The 2017 vintage in Bordeaux was a challenge for winemakers, posing multiple problems throughout the year including frost, drought and untimely rainfall, but it had the added misfortune of falling in the middle of a long run of great vintages. At that time, 2017 was overshadowed by the two preceding years and the three subsequent ones.
Almost five years on, all the tasters found much to enjoy from the 2017s of the classified estates of the Left Bank, and were pleasantly surprised at the quality and drinkability on show. ‘Considering how complicated the vintage was, the results are much more positive than expected,’ said Vincenzo Arnese.
Andy Howard MW agreed, emphasising the ‘typicity and classicism’ on show. ‘So many couldn’t be anything but Bordeaux wines,’
Howard said. ‘Perhaps one or two didn’t quite have the density, but many had very nice balance and structure, and also fruit purity.’
Bordeaux winemakers are becoming used to difficult growing seasons, but 2017 saw an early bud break that was subsequently met by uneven and often devastating frost impact.
An exceptionally hot June followed with three days of heavy rain at the end of the month, then an extremely dry summer with cool nights and an early harvest that was complicated by September rains. Some estates produced very little or indeed no grand vin, while others were able to navigate the conditions with excellent results, though often resorting to unusual blends and therefore less estate signature on show.
THE SCORES 62 wines tasted Exceptional 2 Outstanding 11 Highly recommended 45 Recommended 4
Commended 0 Fair 0 Poor 0 Faulty 0
‘You hear about 2015, ’16, ’18 and ’19, but 2017 was practically forgotten,’ said Arnese, with Howard adding it was ‘in the shadows, but on the basis of what we tasted it’s a pretty good vintage to go for’. Despite expectations, only one or two wines had a slight green edge. ‘Oak for the most part was restrained and acidity is fairly classic, as you’d expect. The wines were definitely more elegant than I was expecting,’
Howard said.
Pauillac and St-Julien stood out clearly for all the judges, accounting for 13 of the top 20 wines that scored 94 points and above. ‘There was good average quality and consistency from Pauillac,’ said Arnese, while Howard was ‘impressed by St-Julien overall’, but
