- The best Bordeaux En Primeur releases offered a combination of quality and value.
- These are wines with high potential for future price appreciation.
- Some châteaux have followed the En Primeur golden rule that the new release is the cheapest you can get.
As this year’s Bordeaux En Primeur campaign draws to an end, we evaluate the best 2023 releases. These wines not only boast high quality, as measured by critic scores, but also offer value when compared to previous vintages. Below are our highlights from an investment perspective.
Beychevelle
In the words of Château Beychevelle’s Philippe Blanc, ‘our golden rule is the En Primeur price is the cheapest you can get’.
The rule was observed this year, with the 2023 representing the best priced vintage on the market today.
The wine received 94-96 points from Antonio Galloni (Vinous), who said: ‘Beychevelle remains one of the most distinctive wines in all of Bordeaux. It is especially classy in this edition.’
Meanwhile, the Wine Advocate’s William Kelley (93-94 points) noted that ‘the 2023 Beychevelle has turned out especially well this year, exhibiting a more integrated, seductive style than recent vintages’.
Lafite Rothschild & Carruades de Lafite
For William Kelley, Lafite Rothschild appeared to be ‘the finest of the first growths this year’. The critic awarded it 97-99 points. The wine was launched at an impressive 32% discount on last year, making the new release the most affordable on the market today. Shortly after release, the wine found its way into the secondary market.
Its second wine also presented an enticing prospect to investors. As well as being the cheapest vintage, the wine was awarded a score of 91-93 from Neal Martin (Vinous), surpassing the 2022, 2016, and 2010. The critic remarked that this is ‘surely one of the best Carruades I have tasted at this stage’.
Mouton Rothschild & Petit Mouton
In much the same vein as Lafite Rothschild, the 2023 Mouton Rothschild is the most affordable vintage available on the market today. Antonio Galloni gave it 96-99 points and declared that it ‘is shaping up to be one of the best wines of the vintage on the Left Bank’.
With 96-98 points from Neal Martin, its score looks set to match the 2022, 2020, 2019, and 2018. Only the 100-point 2016 has the upper hand but comes at a hefty 40% premium.
Once again, there is outstanding value to be found in the second wine. Petit Mouton 2023 is the best priced vintage available today by a healthy margin. And, according to Galloni, ‘it could easy be a Grand Vin at another address’.
Margaux
The highest-scoring Bordeaux 2023 wine across major critics, Margaux presented great value.
Galloni awarded it a potentially perfect score of 97-100 points, calling it ‘fabulous, sensual, silky and exceptionally polished’.
Meanwhile, Martin described it as a ‘quintessential Margaux’, awarding it a score of 97-99 points.
Cheval Blanc
There are few wines that transcend the vintage in 2023, and Cheval Blanc is certainly one of them.
There were few wines capable of transcending the vintage in 2023, but Cheval Blanc was certainly one of them.
It is the second-highest-scoring Bordeaux 2023 wine across 12 leading critics. Winemaker Pierre-Olivier Clouet even goes so far as to say that it is superior to the 2022, as does the Wine Advocate’s William Kelley.
Adding to its appeal is the value it offers. The 2023 is the most affordable option among top vintages. This is one of only two unambiguously ‘prime’ Cheval Blanc vintages available under £5,000 a case.
As these highlights show, there is value to be found during En Primeur with the right analysis tools.
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