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24 Apr 2014
Tasting articles

Bordeaux 2013 – Pessac-Léognan and Graves

Tasting articles
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For a list of all our articles, see Bordeaux 2013 – a guide to our coverage.

Very much a mixed bag from Pessac-Léognan and Graves, with no rhyme or reason to what worked and what didn't. The majority of it is pretty average stuff, with the two bogeymen of 2013, lightness and unbalanced tannin, proving the major drawback in many cases.

The tasting notes are listed in alphabetical order.

Ch Bouscaut 2013 Pessac-Léognan

Coffee, chocolate, rich black fruit. Delicious purity and attractive structure – just enough tannic pinch to give shape, but not dominate. Smoky, rich, scented, fragrant. Again, that 2013 lightness is very distinct. (RH)
Drink
2017
–
2030
17 +

Ch Brown 2013 Pessac-Léognan

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot.
Lovely fruit! So instantly Bordelais – dark blackcurrant, cherry and cedar. Almost inevitably, the palate weight doesn't match the purity of the fruit, with a distinctly light touch. Well-sculpted tannins though, and very enjoyable in a lighter style. (RH)

Drink
2014
–
2018
16 +

Ch Carbonnieux 2013 Pessac-Léognan

Juicy red fruit, scented vanilla oak, dry and astringent on the palate. The lightness of the body upstages the rest of the wine, leaving it a bit disconnected. An honest wine, but the vintage has not been kind. (RH)
Drink
2017
–
2024
15.5

Ch Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2013 Pessac-Léognan

A bit of VA here, but the fruit character is very ripe and perfumed. Super-charged tannins which are very fine but still don’t quite fit into the structure. Perhaps deserves the benefit of some bottle age, to do justice to the pleasant aromatic range. (RH)
Drink
2018
–
2028
16 +

Dom de Chevalier 2013 Pessac-Léognan

Beautifully ripe, modern cassis character. Creamy texture, smooth and aromatic. A well-judged leafy element, firm but not impenetrable tannins, and refreshing acid. Comparatively light, but has convincing enough flavour and balance. (RH)
Drink
2017
–
2029
17 +

Clos Floridène 2013 Graves

Charming, really pure and ripe red fruit with an attractive smokiness too. Chunky tannins with enough – just – concentration to match. Classic Graves with a fruity twist – well made. (RH)
Drink
2016
–
2026
16.5

Ch Ferrande 2013 Graves

Strong oak scent – fresh and sappy and powerful. Enough savoury black fruit on the palate to balance, and forthright tannins give firm grip on the finish. The nose needs to consolidate the oak, but otherwise this is full of promise – ripe, lengthy, classically structured and gastronomic. (RH)
Drink
2018
–
2028
17 +

Ch de Fieuzal 2013 Pessac-Léognan

Blackcurrants, milk chocolate, light body and something just a little bit underripe on the palate – a certain bitterness, plus grainy tannins. (RH)
Drink
2016
–
2020
15

Ch de France 2013 Pessac-Léognan

Glossy, potent plum fruit and a good dose of wood-varnish character too. Very tannic grip on the palate, which the light body doesn’t quite match up to. The fruit flavours are very bold and complete, but the structure isn’t quite balanced. (RH)
Drink
2018
–
2022
16

Ch La Garde 2013 Pessac-Léognan

Bright, ripe berry fruit and intense black liquorice and aniseed on the mid palate. Hale and hearty – no ailments here. (RH)
Drink
2016
–
2026
16.5

Ch Haut-Bailly 2013 Pessac-Léognan

Cedar, tobacco, light black fruit and incredibly high tannins that totally overwhelm the rest of the structure. They aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, and leave the wine quite unapproachable. It might resolve with significant bottle age – but will the relatively light concentration have equivalent staying power? (RH)
Drink
2020
–
2028
14.5

Ch Haut-Bergey 2013 Pessac-Léognan

Blackcurrant leaf, bitter chocolate, dark-fruit character. Pretty compact and intense, but with great balance and much more weight on the palate than most. Impressively done. A rare 2013 candidate for cellaring. Lovely clarity of flavour. (RH)
Drink
2018
–
2033
17.5

Ch Haut-Brion, Le Clarence de Haut-Brion 2013 Pessac-Léognan

57% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon. Cedar and blackcurrant, and attractive medium-grained tannins. No bitterness, no leafiness – this is well coiffured. Again, it displays a lightness that betrays the tricky vintage. (RH)
Drink
2017
–
2027
16.5

Ch Haut-Brion 2013 Pessac-Léognan

Closed nose, with better fruit concentration on the palate. Fine, dusty tannins with great persistence on the finish. Rather light body. Dry and savoury, but hardly brimming with potential. An early-drinking style. As Steven Spurrier says, beautifully polished. (RH)
Drink
2020
–
2030
16.5

Ch Larrivet Haut-Brion 2013 Pessac-Léognan

Potent stemmy character here – quite distinctive and unusual, for bordeaux at least. Those green flavours continue on the palate, although the structure is by no means unripe. Curious – the flavours belong more to whole-bunch-fermented Pinot Noir or Syrah, really. I think there is a lot to enjoy here. (RH)
Drink
2016
–
2024
16.5

Ch Latour-Martillac 2013 Pessac-Léognan

Confected fruit, black cherry, light body. Furry, wiry tannins. Okay length, but not enough fruit concentration to hold everything together. (RH)
Drink
2017
–
2024
15

Ch La Mission Haut-Brion 2013 Pessac-Léognan

65% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc. Ghostly nose – just an impression of black fruit. Pretty full-on tannins, and more than a dash of leafiness. Very delicately rendered, apart from the pretty firm grip. (RH)
Drink
2018
–
2025
16.5

Ch Olivier 2013 Pessac-Léognan

Earthy, animal character on the nose and dense black fruit. Firm tannins but they balance with the acid. Light body, once again – a real defining characteristic of 2013. Simple finish. (RH)
Drink
2016
–
2022
16

Ch Pape Clément 2013 Pessac-Léognan

Really rich and succulent blackcurrant fruit – very modern. Classic dry palate with smoothed-out tannins. Medium body, light tannins. An ‘everyday’ style of bordeaux. (RH)
Drink
2016
–
2020
15.5

Ch Picque Caillou 2013 Pessac-Léognan

Blackcurrant jam and a dash of something verdant too. Something of a battle between ripe and unripe. Austere tannins, not balanced with the rest of the structure. (RH)
Drink
2018
–
2023
15

Ch Rahoul 2013 Graves

Lovely and rich, indulgent fruit and toasty oak. Attractive perfume too – really lifted. Silty tannic feel, and while the flavours are fully ripe and charming it doesn’t quite deliver enough length and fullness. (RH)
Drink
2016
–
2026
17