BORDEAUX 2023 VINTAGE: EMBODYING, FRESHNESS, ENERGY & PRECISION

 

WEDNESDAY 1ST MAY 2024

 

 

Jeremy Lithgow MW, our Head of Wine spent several days last week in Bordeaux to sample the wines and make his judgement about the quality of the vintage. Here he gives us his impression of how the 2023 vintage turned out. 

 

I have just returned from Bordeaux, where I was tasting several hundred of the 2023 vintage Bordeaux wines from barrel. This offered a glimpse into the triumphs and challenges faced by producers in this most famous of winemaking regions.

Despite facing several challenges, many producers have managed to craft delicious, even exceptional wines that, if priced appropriately, will undoubtedly be worth adding to your collection.

A WARM START AND OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

The start of the growing season was very warm with an early budburst, but fortunately no frost damage this year. Storms in May and June were followed by high temperatures which provoked humidity and mildew in many vineyards. This had little impact on the eventual quality of the wines, but created a lot of work in the vineyard, and the potential upside can be a decreased yield which drives quality. 

NAVIGATING THE GROWING SEASON

The weather continued to be warm yet often cloudy interspersed with showers, slowing veraison and again creating some disease pressure. Then late August was hot and dry; the lack of water slowing ripening.  Some growers needed to reduce yields to ensure ripeness across the entire crop, but the harvest conditions were ideal. Picking took place across a long window of a month from the first week of September to early October. 

HARVESTING AND PRECISION

Deciding when to pick was crucial as ripening times varied across the region, and there was the threat of rain in late September, which for the most part failed to materialise. Rigorous sorting to remove any unripe or unhealthy fruit was also vital, and certainly wineries with optical sorting tables were at a considerable advantage.

STYLE & TASTING NOTES

“The best show balance and freshness with deep center palates of ripe fruit and a complement of polished tannins...” James Sucking

The vintage is certainly not as consistent as 2022, and quite different in style. While the 2022s are consistently ripe, rich and opulent, the 2023 vintage is a more subtle, graceful vintage where the vineyards and winemaking are more apparent. Many producers referred to this as a “classic” vintage; in other words the wines have an appealing freshness and transparency which will render many of them very attractive in youth, with bright fruit and supple tannins.

INDIVIDUALITY & VARIABILITY

While there were some regional generalisations which could be taken, in fact many of the variations came from producer to producer. There are lovely red wines to be had from across Bordeaux, where producers put the work in and made some sacrifices, but there are also some châteaux who have slightly missed the mark. 

DELICIOUS WHITES & EXCEPTIONAL SWEET WINES

Many of the white wines were delicious, with weight and richness balanced by appealing freshness. While they perhaps lack the bones for really extended cellaring, they will offer plenty of pleasure on release and the best for up to a decade further. Given the prices of white Burgundy, these are well worth purchasing.

The sweet wines were exceptional. Botrytis came to Sauternes and Barsac very late, deep into October, but the long hang time has resulted in fabulous wines with a core of intensely sweet yet structured fruit which makes them irresistible. 

IN CONCLUSION

The 2023 vintage of Bordeaux wines is a testament to the resilience and craftsmanship of its producers. While it may not boast the same consistency as its predecessor, it offers a unique and captivating expression of the region's terroir. Helpfully pricing looks set to be 20-30% cheaper than last year which is a welcome reversal of the upward trend of the last few years, and means this should be a great year to stock up.

 

 

 

 

To reserve your allocations or ask any questions you may have please contact us at privatesales@amathusdrinks.com