Bordeaux 2017 Primeurs: AC Bordeaux
In this penultimate regional tasting report I bring together my tasting notes on a diverse array of wines, in white, rosé and red. The only common theme that unifies these tasting notes is that most will wear the generic Bordeaux appellation, with just one or two exceptions from Entre-Deux-Mers or the like.
Although a curious mix of styles, I always enjoy writing this instalment of my annual Bordeaux primeurs report. It is rewarding to see the Bordelais breaking out of the restrictions put in place by appellation regulations, and the generic Bordeaux appellation can facilitate this in the way that the IGP or Vin de France categories do elsewhere. It is a report that features white wines made from the limestone terroirs of the right bank, a seemingly under-rated and overlooked association in the region, great value red wines from famous names from a variety of terroirs, and also fabulous curiosities featuring varieties we do not traditionally associate with the Bordeaux region (usually as IGP or Vin de France, admittedly).
Sadly, in 2017 the frost has upset things here just as it did in more famous appellations, and so some wines are missing from this report this year.
