Bordeaux 2012 Primeurs: AC Bordeaux
Coming right at the end of my Bordeaux 2012 reports, it would be too easy to dismiss the notes I present here as mere also-rans, a rag-tag collection of wines that don’t fit into one of the region’s appellations and therefore probably aren’t any good. After all, all the best terroirs and best wines are tied up in the great communes of Bordeaux, aren’t they? Aren’t they?
No, of course they aren’t, and as is clearly seen in the Loire, some of the most exciting wines can be found in the most unprepossessing and generic appellations, or more often than not outside the appellation system altogether, as vin de table, or the more recently born vin de France categories. But that’s the Loire. Can we view staid, fusty old Bordeaux in the same way?
To some extent, yes. There are wines from outside the classic appellations worth discovering here, sometimes providing either great value, sometimes typicité, sometimes both. The wines are more often white than red, as red wines are better catered for by Bordeaux’s appellations, and on occasion these wines thrill with their fresh acids and perfumed fruit. But sometimes they truly excite, and there are several examples of such wines described here. The excitement comes from seeing winemakers match Bordeaux variety and Bordeaux terroir to the ultimate benefit of the wine (and the drinker!), or indeed shun Bordeaux varieties altogether.
