Last month, as Bordeaux approached spring, I delighted in the silky-textured wines of the 2023 vintage. Many were much better than I expected, especially after hearing so many winemakers’ stories of difficulties of the growing season. Many seemed relieved to have gotten through the vintage without experiencing total disaster.
Overall, the wines are far too heterogeneous to call 2023 a great vintage, even if some are pure magic.
“You can’t put the 2023s in any category,” says Omri Ram of Pomerol’s Château Lafleur, one of my top wines. “It’s as if each château had experienced a different vintage. »
The annual rite of Bordeaux en primeur took place April 22-26, and I arrived early to have time to taste more than 450 barrel samples from the 2023 vintage. In total, the event attracted around 100 journalists and thousands of traders from 70 countries.
While there are exceptional wines worth buying in every appellation, famous names with good values, many châteaux have missed the mark. Their wines exhibit bitter tannins and a lack of concentration. Some exhibit green, unripe flavors.
Fortunately, my first stop, April 15 at 9 a.m., at Château Lafite Rothschild, premier cru, set the standard for the best.
The style of wine
My best reds and whites are as good (and sometimes better) than the 2022s, but in a style that Bordeaux lovers like to call “classic”. While they lack the indulgence and punch of the best 2022s, they combine the ripe tannins and soft texture of a warm vintage with the floral aromas, vibrant fruit, purity and freshness of a cool vintage. , also with lower alcohol levels.
“It’s a vintage where you find the terroir in your glass,” explains Mathieu Cuvelier of Clos Fourtet in Saint-Émilion, which makes it possible to clearly detect the nuances of personality of the wines from each estate.
The growing season has not been easy amid excessive rains and warm daytime and nighttime temperatures, which is very different from 2022, which has been plagued by severe droughts and extreme heat. Wine growers have struggled to cope with sudden changes in weather, with forecasts often misleading. Success depended on luck, microclimate, soil type, grape variety, and human decision-making. Experience and resources (i.e. expertise and money) made the ultimate difference. Disaster awaited those who made a bad decision.
Rain and hot, humid weather in June set the stage for virulent outbreaks of late blight that some called the worst in 25 years. This fungus can quickly invade a vineyard and decimate a harvest.
“We had to monitor the vineyard hour by hour and spray immediately,” explains Véronique Sanders of Château Haut-Bailly, even on Sundays. Organic farmers have had to spray copper sulfate regularly and preventatively, although the biodynamic Château Fonplégade reports good results with an oak bark solution. Some vineyards were so wet that tractors could not travel. Not all winegrowers had enough time constraints to respond so quickly. Merlot is more susceptible to downy mildew than Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc, which is why many 2023 wines contain a higher proportion of the latter two.
Christian Moueix, owner of many large Pomerol estates, said they sprayed 18 to 20 times, increasing the production cost per bottle. Every time it rains, the leaves are rinsed and must be sprayed again with copper or fungicide.
It was the second hottest year since the start of the 21st century, explains Jean-Philippe Delmas of the premier cru Château Haut-Brion. “The cloudy weather in July protected the grapes from the sun and preserved their freshness,” he explains. “Then the periods of intense heat in mid-August and early September were like a concentration machine.”
This heat transformed some wines into something deeper. It also burned certain grapes, making sorting essential during the harvest. A long picking window allows the grapes to be harvested at perfect ripeness.
Winemakers emphasize that adapting quickly and rethinking everything they do has become the new norm.
Should you buy now?
The short answer is yes, if the price is right. But choose carefully.
Here’s a little reminder of how buying wine forward works. You lock in your money now (sometimes with just 50% down), while the wines are still aging in barrels, and receive the bottled wines in fall 2026. Don’t assume you can return the bottled wines to realize a profit, as was the case in the past. the case. Some 2019 models now cost less than they did four years ago. One reason to buy now is to store your favorite wines and choose the format you prefer (magnums, half bottles, etc.).
Price was the big topic at private lunches and gala dinners, with dealers and merchants insisting that the biggest castles should reduce their prices by 30% from last year’s levels to generate enthusiasm .
“The market situation is serious,” declares Emmanuel Cruse, president of the Commanderie de Bontemps, the professional association of châteaux on the left bank of Bordeaux and co-owner of Château d’Issan. “We all know that wine merchants already have a lot of stock. » Market pressures include high interest rates, inflation, two ongoing wars and a weak market in China.
Jeff Zacharia of Zachys, a retailer in Port Chester, New York, that has offered Bordeaux futures wines to customers since the 1970s, says, “The quality of the wines has exceeded my expectations, but we will only buy what we can sell. » He says he will take fewer names than in the past.
Shaun Bishop, owner of California’s Bay Area-based JJ Buckley, says he’s tasted some compelling wines and will probably offer 100; 10 years ago, he would have offered 200. “The first growths will sell, as well as great collector’s wines which have fans like Pontet-Canet and Carmes Haut-Brion.
It seems that certain châteaux, including Lafite, have heard this price message. Château Pontet-Canet, a super success in 2023, was released at a price 27% lower than last year; the brilliant Léoville Las Cases was listed down 40%, Lafite Rothschild 31% and Mouton Rothschild 37.2%.
An important caveat: only buy from a reputable trader with extensive experience delivering bottle-finished wines. In the United States, for example: Zachys, JJ Buckley, Millesima USA and K&L Wine Merchants. In the UK: Farr Vintners, Bordeaux Index, Fine + Rare and Berry Bros. & Rudd.
What to buy
Several dozen wines are worth buying if the price is right (including whites, which I’ll talk about in a future column). As usual, all the premiers crus are among the best wines of the vintage, and I was seduced by the stars of the right bank like Petrus, Le Pin, Ausone and Figeac. In addition to these and my 14 favorites and five values below, I would cite Léoville Las Cases, Léoville Barton, Haut-Bailly, Rauzan-Ségla, Ducru Beaucaillou, Cos d’Estournel, Giscours, L’Evangile, Les Perrières, Canon, d’Issan, Domaine de Chevalier, Vieux Château Certan, Troplong Mondot and Rocheyron. An expanded list of my Top 100 wines, with ratings, will be available on my website (elinmccoy.com) in June.
Here are my 14 best wines (price included when available):
Château Beauséjour Duffau Lagarosse
The third vintage under co-owner and winemaker Joséphine Duffau Lagarosse is the best yet, with a lush, silky texture and harmonious flavors of earth, minerals, salt and fruit.
Château Bélair-Monange
The first vintage produced in the château’s magnificent new cellar exhibits wonderful juiciness, accompanied by mineral and truffle notes and rich depth.
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
This property in Pessac-Léognan has become one of the new stars of Bordeaux. The 2023 has more Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc than usual, giving it violet and peony aromas and a dark, mineral violet taste.
Chateau Cheval Blanc
Very rich, structured, nuanced and polished, and more mineral and floral than the 2022. The fragrant aromas remind me of violet, peony, iris and more.
Château La Conseillante
A great wine of this vintage: long and precise, fleshy and layered, with exuberant pure fruit and expansive aromas of lilac, rose petals and a little tobacco.
Château L’ EClinet church
A breathtaking wine with intense aromas of cherries, raspberries, cocoa and tobacco. It’s very, very long and powerful.
Chateau Haut-Brion
Energy, tension and a beautiful velvety sensuality characterize this always complex wine which displays aromas of olive, liquorice and cedar.
Lafite Rothschild castle ($520)
A rich wine with calm, deep power, elegance and energetic freshness, Lafite is bursting with elegant cassis and graphite flavors and a distinctly salty note to its extremely long finish. This is the best value for money Lafite on the market, according to Liv-ex.
Chateau Lafleur
A deep wine that seems even better than the fantastic 2022. It features expressive aromas of tea, violet and tobacco, along with deep layers of vibrant dark fruit and a touch of spice. This is one of my favorite wines of the vintage, it will be expensive but generally increases in value quickly.
Château Margaux
Sophisticated, charming, elegant and lively, this premier cru is all about subtle flavors and energy. It’s very classic and silky.
Chateau Montrose
Dark and intense in color; pure blackberry nose; fine and supple tannins; and a concentrated black fruit character, it is one of the best on the left bank.
Chateau Mouton Rothschild ($442)
With a dense texture that evokes dark chocolate mousse, this meaty 93% Cabernet has just about everything: layers of smoky dark fruit, hints of pomegranate, tension and a long finish. It’s cheaper than any other vintage on the market.
Château Pichon-Lalande
Consistently one of the best wines among recent vintages, this second growth has a luxurious, silky texture, precise aromas of flowers and blackberries, and layers of ripe, vibrant fruit.
Château Pontet Canet ($91)
The bright aroma of peonies and the exceptionally pure, deep, savory flavors of blueberry, mint and fennel really stand out. This wine shows how brilliant Cabernet Sauvignon can be.
Five valuable wines
Château Bellefont Belcier
With each recent vintage, this Saint-Émilion estate surpasses its performance. This vintage features juicy red berry flavors, density and structure and a long, tantalizing finish.
Château Corbin
With fresh and seductive black fruits, a silky texture and everything in balance, this Saint- The Émilion Grand Cru Classé exudes both harmony and elegance.
Château Fonplegade
The wine from this American biodynamic estate in Saint-Émilion is remarkable. Aromas of crushed rose petals, plum fruits and notes of spices.
Chateau Siran
The wine from this Margaux estate is always a good buy. Lively and succulent, it features a bright core of mulberry fruit and minerals, along with soft but powerful tannins.
Château Tronquoy
The billionaire Bouygues brothers own this property, the quality of which continues to increase. This purple-colored wine has aromas of mint, flowers and tobacco and aromatic notes of red cherries.
