The Bordeaux 2023 En Primeur campaign is about to begin*. As advisors, we hold ourselves accountable to recommending wines only when we believe the quality, pricing, and timing is right. All these elements are up for debate with the 2023 vintage – listen to our short podcast, or read the highlights below.
*We’ve provided an overview of the “Place de Bordeaux” distribution system, and the definition of “En Primeur” here.
Mind the Gap – a debate on demand for Bordeaux in today’s context
There is no question that our personal loyalty to Bordeaux is unequivocal. We love the wines, and are in awe of the quality top estates have been achieving consistently over the past decade. In our podcast, we’ve tried to put emotions aside, taking you through the facts about the En Primeur system, and what to expect from En Primeur 2023. We summarise the insights below:
- Bordeaux has produced some very good wines in 2023, despite being up against a vengeant Mother Nature. Fighting some frost, mildew, and extreme heat episodes, wines from the top estates are great, and classic in style
- The market for all fine wines, but particularly for Bordeaux sets a complex backdrop for the release of 2023s. Trading activity in classic En Primeur markets (UK, China) has been quiet recently – for once, the gap between demand and supply is wide, with wines falling through the cracks at heavy discounts
- The volumes available for sale in 2023 as well as this tricky economic context means prices will have to be extremely attractive to generate interest. Even then, it remains to be seen whether a younger generation of wine lovers will participate in the En Primeur campaign.