Top Bordeaux wines for Christmas: vintage by vintage

We have selected some excellent Bordeaux wines from the 90s and 2000s - plus top vintages of the 80s - that will be drinking well this Christmas. Do you have any of these wines in your cellar? See what our experts have to say about them.

By Decanter Staff

last updated 21 December 2022

in Tastings

Bordeaux reds with some bottle age are an excellent companion for Christmas food, although beware of anything still carrying an over-abundance of tannin. Below, Decanter experts have picked out superb wines from the 1990s and 2000s, plus some older choices from the ’80s.

Choosing the perfect Bordeaux for Christmas

Bordeaux tends to have astringent, grippy tannins when young. Older Bordeaux tends to have a softer, more savoury tertiary character – a flavour profile that lends itself perfectly to meats, stews and cheeses. The fats in red meats and cheese also help to counteract the tannins, allowing the typical flavours of fruit, tobacco, cedar and graphite to shine..

Bordeaux is rich enough to avoid becoming overpowered by strongly flavoured food, making it a flexible choice for the dinner table, while the tannins and acidity ensure the region’s wines can stand up to all manner of festive delights.

Avoid vintages that are still very young

Young Bordeaux can be extremely tannic, making them difficult to enjoy. If you insist on drinking a younger wine, try and pick a lighter vintage – such as 2011 or decant the wine for several hours before serving.

Pick ‘off vintages’

Not only can you save money by buying a less desirable vintage, but it will generally be ready to drink sooner than the top years. Years to look at for drinking now on a budget include: 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2011 and 2014.

Decanter’s Bordeaux vintage guide

Consider second wines

Not to be confused with second growths, a second wine is an estate’s second-tier product, and often available at just a fraction of the price of their flagship wine (‘grand vin’).

A second wine will tend to be ready for drinking sooner as it will be made from younger vines and be a different blend to its bigger brother. It’s an unspoken rule that top vintages, such as 2009, 2010 and 2016 yield better second wines than lesser vintages because the quality of the fruit allows the estate to be very selective with what goes into their grand vin.

Originally published in 2018 with wine recommendations updated for 2022.

Top Bordeaux wines for Christmas: vintage by vintage