Bordeaux 2013 Primeurs: Pessac-Léognan
All eyes are on Pessac-Léognan in 2013, because yet again we have another vintage which seems to have favoured the white wines over the reds. Just as we had in 2012 of course. And in 2011 too. Although to be fair, when I tasted the 2012 barrel samples during last year’s primeur tastings, I thought that the red wines of Pessac-Léognan also did rather well, the commune being – along with Pomerol – one of the surprise star performances of the vintage. The fact that it was a late vintage, and both appellations use Merlot more heavily than the Médoc, may well have helped. But the 2012 reds don’t seem to have caught much of the limelight, whereas the 2013, 2012 and 2011 whites do seem to have grabbed their share.
Coming back to 2013 now, I think it fair to say that a large contingent of the world’s wine press and wine trade had already decided the nature of the vintage, thus sealing its fate, long before the primeurs week even began. After a dreadful growing season which I don’t need to go over again right now (I will present some specific details relating to a couple of the ‘usual suspects’ in Pessac-Léognan on the next page) and an earlier-than-planned harvest forced upon the Bordelais by the march of rot, it seems many decided the red wines simply weren’t worth tasting, buying or trading. The white varieties, however, handled the vagaries of the season much better. This is because nobody minds more prominent acidity in white wines, and higher acidity is just what you get in a vintage like 2013.
