Bordeaux for the Cellar

2018 
A year of extremes with a very wet winter and spring, very damaging hail in some areas, severe down mildew threats in most. and a very hot, and dry, summer and autumn allowed vignerons to decide on their own harvest dates. Powerful, deep-coloured wines with no shortage of (generally well-managed) tannins suggest this may be one of the region’s longer-lived vintages.

Troplong Mondot 2018
£420 per 6 x 75cl UB

Smith Haut Lafitte 2018
£460 per 6 x 75cl UB 97-99+ points

Pontet Canet 2018
£520 per 6 x 75cl UB 97-99 points

Haut Bailly 2018
£522 per 6 x 75cl UB 96-98+ points

Brane Cantenac 2018
£570 12 x 75cl UB

Pichon Baron 2018
£625 per 6 x 75cl UB

Cos d'Estournel 2018
£775 per 6 x 75cl Bottle UB

Montrose 2018
£780 per 6 x 75cl UB

Le Dome 2018
£795 per 6 x 75cl UB

Mouton Rothschild 2018
£3,200 per 6 x 75cl UB

Le Pin 2018
£7,950 per 3 x 75cl UB

2016 
The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance.

Phelan Segur 2016
£340 per 12 x 75cl UB 92 points

Langoa Barton 2016 
£435 per 12 x 75cl UB 93 points

Durfort Vivens 2016
£450 per 12 x 75cl UB 90-92 points

Clos du Marquis 2016
£470 per 12 x 75cl UB 94 points

Le Clarence de Haut Brion 2016
£510 per 6 x 75cl UB

Brane Cantenac 2016
585 per 12 x 75cl UB 96-98 points

Leoville Poyferre 2016
£820 per 12 x 75cl UB 97+ points

L'If 2016
£850 per 6 x 75cl UB

Le Dome 2016
£895 per 6 x 75cl UB

Leoville Barton 2016
£950 per 12 x 75cl UB 95+ points

Valandraud 2016
£1,295 per 12 x 75cl UB

La Conseillante 2016 
£1,900 per 12 x 75cl UB

Ausone 2016
£3,680 per 6 x 75cl UB 99 points

2015 
Will this vintage adhere to Jancis’ rule of five, whereby any vintage divisible by five is of good quality? It seems so, with particularly healthy, uniform fruit at harvest. A generous flowering and hot, dry early summer was followed by a slighty cooler, damper August. Harvest was generally earlier than in 2014. Optimists are already calling it the best vintage since 2010 with early reports favouring the right bank.

Langoa Barton 2015
£200 per 6 x 75cl UB 90 points

Lalande Borie 2015
£225 per 6 x 75cl UB 89-91 points

Clos L'Eglise 2015
£275 per 6 x 75cl UB 94 points

Phelan Segur 2015
£320 per 12 x 75cl UB 90+ points

Pavillon Rouge du Margaux 2015
£400 per 3 x 75cl UB 92 points

Pontet Canet 2015
£413 per 6 x 75cl UB 96+ points

Durfort Vivens 2015
£495 per 12 x 75cl UB 89-91 points

Quintus 2015
£730 per 12 x 75cl UB 94+ points

L'If 2015
£850 per 6 x 75cl UB

La Violette 2015
£1,450 per 6 x 75cl UB

Vieux Chateau Certan 2015
£1,450 per 6 x 75cl UB 98+ points

Haut Brion 2015
£2,500 per 6 x 75cl UB 100 points

2010 
Another stellar vintage, with higher tannin and more freshness than 2009 but comparable intensity. More appealing to classical palates.

La Croix de Gay 2010
£450 per 12 x 75cl UB 91 points

Le Carre, Teyssier 2010
£540 per 6 x 75cl UB 95 points

Fleur Cardinale 2010
£650 per 12 x 75cl UB 95 points

Asteries 2010
£700 per 6 x 75cl UB 96 points

Domaine de Chevalier 2010
£780 per 12 x 75cl UB 95 points

Pavie Macquin 2010
£940 per 12 x 75cl UB 95+ points

Pontet Canet 2010
£1,800 per 12 x 75cl UB

La Conseillante 2010
£2,100 per 12 x 75cl UB 95 points

Latour 2010
£12,250 per £12 x 75cl UB

2009 
'Vintage of the decade/century'? This growing season seemed to have it all. A long, fine, warm summer but, crucially, with refreshing nights to help retain acidity. Dramatically ripe, voluptuous wines, especially on the left bank.

Angludet 2009
£415 per 12 x 75cl UB 90 points

Barde Haut 2009
£475 per 12 x 75cl UB 94 points

Laforge 2009
£480 per 12 x 75cl UB

La Confession 2009
£495 per 12 x 75cl UB 93 points

Langoa Barton 2009
£585 per 12 x 75cl UB 91 points

Lynsolence 2009
£595 per 12 x 75cl UB 93+ points

Lascombes 2009
£850 per 12 x 75cl UB 91 points

Malescot St Exupery 2009
£915 per 12 x 75cl UB 96 points

Clerc Milon 2009
£950 per 12 x 75cl UB 91 points

Gazin 2009
£1,150 per 12 x 75cl UB 93 points

Cos d'Estournel 2009
£1,280 per 6 x 75cl UB 100 points

Leoville Poyferre 2009
£1,820 per 12 x 75cl UB 98 points

Haut Bailly 2009
£1,835 per 12 x 75cl UB 97 points

Pontet Canet 2009
£1,920 per 12 x 75cl UB 100 points

La Conseillante 2009
£2,150 per 12 x 75cl UB 96 points

Cos d'Estournel 2009
£2,470 per 12 x 75cl UB 100 points

Ducru Beaucaillou 2009
£2,580 per 12 x 75cl UB 98 points

2005 
Textbook perfection during the growing season in all respects other than price. Best kept for many a year. Quite marked tannins are too marked in some wines, notably the more modernistic St-Émilions, in which the then-prevailing fashion for extraction was taken to the limit. 

Laforge 2005
£475 per 12 x 75cl UB

Lynch Moussas 2005
£480 per 12 x 75cl UB 89 points

Vincent 2005
£495 per 12 x 75cl UB

Sociando Mallet 2005
£520 per 12 x 75cl UB 93+ points

Phelan Segur 2005
£540 per 12 x 75cl UB 88 points

Segla 2005
£575 per 12 x 75cl UB 87 points

Gloria 2005
£750 per 12 x 75cl UB 90 points

Petit Cheval 2005
£795 per 6 x 75cl UB 89 points

La Lagune 2005
£850 per 12 x 75cl UB 94 points

Asteries 2005
£1,140 per 12 x 75cl UB 94+ points

Pavillon Rouge 2005
£1,740 per 12 x 75cl UB