2023 Bordeaux Vintage

The year got off to an early start. A mild winter led to early bud break, and a calm spring brought ideal conditions and an even flowering. Flowering came early, in late May, during a warm, dry spell, and it went well, suggesting potential for a big crop. Summer opened cloudy, with rain alternating with sunshine, and June was almost tropical, with abundant rain, mildew lying in wait and volumes under threat. Bouts of heat and rain kept conditions humid, which let mildew thrive. In August the weather turned again, bringing calmer conditions, generous sun and real heat. The sky cleared in late summer, starting a long dry period broken by several hot spells in September. Welcome late-summer rain and cool nights delivered perfectly ripe bunches of healthy, aromatic berries, picked early once again. The climate of the year was hot, alternately wet and dry. Harvest opened in late August with white grapes from the southern part of the region, moved on to the red great growths in September and closed with the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac.

• Mild winter and early bud break; flowering in late May during a warm, dry spell
• June turned almost tropical, with abundant rain and humid conditions that let mildew thrive
• August brought calmer, sunnier, hotter weather, then a long late-summer dry spell with several September hot spells
• Harvest ran from late August for southern whites, through September for the red great growths, to Sauternes and Barsac last

By July, around 90% of Bordeaux vineyards were affected by mildew to some extent. "I think it's the strongest mildew attack in Bordeaux in a long time," Simon Blanchard of Derenoncourt Consultants told Decanter. Merlot was hit hardest, white grapes were not really touched, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec held up better. Damage varied a great deal between producers and sites. Blanchard said vineyard management and resources mattered especially in 2023, hardest on smaller growers with little money, and saw mildew mainly as a question of quantity. At Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte in Pessac-Leognan, which farms organically, winemaker Fabien Teitgen expected Merlot to be around 40% down, with whites and Cabernet Sauvignon down around 10%. Martin Krajewski, owner of Chateau Seraphine in Pomerol and Clos Cantenac in Saint-Emilion, was surprised how good his vineyards looked, apart from one badly hit parcel with a much smaller yield. By November, volumes were generally abundant across dry whites, reds and sweet wines.

• Around 90% of vineyards affected by mildew to some extent by July
• Merlot most affected; white grapes largely spared; Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec more resistant
• Smith Haut Lafitte expected Merlot around 40% down, and whites and Cabernet Sauvignon around 10% down
• Volumes generally abundant for dry whites, reds and sweet wines

Ahead of picking, Merlot was expected to start around 10 September, with the Cabernets later in the month and into October. At Chateau Pichon Comtesse in Pauillac, Merlot picking was expected to start around 11 September. The red great growths, from the Medoc to Libourne, were picked under ideal conditions in September sunshine. UGCB president Ronan Laborde said "several days of near-heatwave temperatures boosted the ripeness of the grapes, resulting in fine-tuned, deeply-coloured wines with great aromatic complexity and a wonderful combination of brilliance and sweetness." The CIVB describes the reds as varied, fruity and delicate, with good acidity, clean fruit without excess ripeness, floral touches and fine tannins, and calls the dry whites a great vintage: bright, fresh and fleshy. The dry whites are incredibly fresh and aromatic. In Sauternes, late-season rain set off widespread noble rot on grapes that kept good freshness and acidity, and a good volume was picked in several passes. The CIVB places 2023 among the most memorable sweet wine vintages, packed with power and freshness.

• Red great growths picked under ideal conditions in September sunshine, from the Medoc to Libourne
• Reds: varied, fruity and delicate, with good acidity, floral touches and fine tannins
• Dry whites: a great vintage, bright, fresh and fleshy
• Sauternes: widespread noble rot on fresh grapes, picked in several passes; among the most memorable sweet vintages

Ronan Laborde, president of the UGCB, summed up 2023 as a vintage that "was unusual and kept winegrowers on their toes, eventually coming to an early and generous end." Mildew may have added to a precarious situation for some producers: more than 1,300 Bordeaux winegrowers had reported financial difficulty earlier in 2023, and the region was preparing a funded scheme to uproot around 9,500 hectares of vines to help cut a wine surplus. The new wines were presented at the traditional En Primeur week in Bordeaux, 22 to 25 April 2024.

• More than 1,300 Bordeaux winegrowers reported financial difficulty earlier in 2023
• A funded scheme to uproot around 9,500 hectares of vines was being prepared to cut a surplus