Last autumn I had the chance to do two horizontal tastings of Bordeaux 2021 and 2023. It was educational. On first release neither vintage had the rush out to buy feel of the exceptional 2022s. The 2021 vintage followed on from three very good vintages of greater quality [2018, 2019 and 2020] and the 2023s were definitely in the shadow of the widely acclaimed 2022s. So how are both vintages fairing now that the 2023s are finally in bottle and the 2021s have had a few years in the cellar? I found the 2023s generally much finer and more consistent than the 2021s. They have really grown during élevage and offer generally supple, delicious wine. The 2021s felt generally more disjointed, were less rounded, and had greater awkwardness to their tannin profiles. This was partly a result of where they are now in maturity, still only a few years in bottle but having lost that fresh flush of early youth, but also partly owing to the difficult growing season in 2021 that didn’t offer the best chance of full tannin ripeness. If you were going to opt for one or the other, it would definitely be the 2023s for me, but there are exceptions. That said for drinking now [given the bargain basement prices of mature Bordeaux at the moment] I’d be taking a keener look other vintages first. The 2019s, 2018s, 2016s and 2015s are all drinking well and even the 2010s and 2009s, now really on song, are often cheaper to buy today than they were fifteen years ago! Bordeaux is currently a bargain hunter’s dream!

I’m sorry not to be off tasting the 2024 vintage in Bordeaux this week. Logistics have defeated me this year. Still, with an ocean of fine Bordeaux on the shelves [and quite a bit in my cellar] I thought this would be a good time to review some old favourites that I’ve recently drunk. First up a property from Bordeaux’s left bank. I’ve been following Château Meyney for years in Bordeaux’s St Estèphe appellation. It’s one of the best wine values in a district that has a really good price quality rapport. Personally, I’d put Meyney right up there behind the leading super seconds of the appellation Château Calon-Segur, Château Cos d’Estournel and Château Montrose. Château Meyney is qualitatively on a par with the well-known Château Haut-Marbuzet, if significantly different in style. To my palate is often more refined than the other crus classes Château Lafon Rochet and Château Cos Labory.

A relatively small spread of 2018s were on show at the MW Institute back in late ’22. There is evidence that some of the wines shown were shutting down a little. This was certainly true of Château Angélus, Château Cheval Blanc and Château Fonplégade on the basis of the tasting. Château Troplong Mondot ’18 lies somewhere between its almost over-the-top past and a more elegant future. Under the tenure of Aymeric de Gironde since 2017 it now most definitely driven by the emphasis on finesse and poise, but this ’18 feels a little closer to the former than the latter. Château Figeac is clearly on a roll. The wines in recent vintages here have been breath-taking, but so too is the asking price these days. Domaine Dillon’s Château Quintus has yet to really grab me to be honest. On the showing at this tasting the wine was of almost Zinfandel-like portiness. The 15.5% alcohol is very noticeable.

In a warm year St Estèphe is always going to do well. The percentage of clay soils really helps deal with drought and heat extremes, and the proximity of the Gironde river helps ameliorate hot temperature. There is no doubt that this appellation has produced some of the best wines of the vintage. Only four wines from the appellation were shown at the MW Institute’s 2018 Bordeaux tasting [way back at the end of 2022], but they did show two of the possible wines of the vintage. Château Cos d’Estournel is wonderful, full of finesse and poise. It’s currently quite tight and needs some more time, but this is a very refined and polished effort. Château Montrose is monumental. It is beautifully pure and close to perfection. Although the prodigious Château Calon Ségur wasn’t on show at the MW Institute’s 2018 tasting, I’ve been struck by the magical quality of that wine several times. I’ve also recently tasted Château Meyney which has lots of extract and tannin. It needs time but is very impressive.