2013 Bordeaux 22/4 – Margaux, Meyney, d’Issan, Brane Cantenac, Troplong Mondot

by Charles Lea

Today’s releases include Château Margaux (£2400) which we tasted well, and like Mouton Rothschild it sits comfortably in the market below any available vintage. Its second wine Pavillon Rouge is also out at £795, while we have a very very small volume of Pavillon Blanc (£540 per six bottles).

The other releases include Troplong Mondot (£570), d’Issan (£290), Corbin (£185) – an attractive Saint Emilion to have in the cellar, but not a compelling buy this year.

One we do lightly recommend having tasted it several times with similar notes, is Château Meyney (£185). Meyney has a great terroir, the continuation of the gravel and sand bank of the Gironde north of Château Montrose, and this northerly area had significantly less rain and none of the rot problems that affected so many Médoc properties in 2013. Whether drafting in Hubert de Bouard (of Château Angélus) as consultant late last year can really have made that significant a difference is hard to fathom, but there is no doubt that the wine that Meyney showed at the primeur tastings makes it one of their real successes.

Meyney’s neighbour Phélan Ségur (£230) is also out today, but failed to excite in the same way at the tastings. As Neal Martin says, “I will seek to re-taste this after bottling because it does often improve. Fingers crossed!”.

Finally this afternoon brings us Brane-Cantenac (£295), a wine which again we tasted several times and always quite well.