Bordeaux 2023 Primeurs: Primeur Picks
I sank into the high-backed Empire period armchair that was situated in the bay beneath the largest window, which stretched from ceiling down to the floor, turning the chair round a little to face the glass as I did so. From my first-floor vantage point I had a great view across the tumbling waves of vines below, a vinous seascape which faded into the distant darkness of the night.
The sun had set, and twilight had drawn its veil across my final day of tasting. There were no more red carpets. And no more dinners and old vintages. On the other hand, no more long drives from left bank to right bank and vice versa, and no more embryonic barrel samples filled with dry tannin assaulting my teeth and gums. All that remained was the consumption of a stale cheese sandwich, tomorrow’s drive to the airport, and the thought of the next mountain to be climbed; the report to be written.
A disembodied voice came from the gloom in the far corner of the room. I probably don’t need to tell you who it belonged to.
“I can see that you’re done. And hardly surprising, after two solid weeks of tasting. I can’t imagine how many wines you have tasted. Must be hundreds.”
My mind immediately flashed back to my final conversation with Twingo, at the end of the 2022 primeurs; Twingo held some forthright opinions on wine critics and their claims when it comes to how many days they have worked, or wines they have tasted. But I quickly pushed these painful thoughts to one side; the truth is, I missed Twingo.
And so do a lot of others, it seems. While a handful of people in Bordeaux were sufficiently interested to ask after my wellbeing, many more I spoke to asked about Twingo.
How’s Twingo?
Where’s Twingo today?
Will Twingo be reporting on the primeurs this year?
I have been reporting on the primeurs for twenty years, and in just one year I have been superseded by an imaginary talking car.
Anyway, enough of this reminiscing about past fantasies. Let’s get back to the reality of here and now. By which I mean the primeurs spirit fashioned in the shape of Taylor Swift.
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