Bordeaux 2013 Primeurs: Grand-Puy-Lacoste
It is always a pleasure to call in on François-Xavier Borie of Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste; he has a fine sense of humour, and although he naturally speaks in support of his wine, just as others (such as Alfred Tesseron) have done, he does not overstate its position. He painted an “easy-going” picture of the vintage, his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, but in the end he was adamant that many different styles of wine were valid, and even a lighter vintage such as 2013 will find appreciative consumers. I would agree with François-Xavier’s sentiment that there are, looking across all Bordeaux, wines of merit in this vintage. The difficulty for the consumer, however, is in the pricing.
François-Xavier reported a difficult growing season, telling me how May had been very cold, with morning temperatures between 7ºC and 9ºC, only getting a little warmer later in the day. The flowering here occurred between June 15th and 20th, similar to other Pauillac estates, and mid-véraison was August 23rd, late, and a little later than that at Latour, for example. The harvest began on September 30th, apparently the same date that everybody realised it was time to pick.
The key to 2013, says François-Xavier (pictured), was the search for the balance of fruit and the other elements in the wine, and what he has in 2013 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is balance and charm. He likened it to 1988 (on reflection I can’t help wondering if he actually said 1998, and I misheard, as that would seem a more likely comparison to me, but I am fairly sure 1988 was the year he cited), perhaps even a 1988-plus, a vintage of charming wines, with no suggestion of greenness. Alternatively, he feels it may resemble 2006, albeit with less hard tannins. This was achieved, he says, by hard work in the vineyards, a rather cool fermentation, gentle extraction taking extreme care with the pressing, and not undertaking too much pumping over.
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