BORDEAUX TIME CAPSULE
Bordeaux, France
It's become a running joke among serious collectors that "years ending in 6 are great in Bordeaux," and it's at the very least one of the strongest statistical quirks in the wine world, with 2016 and 1996 both universally-acknowledged classics, 2006 a massively underrated vintage, and 1986 excellent across the board. We sat down recently for a tasting that spanned these four decades and, beyond the masterpieces (including no fewer than three 100-pointers) that held us all in their thrall, found ourselves seeing these ‘six’ vintages with fresh eyes — the patterns more pronounced, the quality more consistent than even we'd remembered.
In short, we were dazzled, and thought it would be fun (and enlightening) to bring them together in a showcase that lets you all explore the theory firsthand.
Whether this pattern represents some cosmic alignment of terroir and timing or simply the kind of confirmation bias that wine lovers excel at, the track record speaks for itself.
The triumvirate leading our collection tells the entire story in miniature: Château Mouton Rothschild 2016, which garnered an embarrassment-of-riches five perfect scores, with Jeb Dunnuck calling it "truly profound, magical, [a] blockbuster wine in every sense"; the 1996 Château Lafite Rothschild claiming three 100-pointers, with The Wine Advocate declaring it "unquestionably this renowned estate's greatest wine"; and the Château Margaux 2016, which prompted The Wine Independent to encourage us all to "sell [the] car and get a few cases" of this "full-on rich and seductive” beauty.
These three alone justify the entire premise of six-year superiority, but they're hardly outliers in this collection.
That recent tasting also offered the perfect opportunity to reassess how each of these vintages is drinking now, and the results were illuminating. The 2016 vintage represents near-perfect winemaking weather made manifest: a growing season so ideal that even the most neurotic vignerons couldn't find much to complain about. The much-maligned 2006 vintage deserves, we think, serious reconsideration, particularly now that enough time has passed for proper perspective; initially dismissed as too cool and structured, these wines are drinking beautifully today with a profile remarkably similar to that of 2016 (but with less obvious opulence). The legendary 1996 vintage continues to confound; this cool, classic year produced wines with high acidity and firm tannins that have only just now entered their prime drinking windows. Even 1986, perhaps the most variable of our featured vintages, delivered enough stellar wines to justify its inclusion. This was another structured, coolish year, often compared to 1996, but with slightly less consistency, though the best examples (like those here) are drinking magnificently now.
This is your chance to validate one of the wine world's most mysterious patterns, all while building a cellar that will reward you for years to come. Secure your bottles and cases today!