2016 Bordeaux En Primeur

En Primeur 2016 - Available for delivery Spring / Summer 2019

92-93 Points - James Suckling

Love the stone, tar and black currant in this. Full and tight with firm and silky tannins and a long, long finish. Spicy, too. Can’t wait to see how this evolves. Serious.

En Primeur 2016 - Available for delivery Spring / Summer 2019

95-96 Points - James Suckling

Tight and chewy with a solid tannin structure and depth of fruit. Full body and lots of depth and texture. A Barton with lots happening already. Develops beautifully on the palate. Should be better than the 2015.

En Primeur 2016 - Available for delivery Spring / Summer 2019

92 Points - Decanter

A wonderfully rich, expressive wine that is absolutely full of liquorice, baked vanilla bean, cassis and bilberry notes, with tannins that are taut yet integrated. It’s thrillingly young at this stage but a clear path towards enjoyment is already emerging. This is going to age well and points to a more refined style of Larrivet than some other vintages, without sacrificing any impact. A lovely seductive red Pessac-Léognan, with oak notes that are clear but not uncomfortable; this has been well handled during ageing. 65% was used in grand vin production in this year.

En Primeur 2016 - Available for delivery Spring / Summer 2019

96 Points - Decanter

I love this - there's concentrated cassis on the nose with a strong, smoky edging. On the palate the coffee and dark chocolate is clear, a little bitter in an extremely attractive way, leaning against the rich, sweet black fruits. There's no question those tannins are in full play. An excellent wine with a great life ahead. Matured in 60% new oak.

17.5 Points - Jancis Robinson

Bright dark purple. Straight-backed, classic nose with nuance and balance. Glossy and pure. Very fine tannins in a rather beautiful whole. Much more appealing than Langoa this vintage. Long and layered.

En Primeur 2016 - Available for delivery Spring / Summer 2019

93-94 Points - James Suckling

Powerful and structured with lots of blueberry, blackberry and currant character. Full-bodied, tight and tannic yet polished and beautiful. Fantastic. Juicy.

En Primeur 2016 - Available for delivery Spring / Summer 2019

93 Points - Decanter

Beautifully rich in colour, this has a wonderful depth to it, with blueberry notes, a touch of cinnamon, and gorgeous clarity of fruit. Tender tannins with a salted butter finish. This is made entirely from Château Montlandrie’s own vines, including production from all of the newly planted areas, whereas the 2014 vintage was missing perhaps 10% of the new vine plantings. 2016 was also the first year that the wine was fully barrel aged, using 40% new oak, although it is still vinified in stainless steel. This is a new step for Montlandrie. Not yet bottled at the time of tasting.

17 Points - Jancis Robinson

Very deep crimson. Intense nose. Sweet start and very dramatic. This should be worth looking out for over the next few vintages. Real improvement this year.

En Primeur 2016 - Available for delivery Spring / Summer 2019

17 Points - Jancis Robinson

Bright crimson. Racy and very rich and polished. Lovely tannins. Very juicy. Some tannin and potential underneath. Firm structure but no austerity. GV

90 Points - Decanter

This is such classic Médoc - the freshness is clear, perfectly underpinning the crunchy red and black berry fruits. It's super-seductive and easy to drink despite being closed right now, as you would expect at this stage, but the weight of tannins suggests that it will open back up fairly swiftly, and a second bottle I tasted was even more juicy. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend.

En Primeur 2016 - Available for delivery Spring / Summer 2019

92-93 Points - James Suckling 

This is very dense and beautiful yet it’s agile and exciting. Blueberries, chocolate and walnuts. Full to medium body and beautiful length. Juicy center palate of fruit.

88-90 Points - Neal Martin 

The 2016 Saintayme was picked from 9-15 October, cropped at 50 hectoliters per hectare and matured in 30% new oak. It has a pretty blueberry-scented bouquet with just a faint touch of iris, the oak nicely enmeshed with the fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a touch of white pepper on the entry, lacking a little depth on the mid-palate but nicely detailed on the finish. This is a lovely, early-drinking Saint Emilion from Denis Durantou.”

En Primeur 2016 - Available for delivery Spring / Summer 2019