At the end of April, we tasted several hundred wines from the 2023 vintage, visited thirty-five top châteaux and, most importantly, discussed the wines with dozens of châteaux owners and winemakers.  As is invariably the case, by the time we came home our understanding of the vintage was completely different from our expectations. 

2023 was the hottest autumn and the second-hottest year on record in France, but not in Bordeaux, with its Atlantic influences.  Peak temperatures were lower than in '22 and rainfall was much higher.  The widely reported issues with mildew were not evident in the wines we tasted.  Top estates have the resources to combat the issue or to reduce yields where necessary.  

We started our tastings in Pessac-Léognan, with Daniel Cathiard of Smith Haut Lafitte, still a bit giddy from hosting a visit by King Charles' during the harvest.  The ripeness and aromatic intensity of the Cabernet Sauvignon here was echoed next at Haut-Bailly, where we met with Veronique Saunders and her Technical Director Gabriel Vialard. 

Very quickly a theme emerged, of perfectly balanced, elegant wines with moderate alcohol (usually 13-13.5% on the left bank) and fresh fruit, wrapped up with firm, structured tannins, giving many of the wines a thoughtful, austere character.  The word 'Atlantic' seems to sum up their style, especially when you factor in the pronounced mineral and saline notes we found at many estates.

In Pomerol and St-Emilion we met some beautiful wines at L'Evangile, Cheval Blanc, Figeac, Le Pin, Canon, Ausone and Le Tertre Rôtebeouf, with Vieux Château Certan producing another show-stopper.  In some cases, the reduced Merlot crop had led to increased intensity, but more often the theme of elegance and freshness continued.  L'Eglise Clinet was definitely a contender for wine of the vintage, a defining moment for winemaker Noemie Durantou.

Tasting in St-Estèphe and Pauillac, we found tremendous expressions of terroir, far more so than in the more homogenous 2022 vintage, with endless variations on crushed rock and mineral notes in St-Estèphe.  Particular highlights were Phelan-Segur (with a superb lunch!), Cos d'Estournel and Calon-Segur.  Montrose epitomized the direction of winemaking in the region, with fruit for the 2023 coming solely from vines on 'Terrace 4' gravel, the terroir that forms the heart of the estate (and many other top Médoc vineyards), producing a more linear, less broad-shouldered wine than in previous vintages.  The sense of terroir was almost as evident in Pauillac, with highlights including Pontet-Canet, Pichon-Lalande, Clerc-Milon and Duhart-Milon.

The theme of terroir continued in Margaux, with the silkiest of tannins and wonderful elegance at Palmer and Margaux, both of which have produced potentially perfect wines.  We also found numerous beautiful wines in St-Julien, although this was perhaps the most heterogeneous commune.  Léoville Las Cases, already released with a huge 40% reduction on the '22, is one of the success stories, with the other Léovilles not far behind, and Beychevelle has surely made one of its best wines in years.  As for Ducru-Beaucaillou, Xavier Borie has demonstrated his maverick tendencies once again, producing an inexplicably opulent wine which nevertheless has superb balance.

For us, 2023 is a very good vintage, but the best wines reach greatness.  Quality is increasingly variable at Cru Bourgeois level and below, where estates may have lacked resources to respond to mildew.  The key words from our notes are terroir, elegance, balance, moderate alcohol and 'Atlantic'.  Precision and purity also feature heavily, but this is more a feature of modern winemaking using precision viticulture and vinification in small vats.  Quality has improved immeasurably, even in just the last decade. Contemporary winemaking techniques also mean that the wines will be drinking earlier than in the past, but will also age for several decades. 

With many wines releasing with 20-40% discounts making them at or even below 2019 prices, we think there is every reason to add them to your cellar.

It looks like the releases will be very early this year, with some big names due out in late April and many others in May. 

The 2023 Growing Season in Bordeaux

Our summary of the growing season in 2023 is taken from an excellent report prepared by the Oenology Research Unit of the University of Bordeaux[i] for the UGC. 

1. Winter 2022/3 was cool, with low sunshine and adequate rainfall, but lower than in previous hot years like 2022 and ’20.
2. The cool winter meant bud break was not too early, preventing frost damage.
3. A humid spring led to widespread mildew, a major challenge, especially for Merlot; but the impact on both left and right banks varied, from major to negligible, causing a disparity in yields between different estates.
4. May was sunny, warm, and dry, with good vine growth and a very even flowering. Estates not hit by mildew had the promise of very good yields.
5. June to mid-August was slightly warmer than average but a bit dull; dry but with regular storms.
6. Period to 15 August full of contrasts - slightly warmer than average, a bit dull, dry, but with regular storms
7. From 16 August, a heatwave arrived. Unusually, the vines responded by stopping their vegetative growth (conserving moisture and nutrients) and put their energy into fruit ripening.  Ripening conditions were excellent, with the exception of young vines on well-drained soils or grapes over-exposed to sunshine.
8. Merlot harvest began in the first week of September. Heavy rain on 20 September - brought forward the Cabernet harvest at some estates.  Other estates chose to wait until after the rain (which was less heavy than forecast).
9. An "Indian summer" gave plenty of time to pick the last red grapes without fear of rot.
10. The white wine harvest was excellent for both dry and sweet white wines. The cooler start to the summer produced excellent acidity levels.  In Sauternes, alternating wet/dry spells were ideal for botrytis, which developed earlier than in previous vintages.  Warm dry weather in October allowed for repeated ‘tries’ in the vineyard.

[i] Prof. Laurence Geny, Elodie Guittard, Dr. Valérie Lavigne and Prof. Axel Marchal Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences of Bordeaux University, Oenology Research Unit, ‘The 2023 vintage in Bordeaux’