Unlike the Others: 2023 Bordeaux
After tasting through the Médoc for two days straight, we have a few things that seem to be clear–this is a vintage with compelling wines that deserve collectors’ attention, but it is also one that comes with much less clarity and consensus as the easy-to-understand vintages of the past five years. While many reach for a recent vintage as a parallel, the 2023s have a character all their own–something that makes us love wine in the first place.
Perhaps if we tried, it could be compared to the 2017s, as the script is a similar one, where a warm vintage was disrupted by more inconsistent weather. But where the 2017s provided more finesse, the 2023s add another dimension of complexity and depth. Some are saying a 2014 with more fruit–a year that achieves the classicism of a collector-favorite year, but instead comes with a bit more fruit and body. Both of these statements seem to hint that it is better than a pair of recent under-the-radar vintages, but I would also caution that this line of thinking might very well sell short the upside of some of the best wines.
And that’s the heart of the 2023s–it’s a bit of a fool’s errand to try to characterize it only in the terms of past seasons. This is not a bad thing. Variety is the spice of life, and having a new expression of Bordeaux is a gift to wine collectors everywhere. Take Branaire-Ducru. The 2022 was a best buy of the vintage, balancing the ripeness and heat to craft an all-timer at the estate. The 2023 shows a similar refinement, textural precision, but has a darker fruit profile and more subtle detail, resulting in a more classic expression. There’s no mistaking the character in each, and time will only tell where favor falls.
2023s are also paradoxical in that they seem to have immediate appeal, but don’t get there for a lack of character and structure. A lavish Ducru-Beaucaillou and superbly balanced Pontet-Canet convey their respective sites and proprietors beautifully. The vintage treats each with restraint, but the luxurious character of each is present in spades. You could easily tell me that Pichon-Baron ’23 will be ready before its ’22 counterpart, but it does so with a more typical Pichon-Baron profile.
As far as regions go, we’ve been very impressed with St-Julien, often one of the easiest-to-enjoy regions en primeur. The region is filled with charmers, from another smashing success from Lagrange to profound renditions from the Léovilles. Margaux is one that also has left an impression on us from first taste, and continues to reinforce that idea as the week progresses. From the mighty Palmer to a stunning Marquis d’Alesme, the wines of Margaux blended an accessibility with an abundance of fruit and structure. They seem like serious wines.
Another characteristic of the vintage is that this is largely considered a Cabernet vintage on the Left Bank, with many properties using an abnormally large proportion of Cab. But using it doesn’t necessarily mean that everybody capitalized on it. Some of the Cab-forward character brought wines to another level, while others were challenged with managing the tannins of the Cabernet, or the balance where a lack of blending might otherwise correct. These wines might just need a bit more time to unfold.
However, producers in 2023 have a lot to be proud of. There will certainly be some superlative 2023s that will be released as soon as next week The problem is going to be how much these wines feel essential. A lot of that should be solved by pricing–if there’s clear strike-now value, these will be fun wines to own early, and continue to be advantageous buys as the market evolves. I also think that collectors should see 2023s as an opportunity to find wines of a more unique character that transparently show the identity of the appellation and producer.
2023 will also be distinctive in that releases being as soon as we land next week, something that we’ve pretty much never seen in the past decade. This will provide a bit of urgency to the conversation. But with availability and production up, critic scores taking and our reports taking a bit of time to compile, and a complex set of wines that take time to wrap your mind around, the campaign will probably ebb and flow over the next month or two.
We’re still early on in our tastings and will come back in the next few days with a bit more info on the specific wines that should be monitored during the campaign. But for now, it is clear–2023 Bordeaux is shaping up to be a one-of-a-kind campaign. Only time will tell if it’s for better or worse, but at the moment, it is certainly one that is worth following to see how it unfolds.
- Ryan Moses, K&L Key Account Manager and Bordeaux Specialist