Anson: Top five Bordeaux vintages ready to drink now

Bordeaux vintages don’t turn on like a switch. There are rules of thumb – lighter vintages are ready to drink more quickly than robust ones, Côtes and Cru Bourgeois wines age more quickly than Pauillacs and Pomerols, vines on sandy soils make more fragrant but earlier-drinking wine than those on clay soils – but no hard and fast rules.

All of this makes knowing when to open Bordeaux complicated. It’s pretty clear that years like 2001 or 2011 come around more quickly than their neighbours 2000 or 2010, but there are often differences within vintages – not just Left or Right Bank, but particular appellations. Knowing when to pull the cork means paying attention. My recent tastings of Bordeaux 2000s have definitely suggested that this vintage is one of the ones to start enjoying soon, but here are other ideas of years that seem like great bets right now…

Scroll down for Jane Anson’s top Bordeaux wines from vintages ready to drink now

2009

The ten year moment in big vintages is particularly interesting for Bordeaux wine, and a great illustration of the fact that there are no blanket rules in this region. So the First Growths and other particularly concentrated wines are not yet ready, but large numbers of smaller classifieds and cru bourgeois are brilliant at the moment, reflecting the generosity of the vintage, still packed with rich fruit but with softened tannins. Among the standout 2009s that I have drunk recently include Pavillon Rouge, La Croix de Ducru Beaucaillou, Château du Tertre (perfect after a three to four hour decant), Château Poujeaux (tasted against a Cos d’Estournel 2009, which was stunning but not ready yet), Château Corbin and Château le Prieuré.

1996

Like the 2000 these really did take a long time to come around, with firm tannins that you almost gave up on, and are now tasting delicious. One of the last truly classic, old school Médoc years also, with plenty of menthol notes and a fresh savoury quality to the fruit that is perfect for classic St Juliens such as Château Branaire Ducru. Make sure you decant these wines to get rid of deposits, but not for too long – make the most of the truffle and cigar box notes in the glass, not in the decanter. You’re pretty safe with most of the classified wines in this vintage right now, with a particular mention for the utterly stunning Rauzan Ségla 1996.

2007

We are used to dismissing the ‘7 vintages’ (1947 apart) but this undervalued year has some surprises in store. The weather was cool and fairly rainy from May to August but September was dry and hot, allowing Cabernets time to ripen, particularly in vineyards had done enough green harvesting over the summer to allow for concentration in the grapes that remained. This makes it a better bet on the Left Bank than Right Bank, with some of the recent impressive 2007s that I have tasted coming from Pessac-Léognan (this makes sense because gravel soils plus heat from the nearby city makes these early ripening Cabernets).

Particular recommendations include Château Smith Haut Lafitte and Domaine de Chevalier. Worth looking out also for Sauternes and Barsacs from 2007 also, many of which are exceptionally good quality, Guiraud and Fargues among them. The ‘7 vintages seem to do well for sweet Bordeaux – if you are heading back to 1997, for example, this is also the place to go, with one of the best I have tasted this year coming from Château Gilette.

2003

The year of the heatwave meant low yields, high alcohols, concentrated wines and over-ripe characters in many instances. Some wines are now over the hill, but this is a vintage to look out for specific types of terroir and for specific locations, and many are tasting excellent at the moment. Clay-limestone can hold freshness meaning you can find lovely examples at estates such as Clos Fourtet (the infamous Château Pavie 2003 on my recent tastings has not held up, but that is a reflection of the winemaking techniques practised at the estate at the time rather than the limestone that underpins it), as well as châteaux from the corridor along the Garonne river in the Médoc – Cos d’Estournel, Montrose and Ducru Beacaillou all provide excellent drinking at the moment, especially Montrose, where the cool clays under the gravel, coupled with ventilation from the river, helped to mitigate the heat.

And one to drink but to be extremely careful with…

2013

Yes this is ready to drink. But the majority of wines from this vintage are just never going to equal neighbouring vintages as weather conditions simply didn’t deliver (this is the only year in recent memory that didn’t tick even one of the five boxes that the institute of oenology tracks every year when assessing vintage quality, and Professor Denis Dubourdieu called it at the time ‘unquestionably the most difficult vintage in the past 30 years’).

I would either go as expensive as you can from 2013 as even the biggest names are not going to provide decades-long enjoyment, or choose less expensive wines from 2012 or 2014. For me the pricing of the wines from 2013 was the biggest mistake Bordeaux made in decades, but as many have not risen since then, you can find some reasonable examples.

Recent 2013 wines that I have enjoyed include Domaine de Chevalier (red and white) in Pessac-Léognan, always a good bet in challenging vintages, and Château Belair-Monange in St-Emilion (where they were about to launch a 2nd wine, allowing for greater selection). The best wines came from estates that were prepared to select extremely carefully and take the hit on volume, and clay-limestone soils did better than gravel or sand. There were also some spots in St Estèphe that succeeded, as only 25mm of rain fell from October 1 to 25th in the appellation, three times less than the rest of Bordeaux, allowing better ripening of Cabernets – look out for Château Meyney for a good value success. There are also some very good dry and sweet whites. Château Climens, for example, has a beautiful 2013.

See Jane Anson’s top Bordeaux wines perfect to drink now

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