Bordeaux 2023 at Two Years: Appellation Bordeaux
I bring the publication of my tasting notes on the dry wines of the 2023 Bordeaux vintage to an end with this deep dive into the generic Bordeaux appellation, along with a handful of wines from other little known or infrequently tasted corners of the region, such as Graves de Vayres and Entre-Deux-Mers.
After this instalment there will be just a few sweet wines to report on, notes on which can be found in the penultimate article in this comprehensive report on the vintage.
This instalment always throws up a handful of interesting reds, such as the top wines of Château de Reignac, and Les Perrières from the Guinaudeau family, but the main attraction here is surely the fascinating array of white wines, gathered together from across the region. Especially as this is a vintage in which the whites seem to have done so well, the overarching style being one of modest textures with freshness and, importantly, a sense of balance.
So, let’s look beyond the handful of tasting notes from the 2024 vintage which sit at the head of my tasting notes to the dry whites of 2023 just below.
First up, proving just how strong the dry white wines of the Sauternes region are becoming, undoubtedly the lead wine here was the 2023 Pur Semillon Grand Vin Blanc Sec from Château Suduiraut. Old vines helps of course, as does good terroir; these vines are on desirable gravelly soils and would once have fed into the sweet grand vin. The fact that this is Semillon – a variety I would like to see more of in Bordeaux, ahead of Sauvignon Blanc – also counts in its favour. The style is classic Semillon, all honey and butter on toast, dusted with crushed limestone, with tension and energy in abundance on the palate. A superb dry Sauternes.
