The first major critics assessments for last year’s wines are in and by the looks of things, whilst it was a forgettable time for reds, it really was the year for whites. Just what made 2013 the year that white wine blossomed?
Last year was a somewhat forgettable period for reds. They may be going up in sales, due in large part to consumption in China, but the critics weren’t too impressed by what producers crafted in the red category. In contrast, the white shone.
Specifically the Bordeaux whites stood out to the wine critic community. Bordeaux has long been one of France’s (and the world’s) premier wine growing regions, producing world class bottles such as the Chateau Latour.
Two of the industry’s major critics have given their opinions on this year’s crop of Bordeaux white wines and the results were telling. There were several vintages in particular that stood out and scored particularly highly.
James Moleworth, of Wine Spectator, scored the Chateau Haut-Brion and the Chateau Yquem 95-98 each, the highest score he gave out. He labelled the Haute-Brion possibly “the wine of the vintage.” He also scored the Chateau Doisy Daene impressively highly.
James Suckling, former Wine Spectator editor was the other major critic to give his preliminary opinion. He was very favourable to the Yquem, scoring it 98-99. He labelled it “really superb…a monument to the vintage.”
He was also very partial to the Haute-Brion, which he awarded a preliminary score of 95-96 and the Coutet, which he scored at 90-91. For both critics, reds for the Bordeaux region scored much lower down the league table.
James Suckling went on to give a taste report on what he had sampled. In the report Suckling said that: “Despite the difficult the vintage for wine producers in France’s famous wine region, the whites I tasted from barrel in late March were phenomenal.” He further said that “the dry whites have a marvelous mineral character and creamy texture due to their bright and lively acidities.”
So that concludes it. Last year was the year of Bordeaux whites, and more than anything it highlights the high quality of these vintages. There is a reason that Bordeaux is one of the most famous wine making regions in the world.
At the Ideal Wine Company we have a variety of Bordeaux whites on the product list for your selection. Browse our product list to learn more.
