2014 Bordeaux Availability
Please don't get involved in this travesty. It is very likely that most wines will be available at a later date and most likely they'll be, broadly speaking, available at the same price. Playing the Bordelais game will only encourage them.
In any event, the last vintage that really interested me at primeurs time was 2014. I have made it abundantly clear how much I like this harvest. The wines have no sense of exaggeration whatsoever (unlike so many of today's vintages) but they have class in spades.
A couple of clients have contacted me recently asking for a list of what's available and both had something of a nibble. Stocks aren't currently listed online, so I thought I should make everyone aware of what we have for sale.
We can offfer:
1 case (6x75cl) 2014 Château Calon Segur, St Estèphe £360 in bond - 2x6 available
"The 2014 Calon Ségur is a real show-stopper. Unusually ripe, powerful and seductive, the wine exudes class. Myriad shades of plum, sweet red cherry, pomegranate, spice and blood orange are all on display. Wild flowers, tobacco and host of more aromatic notes develop in the glass. Above all else, though, the 2014 is a wine of pure power and breadth. This is yet another fabulous showing for the 2014 Calon Ségur, a wine that vies for top honors in this vintage. Don't miss it." Antonio Galloni
1 case (6x75cl) 2014 Château Cheval-Blanc, St Emilion £1,950 in bond - 2x6 available
"A wine of exceptional finesse, the 2014 Cheval Blanc lifts from the glass with captivating aromatics and sculpted red-fleshed fruit, all with the extra kick of acidity and overall freshness that are such a signature of this vintage. The 2014 is bright, finessed and persistent. It will almost certainly put on weight in bottle. I have a feeling something special is developing here." Antonio Galloni
1 case (6x75cl) 2014 Château Figeac, St Emilion £450 in bond - 3x6 available
"The 2014 Figeac is shaping up to be a real jewel of a wine. Powerful and structured, with plenty of tannic spine, the 2014 won't start hitting its stride for at least a few years. Even today, though, it is impressive for its energy and overall intensity. Plum, smoke, spice, graphite and leather build into the huge, expressive finish. Figeac is one of the stars of the vintage. There is real density and gravitas here, not to mention considerable personality." Antonio Galloni
1 case (6x75cl) 2014 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac £255 in bond - 4x6 available
"The 2014 Grand Puy Lacoste is superb. Dark, dense and inviting, the 2014 possesses remarkable depth and richness. Black cherry, plum, smoke, licorice and tobacco all develop in the glass, but it is the overall feel that is most impressive. Silky, polished tannins nicely balance the wine's overt personality. In short, the 2014 has it all. Don't miss it. This is a knockout wine from proprietor François-Xavier Borie." Antonio Galloni
1 case (6x75cl) 2014 Château Léoville-Barton, St Julien £270 in bond - 4x6 available
"The 2014 Leoville Barton is one of the must-buys of the vintage. Now in bottle, it has a very pure bouquet that gains intensity in the glass, laden with blackberry and raspberry coulis scents, cold wet stone, a wonderful mineralité that becomes more conspicuous with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with tensile tannin, a fine line of acidity that lends this precision and nervosité. There is class and sophistication in situ, not a powerful Léoville Barton, but beautifully poised. This is just a brilliant forerunner to the 2015 and it should represent great value." Neal Martin
1 case (6x75cl) 2014 Château Malescot-St-Exupéry, Margaux £180 in bond - 2x6 available
"The 2014 Malescot Saint Exupéry is powerful, rich and explosive. One of the more exuberant, flamboyant Margaux that readers will come across, the Malescot exudes serious depth and intensity. Black cherry, plum, smoke, licorice and dark spice meld into the deep, succulent finish. The 2014 needs time in bottle, but it is impressive and also highly promising," Antonio Galloni
1 case (6x75cl) 2014 Château Montrose, St Estèphe £540 in bond - 3x6 available
"The 2014 Montrose is without question one of the standout wines of the vintage. Black cherry, plum, smoke, licorice and lavender are some of the many aromas and flavors that open up in the glass. But the 2014 is a much deeper wine than just a bunch of descriptors can conjure. In 2014, Montrose is a wine of exceptional finesse and polish. The late-ripening vintage allowed for perfect maturation of the tannins and resulted in a silky wine that exudes class and pedigree. The 2014 is not an obvious or bombastic Montrose, but rather a wine of sublime enchantment. Don't miss it!" Antonio Galloni
1 case (6x75cl) 2014 Château Pontet-Canet, Pauillac £354 in bond - 2x6 available
"The 2014 Pontet-Canet seems to have put on quite a bit of weight and volume since I first tasted it from barrel. Ripe, juicy tannins wrap around a core of intense dark cherry, plum, spice, lavender and tobacco. Today, it is the wine's sheer intensity and vertical structure that stands out. I wouldn't dream of touching a bottle until at least age ten, and even that is almost certainly not going to be enough time for the 2014 to show the full breadth of its potential. The transformation the 2014 has undergone from a delicate, nuanced Pauillac to a wine of depth is quite remarkable. Tasted three times. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, vinified in equal parts cement and oak and aged in a combination of 50% new oak, 35% amphora and 15% once used barrels. This is a gorgeous wine from the Tesseron family and the team led by Technical Director Jean-Michel Comme." Antonio Galloni
1 case (12x75cl) 2014 Château de France Blanc, Pessac-Léognan £165 in bond - 1x12 available
"Grapefruit, nettle and subtle oak spice. Vibrant and expressive with a lot of core concentration. Just a hint of baked apple adds further complexity. Like their red, this is a great 2014." jancisrobinson.com
1 case (6x75cl) 2014 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Pessac-Léognan £345 in bond - 1x6 available
"The 2014 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is a beautiful white Pessac-Léognan. It offers a very succinct and focused bouquet of dew-speckled Granny Smiths, then flint and wet limestone, certainly a more stony bouquet than overt fruit. The palate is well balanced with crisp acidity, exquisite balance, the citrus fruit dappled with white pepper and spices, but everything very judicious and nuanced. It offers wonderful persistence in the mouth, basically a class act that comes strongly recommended." Neal Martin
Let me know ASAP if one, some, or more of these is of interest. Email Caspar[at]boweswine.co.uk
