2016

Vintage Quality: Excellent (Legendary)

Current Status: Ready to drink, suitable for further aging

The 2016 Bordeaux vintage is considered legendary. A wet winter and spring accelerated vine growth. Summer was hot and dry, but thanks to earlier rain, the vine did not experience drought. The ripening was slow, which kept alcohol at a reasonable level with mild acidity. The harvest was larger and of high quality.

Wines from this vintage are excellent. White wines had lower acidity but were rich and aromatic. Reds were compared to some of the best vintages in history. Despite having lower alcohol content than usual, they were primarily characterized by rich, ripe fruit characters and well-integrated tannins. Unlike the whites, the reds maintained good acidity, which helped preserve freshness.

The best red wines came from the Left Bank (Saint-Estèphe, Saint-Julien, Pauillac) and the Right Bank (Pomerol, Saint-Émilion). Defining features of these wines are intense purity combined with elegance and enduring freshness, which persists despite the tannins.

Many of these wines will age spectacularly in cellars. With a wide range of producers, it will be hard to make a wrong decision when buying Bordeaux 2016.