25th anniversary Tokyo tasting | The Jancis Robinson Story

Bordeaux 2013 – St-Émilion and satellites

Tuesday 22 April 2014
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For a list of all our articles, see Bordeaux 2013 – a guide to our coverage.

As might be expected for a large-ish appellation in a difficult vintage, there is a lot of inconsistency among the 2013s of St-Émilion. Finding the gems therefore requires particular care, and fans of the right bank might find it easier to default to Pomerol, which was generally much more memorable than its neighbour.

The tasting notes are listed in alphabetical order.

Sweet fruit but light and brief. Entirely balanced and easy to...

Pretty nondescript – but this is the third wine in a difficult...
75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc. Violet perfume and an...
62% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc. Rich, fruitcake aromas. Plush...
Reductive on the nose, but sweet-fruited too. Finely feathered...
Deep blackcurrant fruit, supple tannins on the palate that grip...
Attractively indulgent and rich on the nose, really perfumed and...
Light palate with a vegetal underripeness beneath the fruit...
Cooked, overripe fruit. Light body, chewy tannins. Not the...
Juicy black fruit, smoke and charred meat. Very tannic afterglow...
100% Merlot. Plush, sweet character on the nose. Very modern and...
Rather sweet oak, very tough tannins. Impenetrable, but without...
Tight fruit, clove and cedar, and rather punchy tannins that...
Cherry and plum, luxurious violet and pepper scent. Attractive...
Quite an attractive malty sort of character here, and milk...
Black cherry, violet, a light herbal character. Quite dense and...
Rich and luxurious scent – lots of perfume and succulent fruit...
52% Cabernet Franc, 48% Merlot. Very compact nose – much less...
Sweet, fruitcake aromas and vanilla oak in abundance. Firm...
Really constrained nose, but better liveliness on the palate...
Ripe, modern and succulent on the nose – generous, fully formed...
Understated black fruit. A slight herbal hint, with firm but...
90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Earthy nose, dry fruit. Pretty...
Subtle but insistent floral perfume. Clove and oak spice on the...
Bucket loads of black fruit and a smoky reductive hint that is...
Floral and expressive. Sweet milk chocolate, generous oak, a bit...
Rich, slightly medicinal nose with very ripe, almost jammy fruit...
Lots of flashy new oak giving a sweet spiciness on the nose...
65% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Milk...
80% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot. Juicy and fresh – a little burnt...
Very fruitcake-style nose – baked, jammy. Not overdone though –...
Well-formed blackcurrant fruit, slight spiciness – there’s some...
Juicy black cherry, a nice bit of liquorice, and then very furry...
Quite reductive on the nose, but there is very pure red fruit...
Gorgeous fruit character here – surprisingly developed , fleshy...
Tight nose. Syrupy black fruit on the palate. Dry, fine tannins...
Sweet black fruit – ripe, convincing. Well made and fragrant...
Blackcurrant fruit but not a whole lot else. Quite firm and...
92% Merlot. 8% Cabernet Franc. Sweet oak character, dark black...
A slightly cooked, currant edge to the nose here. Very high...
Pure red fruit that is almost more like New World Pinot Noir...
Herbal notes, but good blackcurrant fruit too. Dark chocolate...
Blackcurrant and spice. Dominant oak. Furry tannins – not...
Plump, bright and floral. Lots packed in here, surrounded by...
Bright black fruit, lots of concentration on the palate. Intense...
Succulent cherry fruit. Very high tannic grip, though the...
Very closed nose, and the palate is domineered by tannic fuzz...
Rich, concentrated fruit. Spicy pork character on the palate...
56.5% Merlot, 30.5% Cabernet Franc, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. Very...
80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. Swish smoky oak on the nose...
100% Merlot. Black cherry and sweet spices. Very ripe and...
Plump, sweet oak on the nose. Attractive, modern but not at all...
Plush, fragrant and bright. Quite primary, doesn’t seem to...
Raspberry, red cherry. Light body, medium tannins. Tame, simple...
Sweet oak, juicy black fruit, peppery and rich. Has the...
83% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc. Blackcurrant, very bitter and...
A one-hectare single vineyard. 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc...
70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc. Svelte blackcurrant, violet and...
Lots of sweet spice scent – clearly expensive oak. Dry, savoury...
Lovely fruit ripeness and purity. High, fine tannins on the...
Creamy, plush oak spice. Drying tannins – very astringent. Good...
Opulent black fruit, impressive oak. Super-fine but super-high...
65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc. Fleshy and generous, plenty of...
Lots of pure berry fruit, a little sappiness and a rather light...
Juicy and bright fruit profile. Plum, black cherry – really...
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