In Bordeaux, 2023 is a vintage rich in contrasts, with great wines, the perfect vintage to fill your cellar! In the Bordeaux vineyards, climatic events followed one another in an unprecedented and heterogeneous manner, generating strong mildew pressure in certain areas. Once again, the winegrowers had to demonstrate agility to deliver wines imbued with freshness and balance, in which each terroir reveals itself. The juices are distinguished, typical of great Bordeaux.

This year, the Primeurs campaign promises to be fast and intense, with certain Crus Classés having already announced a release at the beginning of May or even the end of April, rather than in June as in previous years. Given the international context: inflation, rising energy costs, American pre-elections, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East… and stocks on the market, great wines should lower their prices. Château Lafite should launch the campaign on May 2 with a 30% drop… 2023 is the perfect vintage to fill your cellar !

Wines of freshness and finesse, a classic year with great wines. On the left bank, the cabernets are sublime.
The wines we have selected offer a perfect balance, some with aromas of early spring and white flowers.

In red, 2023 is a vintage of identity, which exacerbates the differences in style between the varied terroirs that the region offers. The texture is silky, with well-coated tannins, expressing contained power, all giving the wines a lot of elegance. With more classic alcohol levels, the reds also enjoy a nice freshness. The result is wines with perfectly controlled balance. 2023 suits the Cabernet Sauvignons of the Left Bank as much as the Merlots and Cabernet Francs of the Right Bank which are revealing their best profile.

The whites, of great aromatic purity and beautiful acidity, are distinguished by their lively and tasty character. Preserved by little sunshine, regular precipitation and the absence of excessive temperatures, they are elegant, straight and offer an attractive flavor.

The sweet wines also turn out to be of a remarkable level. The Sauternes winegrowers showed patience to see the first signs of botrytis arrive in mid-September. A beneficial wait which gives rise to wines with the power and freshness signatures of great vintages.

2023 is above all marked by great harmony, with the highlight of each terroir. Whatever the color, the wines are accomplished and extremely precise.

“Red wines with varied profiles, with great successes, dazzling dry white wines, and admirable sweet wines, reconciling power and freshness. » tells us Axel Marchal, oenologist.

With the RVI, we tasted a selection of 500 wines. Some two hundred wines are rated to allow buyers to have an overview of the best wines, in Primeurs. Most of the wines were tasted at the properties between April 22 and 26 and at Duclot on April 25.

It is also a great year for second wines, with yields above average, high quality juices are also part of the blends of the second with wines that differ from the first, with more Left Bank Merlots for example .

Here is a list of wines to buy « en Primeurs », online at Chateaunet.fr (Duclot), at Joanne or if you are a member of The Wine Club.

The grands …
Saint-Emilion : Château Figeac (100/100) – Château Angélus – Château Ausone – Château Pavie
Pomerol : Pétrus – Château Le Pin (100/100)
Médoc : Château Lafite Rothschild (100/100) – Carruades de Lafite – Château Mouton Rothschild – Le Petit Mouton – Château Margaux

The classics …
Médoc : Château Ducru Beaucaillou – Château d’Issan – Château Lagrange – Château Durffort-Vivens – Château Calon Ségur – Château Pedesclaux
Graves : Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Saint-Emilion : Clos Fourtet – Château Fonroque – Château Corbin – Château Fonplégade
Pomerol : Vieux Château Certan – Château Beauregard – Château Mazeyre

The outsiders …
Graves : Les Carmes Haut Brion (100/100)
Saint-Emilion : Château d’If – Château de Ferrand
Château Fourcas Hosten in Listrac
Château Doyac in Haut-Médoc

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This article was published on April 29th, 2024.