Tasting the Guinaudeau stable with Omri Ram, Research and Development Manager & Sales Manager

The past three weeks have seen a flurry of Bordeaux 2023 releases enter the market - almost half of the 174 wines that we include in our en primeur coverage (see Wine Lister’s en primeur page here). Key entries have included first growths Haut-Brion, Lafite Rothschild, and Mouton Rothschild, alongside Right Bank stars, Angélus, Ausone, Cheval Blanc, and Lafleur.

Following a lone release from d’Angludet on Friday 26^th April, releases commenced officially on Monday 29^th April, with entries from three Sauternes estates (Guiraud, Lafaurie-Peyraguey, and L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne), alongside Pauillac’s Batailley. Tuesday 30^th April saw the latest releases from the Domaines Delon stable, with Léoville Las Cases offering a 40% discount on its 2022 release price, at £138.50.

Following a French national holiday on Wednesday 1^st May, the releases were back with a bang on Thursday 2^nd May, with the Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) group. The first first growth out the gate, Lafite Rothschild’s 2023 came onto the market at a 31% discount on 2022 and below all back vintages on the market (£410), with three major UK merchants informing us that both Lafite and Carruades de Lafite did extremely well. La Lagune and Talbot followed suit on Friday 3^rd May – the latter entering the market below all previous vintages at £38.50.

Mouton Rothschild and its sibling wines released on Monday 6th May (a UK bank holiday), with the grand vin reportedly selling well according to several trade members across key markets , having offering a 35% discount on the 2022 and sitting below all back vintages at £339. The pace picked up on Tuesday 7^th May, with nine new entries including Angélus (which, having been released at £260, offered a 27% discount on the 2022), two Vignobles Cruse-Lorenzetti properties (Lafon-Rochet and Pédesclaux), and Malartic-Lagravière. Following a national holiday across Wednesday 8^th and Thursday 9^th, the Guinaudeau stable was released on Friday 10^th May. Coming onto the market at £603.33 – 3% down on the 2022-  Lafleur does not follow the annual vagaries of the rest of Bordeaux, with its ex-négociant release price increasing by just 13% in the last four years. As a result, it has not needed to offer a discount this year in order for to offer value, with it falling below all recent back vintages - some of which have seen their prices increase significantly on the secondary market. We have been told that, as ever, this flew.

The past week saw a wave of new entries, including Saint-Émilion juggernaut, Cheval Blanc (released at £390) and the Barton stable (Léoville-Barton and Langoa-Barton released at £56 and £29.50, respectively) on Monday (13^th May). A whopping 15 releases came through on Tuesday, including the Domaine Clarence Dillon clan, led by first growth Haut-Brion (at £315). We are told by trade members around the world that this release did well, sitting below all recent back vintages (apart from the lower-scoring 2017 and 2014), and offering a hefty 39% discount on the 2022. Cited in Wine Lister’s recent Bordeaux Study as one of the top five wines most frequently bought by merchants for their personal cellar (recap here), Lynch-Bages entered the market at £72 (31% down on 2022), below all other previous vintages.

Tasting through Domaine Clarence Dillon’s 2023 offering at La Mission Haut-Brion

Wednesday (15^th May) saw new entries from Ausone, CA Grands Crus (Grand-Puy Ducasse and Meyney), and Ducru-Beaucaillou among others. The latter received 96-99, from Wine Lister’s founder and CEO, Ella Lister (for Le Figaro Vin), and was released below all back vintages, at £124. Yesterday (Thursday 16^th May) saw entries from the likes of Carbonnieux, Cos d’Estournel, and d’Issan. D’Issan 2023 was released at £37.50 (26% down on 2022), sitting below all available back vintages on the market. This morning (Friday 17^th May) saw releases from Gazin (which one top négociant described as an “outstanding deal”), Suduiraut, and du Tertre, among others.  Suduiraut 2023 has received record scores from several key critics, including a potential 100-point score from Wine Lister’s partner critic, Antonio Galloni, in 2023 (its first from Vinous), resulting in its highest average critics' score of (at least) the last decade.

Also released during this period: Blanc de Lynch-Bages, Carbonnieux Blanc, Chapelle d'Ausone, Château Climens, Château Haut-Brion Blanc, Château Kirwan, Château La Mission Haut-Brion, Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, Château La Tour Carnet, Château Labégorce, Château Lynch-Bages, Château Malescot Saint-Exupéry, Château Marquis d'Alesme, Château Pape Clément, Château Pape Clément Blanc, Château Prieuré-Lichine, Cheval Blanc, Cos d'Estournel Blanc, Echo de Lynch-Bages, Fieuzal Blanc, Fieuzal Rouge, Gloria, La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion, La Croix de Beaucaillou, Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, Le Petit Cheval, Magrez Fombrauge, Ormes de Pez, Pagodes de Cos, Quintus, Saint Pierre (Saint-Julien), Siran, Sociando-Mallet.

Wine Lister’s real-time, wine-by-wine analysis of this year’s campaign is available in email newsletter form through a Pro+ subscription. For more information on this, please contact us.