Bordeaux 2013 Primeurs: Ducru-Beaucaillou & Gruaud-Larose
Finally, before presented my tasting notes, a few words on Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. Here the vines suffered the same difficult flowering as was seen elsewhere, especially the Merlots. Harvest began on September 26th, a little earlier than is usual for the vintage. This was the start date for the Merlots, and the Cabernets followed, beginning on October 2nd and finishing on October 9th.
Selection was key here (and elsewhere), starting with an aggressive sorting in the vineyard over a table de tri, followed by a second table in cellar, as well as two optical sorting machines which were thought to work well here, even though I know many elsewhere gave up on this technology for the 2013 vintage.
The end result is a very firmly composed and confident wine, although it misses the soft cushion of fruit that can be found in many of the wines in this vintage, and shows a certain hardness of structure. La Croix de Beaucaillou, meanwhile, which comes from the vines on the western edge of the estate, showed a little more flesh, but a little less interest, as we might expect from what is a second wine (although it comes from the same specific plots each year, so it is more a specific cuvée – like Clos du Marquis – than a second wine).
The real successes here in 2013 are, as I have already alluded, the broad spread of wines made by the third and fourth growth (and unclassified estates) which show lovely consistency for the vintage. Wines such as those from Château Beychevelle, Château Branaire-Ducru and Château Langoa-Barton are all lovely, within the context of the vintage. Even better, however, was Château Gruaud-Larose; to be plain, I have not been a fan of the wines of this estate in recent years, they often taste evolved before their time, even when young, the soft fruit enveloped in a soft, sandy, spice and sandalwood frame. Not in 2013 however, as primary fruit and texture appears to be the new name of the game here now. Well done, as it is one of the better wines of the commune in 2013.
