Bordeaux 2018: Not Back in Black

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | MARCH 30, 2021

Left Bank: Saint-Estèphe | Pauillac | Saint-Julien | Margaux | Pessac-Léognan and Graves | Left Bank Satellites | Sauternes

Right Bank: Pomerol | Saint-Émilion | Right Bank Satellites

After an uneven vintage in 2017, Bordeaux was buzzing with anticipation over the 2018s. To be sure, the wines were showy from barrel, but tasting en primeur is always a moving target. The wines are of course very young and sensitive to atmospheric changes as well as other variables. Now that the 2018s have been bottled, do they live up to expectations?

When we first published my en primeur notes for the 2018s, we did so without scores. I hoped readers would look beyond numbers alone and actually read the reviews. I was quite pleased to see how many people did, and enjoyed it. After all, that’s where the real content is. But don’t fret, we didn't do that again in this report.

In short, 2018 is a hot vintage that yielded rich, sumptuous wines. Of course there are more subtleties than that. I will delve into the nuances in a minute. Generally, the most successful 2018s balance elevated ripeness with healthy acids and good structural underpinnings. Location matters. For example, wines from Saint-Émilion's famed limestone plateau handled the rigors of the year exceptionally well. So did many top sites on the Left Bank, where a number of wines are positively thrilling. Two years ago I wrote “…the best 2018s are positively stunning. I don’t see the consistency of 2016, for example, but 2018 offers a tremendous amount of choice for the consumer, from everyday gems to the rarest of collectibles.” That’s exactly how I feel today. It’s a vintage with outstanding wines at all levels. There are a handful of epic wines and an ocean of phenomenal values, but not quite the consistency of a truly legendary vintage. Much of this article focuses on wines that deliver superb quality for the money, as readers will discover in the paragraphs that follow.

Tasting the 2018s in barrel at Canon, a distant memory in our current world. General Director Nicolas Audebert (far right) with Technical Director Stéphane Bonnasse (left) and Export Manager Andréane Gornard (center).

The 2018 Growing Season & Wines

I won’t repeat my entire summary of the growing season here. After all, nothing has changed on that front. Readers who want to revisit the nuances of the year will find plenty of detail in my en primeur report Bordeaux 2018: Back in Black, which breaks down the vintage by appellation, with numerous insights from producers along the way. I also list top-performing wines by appellation. With one or two exceptions, the bottled 2018s have largely turned out as I expected, but I provide a short list of highlights below. Readers will also want to check out Neal Martin’s parallel article The Future’s Not What It Was along with his recently published The Future’s Definitely Not What It Was: 2018 Bordeaux, which looks at the wines in bottle.

Unrelenting rain in the early part of the year created widespread outbreaks of mildew that were especially devastating for organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards that have limited options at their disposal for situations like these. Durfort-Vivens, Palmer and Pontet-Canet are among the châteaux where yields were decimated by downy mildew. Hail was an issue in certain spots in the Côtes de Bourg, Blaye, Entre-deux-Meres and the southern Médoc.

Summer was the hottest and driest in fifty years. That sudden change came as quite a shock to the vines and accelerated ripening for the Merlot, creating the possibility for a widening of sugar and physiological maturity given that canopies were quite verdant. Sustained elevated temperatures and winds further dehydrated grapes as the first part of harvest approached. Conditions moderated somewhat after that, which allowed for a more relaxed harvest of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Several Left Bank wines offer a striking dichotomy of Merlot picked early and Cabernet Sauvignon picked late.