“Opportunities come infrequently. When it rains gold, put out the bucket, not the thimble.”

Warren Buffett

Bordeaux’s 2023 vintage will arrive on the market during economic and social uncertainty. It follows the 2022 vintage that remains the greatest I have tasted En Primeur and where many châteaux produced potentially the most extraordinary wines in their history. The vintage following a great one can be overshadowed, such as with 2001 following the 2000 vintage that received huge acclaim. We travelled to Bordeaux last week with almost no hype surrounding 2023. It is a vintage with the capacity to surprise and a complicated one to understand. Omri Ram, Cellar Master at Château Lafleur, described 2023 as “An extreme vintage without extremes.”

The winter was colder than the average over the last ten years but warmer than the average since 2000. Rainfall was slightly above the average since 2000. Spring was warm and wet with no severe frost. Flowering was rapid and uniform, creating the potential for a large crop. Disease pressure was high from the start of April to the end of June, requiring constant vigilance. Summer started gloomily, giving ripening conditions slightly colder and wetter than average. Temperatures picked up in August, but without extremes; the average maximum temperature from 18th-24th August was 36.3°C. Another period of fine weather, 4th-7th September, saw an average maximum temperature of 33.7°C. Harvest was interrupted by stormy conditions, with around 50mm of rainfall between 12th and 22nd September. Precipitation was not uniform across Bordeaux, and producers had decisions to make regarding whether to accelerate or halt picking. 2023 is in the books as the third earliest harvest following 2022 and 2003, with the first Sauvignon Blanc picked week commencing 21st August. Harvest was prolonged, with the Cabernets harvested from 23rd September to early October.

The early tone for the vintage was set in July when the French newspaper Sud-Ouest reported a catastrophe sur le vignoble, with 90% of Bordeaux vineyards touched by mildew. The Daily Telegraph seized the headline and, with questionable translation, published an article claiming that 90% of the Bordeaux crop was destroyed. The official production figures show that the overall production for 2023 is lower than average but far from destroyed. The three-year average from 2021 to 2023 is 20% lower than the average from 2011 to 2020. These figures hide that although the overall volume is low, the yields for the appellations typically sold En Primeur are more generous. In 2023, the Bordeaux Superieur appellation averaged 28.9 hl/ha, but the Médoc and Graves appellations averaged 40 hl/ha. Pomerol produced almost 40% more wine in 2023 than in 2022, and Pauillac produced just over 35% more wine in 2023 than in 2022.

The most boring question of Primeur, the one that strikes fear into the heart of the jaded winemaker who has been pouring wine and repeating themselves all week, is “What vintage can you compare this one to?” It’s a question that takes time to answer in 2023. Bordeaux’s superstar consultant, Thomas Duclos, explained, “We are not talking about one 2023 vintage, but several 2023 vintages.” At its heart, this is a vintage of the haves and the have-nots. Those with the resources and the talent to make the right decisions at the right time have produced wines of very good to excellent quality, with a few touching greatness. Saskia de Rothschild described the vintage as ‘Free Interpretation’, one where everyone could play their version of the vintage with the cards nature had dealt.

The best wines on the Left Bank are classical in their architecture of tannins and acidity and moderate in alcohol. Most of the top wines are 13% to 13.5% ABV. This is not a cold vintage like 2021, and those who braved the storms and waited for ripeness to arrive harvested grapes with the potential to make wines of structure and depth. Neither is 2023 a solar vintage. Looking back over my notes, I make infrequent references to fruit other than general comments about whether it falls into the red, purple, or black fruit spectrum. It is a vintage of floral perfume on the nose and soil tones on the palate. The best terroirs have excelled; you can taste gravel, clay, and limestone and their effects on the wines. At Château Pichon Comtesse, Nicolas Glumineau believes they have the potential to stand alongside their most outstanding modern vintages. Nicolas described his 2023 as “It boasts a noble, racy power, tinged with the energy and liveliness of certain great vintages of yesteryear.” Across the road at Château Pichon Baron, Christian Seely has overseen a wine that will rival his neighbour, “2023 combines the generous characteristics of a solar year with the classic fresh balance associated with the best of fine Bordeaux vintages of the past.” At Second Growth Château Montrose, the Bouygues family are now producing a Grand Vin solely from terrace four in the heart of their vineyard. Representing 35% of production, they have made a wine of First Growth quality. Pierre Graffeuille commented, “2023 harmoniously blends opulence and tension, immensity and precision.”

The Right Bank continues its evolution towards further freshness and precision. The best limestone of Saint-Émilion and clay of Pomerol have produced wines that will seduce with their early appeal but will reward the patient. Frédéric Faye of Château Figeac has overseen a wine that befits their promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classé “A” status alongside Château Pavie. Cheval Blanc, Ausone, and Angelus have all produced wines that remind the taster that they chose to withdraw from the classification, but their class remains. In Pomerol, Marielle Cazeaux’s La Conseillante was in stunning form, and she remarked “If you like Conseillante, you’ll fall in love with 2023.” At Vieux Château Certan, Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont have once again made one of the vintage’s best wines, with Alexandre noting “We are back to Bordeaux, a timeless style of wine.”

Bordeaux’s total production in 2023 was 81% red, with just 11% white and 1% sweet white produced. The best white wines of Pessac-Léognan are compelling, with Domaine de Chevalier and Château Smith Haut-Lafitte producing two of our favourite examples. With white Burgundy’s continuing price and availability pressures, Bordeaux offers an excellent alternative on our doorstep. These wines age impeccably, as a magnum of 1984 Domaine de Chevalier generously donated by Olivier Bernard for an event during En Primeur week showed. Sauternes and Barsac blessedly have more normal yields following a run of small to tiny vintages. Botrytis worked quickly on mature grapes, and the best wines combine the voluptuous, exotic character of noble rot with wonderfully clean and precise fruit, bright acidity, and superb length.

Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, CEO of Baron Philippe de Rothschild, concluded that 2023 reminded everyone of two fundamental qualities a winegrower needs: “Humility and adaptability.” Bordeaux has produced a vintage that exceeds expectations, with the best wines showing the potential to match recent benchmarks like 2020 and 2022. Bordeaux will release wines during global uncertainty, and interest rates in France are a concern for the supply chain. Most châteaux recognize that prices must come down to inject dynamism and purpose into a sluggish market. Times of economic uncertainty have historically produced opportunities for the savvy wine buyer. The 2008 vintage was released after the financial crisis and without the scores of Robert Parker. Châteaux released at tempting prices, and the market responded when Parker belatedly arrived with an economic stimulus package of big scores from Baltimore. We had a similar experience in 2019 when Bordeaux responded to the pandemic by releasing an excellent vintage to a captive audience at attractive pricing. Everyone in the distribution chain and the final consumer should be able to profit from En Primeur. The best 2023s are worthy of a place in your cellar; Bordeaux leads the world in viticulture and vinification and could re-capture the imagination of the global fine wine market. Aldo Gucci famously said “Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.” With 2023, we have the potential to remember both fondly.

If you have any questions about buying en primeur or the Bordeaux 2023 campaign, please email enprimeur@jeroboams.co.uk.