarranted. Our initial barrel tastings were
disappointing. We reported the wines as we found them, however, re-tasting on
Wednesday proved that these are a fine set of wines. Leoville Barton, Leoville
Poyferre and Gruaud Larose stood out from the crowd. Margaux in general was a
much more pleasurable flight post elevage - Rauzan Segla as always leads the
way.
Please don’t interpret our lack of fervour as apathy; we
really like the 2014s. They are predominantly attractive and most importantly
correctly priced. They have developed much as we’d anticipated. They will give
lots of drinking pleasure, won’t break the bank (or at least won’t if you
bought them en primeur) and they are clearly a better range than the 2011s,
2012s and the 2013s. Unfortunately for the 2014s, they will live in the shadow
of the much vaunted 2015s and although it is early days, potentially the 2016s
as well. The 2014s are very good, but let’s not get carried away!