The 2016 vintage has already casually and self-assuredly claimed its place in the history books, standing shoulder to shoulder with Bordeaux’s greatest years, unbothered by hype, immune to doubt.

This is a vintage of precision with muscle, of elegance that knows it doesn’t need to shout. Power, yes—but disciplined power. The kind that waits, watches, and endures. There is no argument here, only inevitability. Time will not diminish it; time will work for it.

An unstoppable force, not because it tries to be, but because it simply is.

Force Majeure

The 2016 Bordeaux vintage is widely considered an exceptional, modern classic, defined by remarkable balance, power, elegance and freshness.

An unusually wet spring, was followed by an almost three month long, dry summer with plenty of sun. Luckily much needed rain fell in September and allowed the grapes to mature during the cool nights.

The wines produced were deeply coloured, with fresh, silky tannins and moderate alcohol levels.

I tasted quite a few wines during primeur and upon their release. At that time they were very classic wines and almost irresistible in their flamboyant style.

Since the harvest almost 10 years ago the wines have matured and petit chateau are now ready for consumption. They are nice, pleasing, fruity well balanced wines that should be on top for the next 10-15 years.

The bigger wines have for a large part closed down now and are not ready yet. They would almost all benefit from further cellaring as indicated by each wine.

If you want to try some of those big guns, plenty of decanting time is advised, allowing them to reveal a little of their potential.

The 2016 vintage already made it into the history books and will be remembered amongst the greatest vintages produced in Bordeaux.

Many people have compared the style, freshness and subtle character to the 2000 vintage and the sweetness and flamboyant character of some of the wines to the 2009 vintage. Going even further back one could argue that the vintage character could be a modern clone of the 1962 vintage alas allowing for a generally higher level of quality today.

There are some real contenders for the goal of perfection in 2016.

It would indeed be more surprising than not if some did not ultimately deserve a perfect score as maturity removes the last veil.

For an in depth review of the weather pattens, the development of wine producing techniques and other important factors please see this review of the 2016 vintage from December 2022 by clicking HERE.

A special thanks to Bordeaux Index for organising this extraordinary tasting.

- Article and Reviews by Ivar Bjurner, Photography by Johan Berglund

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