A Century of
Bordeaux: The Threes&nbsp;

BY NEAL MARTIN&nbsp;|&nbsp;AUGUST 08, 2023“Three
is the magic number.”

So
rapped De La Soul in their inimitable style back in summer 1989 as they doused hip-hop
in D.A.I.S.Y.-age psychedelia, their catchphrase now tinged with melancholy
since three rappers became two. Three is a number loaded with significance and
symbolism. The Holy Trinity in Christianity, The three Jewels of Buddhism and the
Celtic triad in Celtic. Time is divided into the past, present and future.
There are three dimensions…a few more after too much vino. Many things come in
threes: Musketeers, Brontë sisters, Bacon triptychs, Amigos, MacBeth witches,
pyramids at Giza, Roman graces and Greek harpies. De La Soul aside, three is a
perfect formation for a band: Nirvana, Bee Gees, Motörhead, Beastie Boys, The Three
Degrees, and to make Antonio happy, yes, Rush. Now there’s an eclectic playlist
for you.

When it
comes to Bordeaux vintages ending in the magic number, well, it gets a bit dicey.
While some deserve their halo: 1953 and, to a marginally less extent 1983, are
not just ordinary but deserve spanking with a wet plimsoll for foisting awful
wines upon oenophiles. It’s a rum lot: 1933 (terrible), 1963 (the pits), 1973
(meh) and their modern-day equivalent, 2013 (no thanks). Even those lauded upon
reception, such as 2003, are divisive, and, as I shall explain later, its reputation
has been questioned in recent years. Looking at vintages ending in three
overall, I notice a proclivity for either excessively hot vintages, some
infamous like the aforementioned 2003, but also in lesser-known ones like 1923
and 1933 that would have forced vines to shut down. Or they are very wet seasons
like 1963 and 2013. One hopes that the inchoate 2023 will find some kind of
middle ground. So far, so good.

As
tradition dictates, instead of revisiting a Bordeaux vintage ten years on, a
useful juncture to see how its alumni are progressing, I embrace all wines with
significant birthdays back an entire century. No doubt, Vinous readers are
hankering for an update on the 1923s. If you want to read the minutiae of each
growing season, you can read my recently published “<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/book-excerpt-the-complete-bordeaux-vintage-guide-1870-2020-apr-2023">The
Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide 1870-2020</a>”. That said, my book is already
rendered incomplete thanks to the bevy of wines in this article all tasted
after the deadline, so you ostensibly have a heads up for the expanded edition.

I will
leave readers to peruse individual tasting notes and summarize vintages
one-by-one from youngest to oldest.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1691503439577-bordeaux+2013+first+growths_copy.jpg">2013 – This is the most recent
vintage where even the Bordelais, primed to rhapsodize ad nauseum, could not crank
out euphemisms during the primeur campaign. The best they mustered was claiming
that the wines were not vegetal thanks to a sunny July, a brief respite during
an otherwise sodden summer. In fact, were it not for a return of inclement
conditions slap-bang in the middle of picking, it could have potentially been a
half-decent vintage. 

But it
did. 

After
ten years, it is true that tasting through over 50 wines at Bordeaux Index’s
annual 10-Year On tasting, vegetal and underripe wines are few and far between.
Yet unequivocally, most lack structure and complexity, feeble and uninteresting,
like meeting a boring person at a party and being unable to extricate yourself
from a dull conversation about interest rates. Nevertheless, some of 2013’s
better wines serve as easy-drinking clarets. The problem is that by this time,
the Bordelais were ratcheting up prices
year-on-year by rote, so whereas the 2013s could and should have been heavily
discounted, they were not the bargains that would have shifted units. Even the
best will not mature into anything interesting, and nearly all should be drunk
in the near future…if there is no alternative. It’s not a catastrophic growing
season in the mold of 1977 or 1992 because technology allowed them to salvage
unspoiled fruit. It’s just a vintage that can be described in a three-letter
word…meh.

But
hold the press! There is one exception: Sauternes. I know, I know. What’s the
point? You love ‘em but rarely buy ‘em. I specifically requested châteaux to send
samples of their 2013 for a quick horizontal during primeur and found many
pleasant surprises. No powerful or mind-bogglingly complex Sauternes, yet they
are imbued with purity and elegance. Given market prices, these are in a fine
spot at the moment and are worth seeking out.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1691503461067-sauternes+13+bottles.jpg">2003 – The infamous season beset by
merciless summer heat when temperatures hovered above 40° Celsius and fell just
a few degrees at night. I remember staying in Bordeaux several times that
summer and sweating like a sausage on a barbecue during stifling nights. Consequently,
vines had run out of energy by August and, as I witnessed on the Right Bank,
began shedding leaves, incidentally, something that did not occur in 2022.
Robert Parker, then at the height of his powers, rightly praised the wines in
the northern Médoc, particularly in Saint-Estèphe and Pauillac, the former
advantaged by water-retentive clayey soils and the moderating waters of the
yawning Gironde. The poster boys? They were Montrose, Cos d’Estournel, Latour
and a couple of others that fought back against the heat and triumphed. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1691503484076-latour+2003+bottle_copy.jpg">Returning
to the 2003s after twenty years, as I predicted at the time, the best wines that
promised much are already beginning to flag. The last five years have not been
kind in terms of their evolution, so even its anointed superstars are starting to
look comparatively static, with freshness and precision draining away on
finishes. Even a magnum of mighty 2003 Latour felt slightly de-energized compared
to bottles tasted previously. It’s as if the wines are heading down a
cul-de-sac. Wines that sometimes excel in their primary phase are less exciting
as they stumble into secondary aromas and flavors. There are a couple of
exceptions. The 2003 Pontet Canet was one of the few where I felt like
I’d like to imbibe more than the tasting, ironically, a year before they
introduced biodynamics. The First Growths are fine, even if some are drifting
further from their previously touted 100-point scores. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1691503502106-mouton+2003+bottles_copy.jpg">Of
course, one must mention that cause célèbre, the 2003 Pavie. I
became tired of the Parker vs. Robinson being repeatedly dredged up. Quite
simply, revisiting the wine at the château, no, it doesn’t taste a bit like Amarone,
and neither is it a wine that I hanker for, the finish a bit dry and ferrous. There
are better vintages of Pavie out there, but none ignite the same level of pugilistic
debate or yawns. 

1993 – This vintage has always been
a bit of a mystery, purposefully forgotten, like a corked wine you opened for a
special occasion. It was actually a decent warm summer, the vintage and hopes,
at a low ebb after the previous two seasons, derailed by wet conditions at
harvest. The wines were seen as better than the previous two years but were
always obdurate, tannic and hard. Many were bereft of charm, sensuality and
flair, with just a handful of exceptions, notably Palmer and Lafleur (the
former will appear in a forthcoming standalone article). Proof of the lack of
affection for 1993, few estates elected to show a 1993 at the Académie du Vin
dinner, opting for 1983 or 2003 instead, even 2013! During my rounds, I only
tasted one, a magnum of 1993 Trotanoy that was tough but worth seeking
out. I’ve sneaked in a 1993 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon served blind at a
“Three” dinner – even that didn’t exactly acquit itself well.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1691503416848-bordeaux+1983+bottles_copy.jpg">1983 – The most intriguing amongst vintages
ending in the “magic number” insofar that the feted 1982s overshadowed it. Yet
some of the follow-up wines were exceptional, notwithstanding that the Margaux appellation
profited more in this year than the previous one after it was deluged with less
rain. Not that I need proof, but three or four blissful encounters with the 1983
Château Margaux suggest that it is reaching a lofty peak that flirts with
perfection. Talk about hitting the ground running. This was the first vintage Paul
Pontallier had complete control over. Likewise, the 1983 Palmer makes a
formidable Batman and Robin duo effortlessly brilliant and can match the First
Growth pound-for-pound. Unlike some 2003s, their battery cells still have
plenty of energy. That energy is tangible in these two wines, and they will cruise
at altitude over many years. One surprisingly good showing was for the 1983
Ducru-Beaucaillou. Oddly, it’s a vintage that avoided me until a bottle was
served blind at the “3” dinner. This little gem is drinking perfectly at the
moment. 

Overall,
at 40 years, some of the wines that I relished in the earlier days of my career,
when many were a fraction of the price of the 1982s, are beginning to fray at
the edges. Some are turning quite savory, and ferrous finishes are beginning to
dry. It should be remembered that at this time, many now lauded estates were
suffering hangovers from the Seventies. The viticulture was frequently
rudimentary. Deselection was minimal since it predates the proliferation of
Second labels. At the same time, wineries were equipped with oversized and oft-antiquated
vats, all overseen by cellarmasters, some of whom had been there since the war
with modus operandi set in the same concrete as they superannuated vats.

Essentially,
1983 is a vintage that I remain fond of, yet you must tread carefully because
some of the wines are now past their best and approaching the ends of drinking
windows.

1973 – On paper, this could have
been a fine vintage. Examining the growing season, it would have been, were it
not for the large volume of fruit and somewhat shoddy practices endemic in both
vineyards and wineries. The only glimmer is from one or two Pomerols that did
not rush out and pick prematurely. This was proven by a 1973 Gazin that
surprised a few notable winemakers around my table at the Académie du Vin soirée
who had raised eyebrows when I announced that I would fetch it. As is often the
case, a rum vintage for the reds implies a better vintage for the whites.
Frankly, I have tasted few dry white Bordeaux, but the 1973 Château de
Fieuzal Blanc was not bad at all, perhaps more a curiosity than a
Pessac-Léognan that I would choose to drink again. Yet it certainly contained
adequate freshness and intrigue after 50 years. Then again, I’d probably rather
the wonderful 1973 Rivesaltes VdN from Philippe Gayral served at
the same dinner, another that stowaway from outside Bordeaux sneaked into this
report.

1963 – A washout. I was hoping that
one or two might dare proffer a bottle from this vintage, but nobody did. Only
a few estates actually released a Grand Vin this year. Head down to the Douro
Valley for joy. I’ve included a 1963 Taylor’s Vintage Port that appeared
at the “Three” dinner.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1691503396235-bordeaux+1953+bottles_copy.jpg">1953 – One of the great post-war
vintages, second only to 1959 that decade, bottles were pretty common when I set
out my career. But the banal fact is that many have been drunk in the last 20
years and are less frequent. A warm and clement August gave the fruit the boost
it needed, and then a relatively later harvest was undertaken in dry
conditions, a large crop that prompted some mavens to incorrectly suggest they
wouldn’t last. Tap “Bordeaux 1953” into the Vinous search engine, and you will
see that I’ve populated the database with a number of Clarets in recent years.
To this, I add another five. The best wines continue to emit great pleasure,
for example, a magnum of 1953 Poujeaux at the Académie event that was
one of the wines of the night and a 1953 Calon-Ségur, my contribution to
the “Three” dinner, stout and dense as always, yet fresh with a lovely grippy,
quite saline finish. It was a golden era for that Saint-Estèphe. The 1953
Beychevelle might have suffered inappropriate storage at some point in its
life, and I suspect there are superior bottles out there. Don’t ignore
Sauternes, for the 1953 Coutet showed exceptionally well with
delineation, focus and depth. Provenance is critical at this level of maturity,
but all these acquitted themselves well and suggest that the best will show the
2003s what longevity is. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1691503529240-laville+haut+brion+1943_copy.jpg">1943 – This war-time vintage can
surprise on the rare occasions that they surface. It was a warm summer beset by
violent storms, strong enough to destroy some fruit trees, and of course, there
was hardly any sulfur to treat consequential rot. Yet despite the backdrop of
war, lack of food, manpower and so on, some bottles have been commendable.
Three added to the database here: a timeworn but fascinating 1943 Laville
Haut-Brion, the oldest that I have tasted from this Pessac-Léognan (now La
Mission Haut-Brion Blanc), a 1943 Haut-Brion that is not quite as divine
as another tasted a decade ago, plus a 1943 Suduiraut that was complex
and energetic. 

1933 – Bordeaux was amidst the
post-Depression doldrums. Although if you examine the minutiae, it was actually
a hot vintage when I suspect many vines shut down so that fruit failed to reach
phenolic ripeness. It was an inconsistent vintage. That said, had it not been
immediately overshadowed by 1934, I feel it would have been cast in a positive
light. Most wines were consumed in their youth, so they were seen less often
than a cheap Chambertin. Nevertheless, two wines surfaced at the “Three” dinner:
the Saint-Émilion, the 1933 Côte Pavie Moulin Saint-Georges, a bit
ragged and timeworn, and the Château La Nère, a sweet wine from Haut-Loupiac,
superior in quality, sporting a pleasant tanginess.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1691503551583-siran+1923+etc_copy.jpg">1923 – There are currently three
wines on the Vinous database from this vintage, which is probably three more
than most. This is another vintage in the line of 1933 and 2003 when there were
heat spikes to the extent that observers at the time witnessed yellowed leaves
falling to the ground. It is therefore considered a weaker vintage in an otherwise fecund decade. Doubling the
tally in the database, the 1923 Siran was simple but lovely in an
antiquated way, and tart on the finish. The 1923 Fonbadet is a bit more
threadbare but certainly drinkable. Best of the lot and quite fabulous, the 1923
Rayne-Vigneau is complex, lively and balanced. Yes, a bit short, but
otherwise, a delightful century-old Sauternes. 

That
wraps up the Bordeaux “threes” for this year. This report never ceases to
reconfirm, as if that were necessary, Clarets’ propensity to age and, moreover,
not to become myopic about seasons’ reputation since there are always bottles
that can surprise. Three is not always the magic number…but it often is. © 2023, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/book-excerpt-the-complete-bordeaux-vintage-guide-1870-2020-apr-2023">Book Excerpt: The Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide One Hundred and Fifty Years from 1870-2020</a>, Neal Martin, April 2023 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/a-century-of-bordeaux-the-twos-sep-2022">A Century of Bordeaux: The Twos</a>, Neal Martin, September 2022 <div><div></div></div><div><div></div></div><a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/a-century-of-bordeaux-the-nines-sep-2019">A Century of Bordeaux: The Nines</a>, Neal Martin, September 2019 <div><div></div></div><div><div><div><div><div><a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/a-century-of-bordeaux-the-eights-may-2018">A Century of Bordeaux: The Eights</a>, Neal Martin, May 2018 </div></div></div></div></div>

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