Bordeaux 2023 – beyond the headlines
“So… when was that rain?” My colleagues’ hearts eyes roll and hearts sink as I ask another rather mundane-seeming question. I wrote last year about the showmanship of Primeurs week, as well as the challenge of digging for the truth – and this felt all the more relevant in 2023.
Flying back on Tuesday, as the first releases got underway, critics – and merchants – seemed to be racing to get their coverage out, turning round what they could as soon as they could. Our team was no different – but it takes time to wade through all the notes taken in 10 days (typed up, without tasting notes, coming to circa 12,000 words), re-assess it, check facts and figures, ask any extra questions and try to condense it all into a digestible format. There’s an inevitable element of selection, deciding what really mattered, and who to believe when it came to specifics.
It feels like a cop-out to say that the best producers made fantastic wines in 2023, but it’s true. The year was tricky, and one where “true” vignerons could benefit from their farming prowess. One could argue that the Right Bank fared better due to its conditions, but it’s likely that the generally smaller size of estates that was an element too – being easier to manage with the requisite attention.
While it’s not true that every estate excelled in 2023, there are some utterly sensational wines – ones that appeal deeply to my personal tastes. They have elegance and charm, precise aromatics and earthy minerality; they’re pretty, lower-alcohol, juicy and with supple structures, yet plenty of concentration too. The best feel weightless. If you can justify buying some, I don’t think they’re wines you’ll regret having in your cellar in 10, 20 or even 50 years’ time.
A few of my favourites from the vintage so far:Montrose
Carruades de Lafite (along with the Grand Vin and wines from Duhart-Milon)
Pontet-Canet
Pichon Comtesse
Latour
Langoa Barton
Esprit de Chevalier Blanc + Rouge
Everything from Lafleur
The entire Durantou stable – especially La Chénade and Montlandrie at the lower end
Cheval Blanc
Beauséjour
Laroque
Figeac
Canon
Troplong Mondot
Update: You can also find a breakdown of the year by commune, as well as a round-up of what the critics have been saying about the vintage
