Twelve members of the Farr Vintners team travelled to Bordeaux in mid-April to taste through and discuss the region’s latest En Primeur vintage – 2023.
2023 represents a new style of vintage for Bordeaux. The wines evoke the region’s past, tying together moderate alcohols and cool yet ripe fruit with modern precision and refined tannins. This is not a vintage that would, or could, have been made even a decade ago. Advances in farming and winemaking, and a shift in style and philosophy, have produced some outstanding wines in a vintage that needed diligence, expertise and nerve. Proprietors struggled to compare the vintage to anything that has come before, though many considered it an improved version of 2001, 2012 or 2014. Others went back to the 1990s and Léoville Las Cases, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, said the closest climatic vintage was as far back as 1771. All considerations came with the caveat of the clear improvements from start to finish in the winemaking process that elevate the wines beyond the vintages from ten or more years ago, and that was clear to see in the glass.
This is not a hot or solar vintage, nor is it defined by rain or under-ripeness. The wines are chiselled, deftly balanced with excellent proportions at their best. They can be effortlessly delicious with airy, dewy fruit yet have deceptive tannic depth and ageing potential. The acidity is bright but not overbearing, and the alcohols are moderate, mostly coming in under 14% and often 1% below their equivalents last year. There are great wines throughout the region, but quality is not universal. The best terroirs were clearly at an advantage when looking for mid-palate fruit weight, but there are excellent wines at all price points and from both sides of the river. As ever, Farr Vintners will offer regular updates with impartial advice on quality and price.
With significant price reductions expected - in what is currently a buyer's market, the consumer could well be in the driving seat for a change and this could certainly be a vintage to buy en primeur for both quality and value. You can view all our listings here or by clicking on any of the pictures on this page.
The UK Farr Vintners buying and sales teams travelled to Bordeaux in April to taste the 2023 vintage in full force with Jo Purcell from our Hong Kong office. There is no replacement for tasting with, and talking to, producers and our team now have a wealth of experience under their belts to guide you through the vintage. Tasting notes and scores (out of 100), written by our Master of Wine Thomas Parker, are available by clicking into the wines.
2023 has produced some outstanding wines. They sit behind the brilliant 2019, 2020 and 2022 vintages, but are undoubtedly better than 2017 and 2021. In recent years describing the vintage has been fairly easy. There have been the solar, hotter years and colder, wet ones that have produced two distinct camps, each vintage with their own stylistic nuances. 2023 falls into neither category. You will find no green wines this year, rather layered, airy aromatics with floral overtones yet cool, pure fruit that is both red and black in character. Though some lesser wines suffered from dilution or astringency, this is not the case with the top names. There is ample structure and fruit for ageing. The wines are not defined by ripeness or high alcohols; they are, rather, wines of proportion, focus and harmony. Their dimensions have more in common with the best vintages of the mid-to-late nineties and early 2000s than anything from the last decade, but the fruit and tannin management is clearly far superior.
Last year we emphasised that the shift in farming and winemaking in Bordeaux was critical to the vintage’s quality and style, and that is the case again this year. Tannin management and extraction has clearly evolved for the better – these wines are analytically high in tannin but the mouthfeel and balance against fruit is superb, meaning this vintage will drink well at a relatively early stage and have a long, open drinking window. The acidities are fresh but not searing. Many producers took the risk to wait before harvesting their Cabernets, despite forecasted storms, and were duly rewarded with both better phenolic ripeness and more complex and darker flavours. Selection has been very important throughout. Yields are mercifully good this year, with many top estates producing over 40 hectolitres per hectare. This is despite green harvests (more on that later) and rigorous sorting in the vineyard and winery – estates could afford to be picky with which fruit they used to make their grands vins. Dilution is not a problem for those who were willing to do what was necessary.
As Jean-Charles Cazes put it, 2023 is a “Premier League, maybe even Europa League” vintage, not quite in the Champions League of 2022, 2020 or 2019, but certainly pushing them close. Lynch Bages is a brilliant example of this: it has an intensity and depth, a quintessential Pauillac structure, with an underlying freshness and balance that means this wine could be from nowhere but the northern Médoc. Pauillac was arguably the strongest appellation we tasted; the wines chiselled and athletic, with no puppy fat but still intense, pure and dark fruit at their cores. Pichon Lalande is magnificent, Grand Puy Lacoste is its usual understated but utterly moreish self, and Latour – though we’ll have to wait – is a contender for wine of the vintage. Jean Garandeau, Director of Latour (and Artemis’ other estates), believes the complexity in this vintage comes from the dichotomy of the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon’s influence on the wines, as if they had two harvests in one: “the Merlot is luscious and advanced, whereas we had to wait on the Cabernet Sauvignon to have an al dente ripeness”. It is this balance that gives the vintage its unique character.
Vintage comparisons are always useful to buyers who have been unable to taste the wines, but winemakers have struggled to pin down a similar vintage this year. There are elements of 2001 in the easy freshness and cool ripeness, though the wines have greater intensity and are much more precise. The aromatics share similarities with 2012, but again are more intense, and the fruit has more middle and can be darker, slightly riper and more complex. The tannin levels show some similarity with 2014, but their texture is much more refined and silkier. This is a unique vintage for Bordeaux, and all the more exciting for it.
The northern Médoc has several highlights and the best wines are often from familiar names, though there are some excellent value options too. Montrose and Calon Ségur are very smart indeed and are the top picks in Saint Estèphe, with Capbern and Tronquoy both superb value alternatives. Latour, Lafite, Pichon Lalande and Lynch Bages top the Pauillac pyramid, all superb examples of their type with distinct personalities. Batailley overperforms once again at what should be a very good price point. Saint Julien is as consistent as ever, our favourites from Léovilles Poyferré and Barton, with an excellent Ducru Beaucaillou in the mix. Margaux is a little more varied but Châteaux Margaux, Palmer and Rauzan Ségla rise above the rest.
Merlot could be as successful as Cabernet, with a more rounded and slightly riper feel due to its earlier ripening. In Pessac-Léognan Haut Brion, Carmes Haut Brion and Domaine de Chevalier are the front runners. On the right bank, Eglise Clinet tastes almost from another vintage; it is a powerful, rich and seductive wine, a vin de garde that is a clear contender for wine of the vintage. One of the surprises of the week was Montlandrie – which now has 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. This new addition has elevated the wine to a new level, it could well be the best of the Durantous value range this year. The top Pomerols all deliver, and though Saint Emilion is studded with quality: Cheval Blanc, Canon and Troplong Mondot are our picks.
This is not a vintage to buy indiscriminately, but there are terrific wines at every price point and our sales team are happy to guide you to the best examples at any budget.
Some of the dry whites are stunning this year. Because of the slightly cooler summer they have tension and salinity, but the warmth at the end of August has also given them power and depth. Domaine de Chevalier and Smith Haut Lafitte are excellent examples of their type, each with its own distinct personality. We did not have much opportunity to taste the Sauternes, but most producers are much happier with their volumes this year. Aline Baly of Coutet commented on a thankful return to normal yields after so many short vintages. Bill Blatch, a Sauternes expert, told us that the botrytis came fully and quickly on mature grapes, meaning that there is a clear noble rot signature, high acidity, high sugar and full ripeness of fruit, an excellent combination for this region. We have added a small selection of the best wines to the en primeur offer, with others available on request.
2023 is a vintage drinkers will greatly enjoy. The aromatics are superb, layering red and black fruits with deft floral high tones. These wines have the structure to age, but have an unobtrusive, refined tannic backbone that will make them drinkable at a fairly early age. Modest alcohols and bright acidities will appeal greatly to those who feel that the recent solar vintages are too rich, dense or alcoholic for their palates. These wines are all about harmony and balance and they have a real sense of place. The best terroirs, risk takers and diligent workers were able to make high quality wines. Though the quality is not universal, there are wines for everyone and at every price point. We encourage buyers to read our recommendations and talk to our sales team to find which wines will best suit them.
The style of this year’s wines is intrinsically woven into the weather. The management of the conditions the Bordelais had to deal with, together with the quality of site and matching farming to soil type, were very important in order to produce a wine of high quality.
Bud break was late enough to avoid damage from frosts in April thanks to a cooler start to the year. A sunny May meant flowering was extremely good in 2023, with near perfect conditions ensuring a quick, even set that created a very healthy potential of fruit for the vine.
Summer, however, was not so straightforward. Temperatures were moderate to warm, but there was disease pressure from humidity due to regular storms. The lack of water stress meant that the fruit grew well, and there was, if anything, insufficient heat and light for the volume of fruit the vines were carrying. There was, too, more rain than in 2022.
Edouard Moueix was one of many producers to say that come August they were nervous about the fruit ripening fully by the end of the season. The region was saved by heatwaves from 16th August that advanced maturity, concentrated the berries and brought balancing ripeness in both tannins and fruit flavours.
It was important for producers to carry out green harvests. Many told us they carried out two, even three green harvests this year due to the sheer number of bunches per vine and the size of those bunches. This green harvest involved removing whole bunches from the vines, but also thinning out bunches to improve circulation and even ripening within each bunch of grapes, a very laborious and expensive task. This both helps with fruit flavour and tannin ripeness, but also reduces disease pressure.
The red harvest started in early September, with most Merlots picked well before the threat of storms. There was then a decision to be made on the Cabernets. Some warmer sites, such as Calon Ségur, were able to pick their fruit at full ripeness in September before the threat of rain thanks to their exposure and clay soils. Others had to take the risk of leaving fruit on the vine. Thankfully, predicted storms on 20th September were less intense than forecast, and producers like Figeac were rewarded for their risks taken. This meant that harvests could extend over a month between the early Merlot and late Cabernet Sauvignon, not ending until October for some.
Despite the trials and tribulations yields are good – Pauillac’s average yield this year is 53hl/ha. It is easy to see why there is variation within the region, and why the top sites were able to rise above, together with those who had the financial capabilities and expertise to manage their vineyards diligently and take calculated risks.
We will update the website with reviews from the major critics as their reports are released. There are more writers than ever passing judgement on Bordeaux barrel samples; it will be important to follow those with trusted palates and opinions when sorting through the notes and points. The scores and notes will be accompanied by Wines of the Vintage and Value Picks on our recommendations page.
The Wine Advocate's report was published at the end of en primeur week (Friday 26th April). There are eight wines with potential scores of 99 or 100 points and some very positive reviews across the board. The headline here is that "The best 2023s are just as exciting as the best 2022s". Kelley goes on to write "The best 2023s exhibit the fully ripe tannins and suave, seamless mouthfeels of a sunny vintage such as 2019, yet their vibrant aromas and flavours, evocative of fresh fruits and flowers, are more indicative of a cooler year". Discussing the widely expected price reductions, he adds "If that is so, consumers will have the opportunity to acquire exceptional wines for an attractive price."
Neal Martin of Vinous.com scores one wine a potentially perfect 98-100 points and that is l'Eglise Clinet, but he has many other high scores. His overall view of the vintage is that it is not a uniformly great year but that some Chateaux have produced "magical wines that surpass those made in recent great years". He adds that "it cannot be denied that it is bejeweled with a clutch of spellbinding wines" He concludes his review by saying that "deep cuts (in prices) not gestures, are the only thing that will open wallets" so let's hope that the Bordelais read his report right to the end.
James Suckling likes to publish early. Part one of his report went live on 20th April, before en primeur week had officially begun. He has given six 99-100 point scores, to Canon, Margaux, Montrose, Petrus, Le Pin and Pavie. The report is very enthusiastic about the style and potential of the vintage. In his view, “the best reds show balance and freshness with deep center palates of ripe fruit and a complement of polished tannins”. He goes on to say that “in many ways, I like them better than many of the highly touted 2022s because they are so Bordeaux in their nature with their tensioned mouthfeels and energetic finishes.” It is this new classicism that makes the vintage so enticing. Considering the style of the vintage, he says “I would compare these 2023s to 2019 or 2001 – even 1990 – for their freshness and balance of ripe fruit.”
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW has released a preliminary report on The Wine Independent, ahead of a detailed and full review which will be released on 9th May. In it there are reviews for the wines anticipated for early release, together with a short commentary on the vintage. She states that "producers on terroirs conducive to managing the pitfalls of the 2023 growing season and who waited for ripeness went on to produce stunning wines that are right up there with the best examples from these estates." Details on the full report will follow in due course.
It is no secret that the market has suffered in the last year. An unprecedented combination of factors has led to prices softening across all regions and price points. This is a difficult backdrop for the campaign, which comes in conjunction with many release prices that were overly ambitious in 2022 (as a result of exceptional quality, huge ratings from the critics and very low production levels).
In order to have a successful campaign this year, prices need to come down – and they will. Speaking to the châteaux, it seems that they are well aware that this is the case. It’s not often that we say this at the start of an en primeur campaign, but we fully expect that this year there are going to be significant and serious price reductions that could well make this a vintage to buy en primeur. Many properties - and most merchants in Bordeaux - really need these wines to sell successfully and, for the first time in a while, it is the buyer who is in the driving seat. This is a vintage that has good quality, generous yields, positive reviews and potentially consumer-friendly prices.
To that end, our high estimates for 2023 releases are approximately 10% below the 2022 release prices. Wines that are released above this level will look expensive and will be a tough sell. Our low estimates are around 30-40% below last year’s release prices. Prices that are 20% or more below last year’s price will certainly look attractive and, whilst there are some wines that don’t need massive release price reductions to make sense, there are also some that clearly do. Good quality is evident in this vintage, quantity is up and it looks like we really might get prices that make the wines genuinely attractive to purchase. It is often said that Bordeaux releases are priced according to the market, not the quality of the vintage, so that statement means that 2023 could genuinely represent a real purchasing opportunity for lovers of classic Bordeaux wine.
The campaign will start early and likely move at a fast pace, so make sure to complete your pre-orders and wish-lists quickly in order to access the most in-demand releases. Several big names (who normally wait to come out last and at high prices) have stated that they are going to come out early and at prices that will genuinely entice customers back to purchasing their wines en primeur.
You can see our frank assessment of each release as it happens on our Latest News page. Recent releases will be shown on the What’s New page. We have kept the selection of wines available to pre-order and wish-list to those that have been our customers’ favourites in recent vintages, but other wines may be available on request. If this is your first time buying en primeur, there is an explanation about buying en primeur in general and specifically how to order using the pre-order and wish-list system. You can view all our listings here or by clicking on any of the pictures on this page.
If you have any questions or would like any advice on how to order or on what (or what not) to buy then please do contact the sales team or your account manager.
