Bordeaux: best buys of the northern Médoc
This may be the less talked-about, cooler part of Bordeaux’s Left Bank, but there is still plenty of good value to be found if you know the best producers. Stephen Brook recommends two wines from each of his top eight northern Médoc estates
Stephen Brook
O‑f the two generic Médoc appellations, Haut-Médoc and Médoc, the latter has always been at a disadvantage. Consisting essentially of the northern part of the region, it is climatically less favoured than the HautMédoc, which stretches from just north of St-Estèphe southwards to the gates of
Bordeaux itself. Nonetheless, there are sectors close to the estuary that enjoy the same benefits of a more moderate climate as similarly located estates further to the south.
In the past, the challenge was climatic. The northern Médoc is colder, and although the soils can be perfectly well suited to classic Bordeaux red wine, ripening tends to happen later than it does further south. Especially in vineyards with a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, greenness can be an issue.
However, global warming is bringing its mixed blessing to this region as to so many others. Recent hot vintages have benefited the Médoc appellation: ripeness is less of a problem. It remains true that there are many indifferent or dull or tart wines from here, yet there are also some very well-run estates that consistently produce wines of excellent quality, and usually at fair prices.
It has sometimes been pointed out that farming standards are lower in the northern Médoc because most vineyards are machineharvested. Machines are indeed quite common here, but that does not mean that the wines produced by them are necessarily inferior. The technology behind such machines has improved greatly over the last decade or so, and consequently the grapes processed by machines are handled much more gently, reducing the risk of oxidation.
Nonetheless, many of the leading properties maintain strong links with families of workers that return each year, often from Spain, for the harvest. They are fortunate, as other estates struggle to find local harvesters, such as students, prepared to make the two-hour trek up from Bordeaux.
All the factors that have contributed to the overall improvement in red Bordeaux – less reliance on chemical fertilisers and herbicides, lower yields and greater selection, gentler handling of the fruit with far less pumping than in the past, less extraction, more judicious use of oak – apply just as much to the best estates of the northern region. It’s pointless to deny that there remain many uninspiring and mundane wines here, but the best wines can rival the best of the HautMédoc, and you will usually find them at a more tempting price.
Château Rollan de By
Jean Guyon began his career as an interior designer and property developer before purchasing this property in Bégadan in 1989. Before long he was buying other Médoc properties too, and today his domaine extends to 190 hectares, about half of which are here. The soils are complex, with gravel and limestone. Merlot is the main variety at 68%. Guyon’s approach has always been to pick by machine at full maturity.
There’s a 15ha parcel, Haut Condissas, that is picked at super-ripe levels, with the resulting wine aged entirely in new oak. Meanwhile, Rollan de By spends up to 18 months in one-third new barrels. Haut Condissas is an impressive wine but perhaps too self-consciously garagiste, unlike Rollan de By, a modern-style wine that often punches above its weight. It has good tannic structure, but also freshness and bite. It often delivers a balanced and stylish claret in lesser vintages such as the 2012. Given the substantial volume produced – close to half a million bottles – quality is consistent and high.
Château Rollan de By, Médoc CB 2010 93 £ 22 (ib) Fine & Rare
Deep, lustrous red. The nose is rich, savoury and smoky, with black-fruit aromas. There’s a fine attack, excellent concentration, yet ample freshness and bite, and all supported by firm ripe tannins. The finish is minty, stylish and persistent. Drink 2020-2028
Alcohol 14%
Château Rollan de By, Médoc CB 2015 90
£ 18.25 (ib) Fine & Rare
The high proportion of Merlot in the blend gives aromas of black cherries. Suave and juicy, this is already approachable, with supple tannins balanced by good acidity. This is harmonious and persistent, but there’s no lack of concentration. Drink 2020-2028 Alc 13.5%