Below is our current drinking advice for recent vintages of the red wines of Bordeaux but there are many exceptions so please contact us for further information.
Our sales and purchasing teams are extremely knowledgeable with a combined Fine Wine Trade experience totalling many years and are happy to offer advice on specific wines or vintages.
Below is our current drinking advice for recent vintages of the red wines of Bordeaux but there are many exceptions so please contact us for further information.
Our sales and purchasing teams are extremely knowledgeable with a combined Fine Wine Trade experience totalling many years and are happy to offer advice on specific wines or vintages.
| 2022 | A deep, powerful vintage, one that shares some weather patterns with 2003 but which shows just how far Bordeaux has come in the last two decades. Though ripe in fruit, they have deep structure and underlying freshness, with saturated colours at the top addresses. Still very early days - but expect to cellar these for a decade or more before approaching. |
| 2021 | A small, cool vintage that shares some structural elements with 2017. The wines are bright, chalky but not strict in tannins and lively in acidity, with cool fruit and modest alcohols. They will not need significant cellaring before drinking. |
| 2020 | A vintage with magnificent peaks, more structured and chiselled than 2019 and a vintage that will need more patience than its approachable twin. Give it at least a decade of cellaring for Cru Classés and equivalents. |
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2019 |
A great vintage that draws comparisons to 1982. Seductive yet harmonious with fine freshness, they will benefit from five years more cellaring but many are drinking superbly already. |
| 2018 | A very good vintage with some great wines. Ripe, full-bodied and concentrated, they are still a little stubborn for the top addresses and will benefit from another five to eight years cellaring. |
| 2017 | A good vintage showing some similarities to 2014, though with more acidity and less tannin. Many wines are starting to drink very well now, finding some tertiary character and smooth textural profiles thanks to their lower tannin levels. The top wines will still benefit from further cellaring. |
| 2016 | A great, classic vintage that will benefit from five years more in the cellar at least - these are outstanding, finely poised wines. |
| 2015 | A very good vintage that is now starting to open up. Fleshy and ripe, the wines on the right bank, in Pessac-Leognan and in Margaux especially are outstanding. In the northern Médoc the wines still have a sweetness of fruit without the power of their more Merlot-dominant neighbours. |
| 2014 | A good vintage that is very good in the northern Médoc - the wines are classically proportioned with strong tannic backbones. Here, you will find some long-lived wines, though all but the very top estates are now drinking well. Further cellaring will benefit the great estates in Saint Estèphe, Pauillac and Saint Julien. |
| 2013 | A weak vintage that should be drunk it its youth or sold off. Only the very best wines of the vintage should be kept more than 10 years. |
| 2012 | A pretty, mid-weight vintage with soft tannins and attractive ripe fruit. All can be enjoyed now, with only the top names recommended for significant further cellaring. Better on the right bank, where there are some excellent wines from the top estates. |
| 2011 | An awkward vintage in youth, these initially tannic wines are now opening up nicely with classic proportions and savoury fruit. The top names can be cellared further but they should otherwise be drunk or sold. |
| 2010 | A great, classic vintage. Second wines and smaller châteaux can be enjoyed now but the top wines will need decanting and/or further cellaring. This is a vintage for the long-haul. |
| 2009 | An opulent, seductive and ripe vintage. Even the top names are now delicious to drink but the best will continue to cellar well for decades. |
| 2008 | A good but not great vintage. Fresh and at times slightly lean, these are classically proportioned and are now drinking well. |
| 2007 | A vintage that provided delicious and easy drinking at a young age, these wines should now be drunk up or sold. |
| 2006 | A good vintage that is now at its peak, quite firm in structure with classic proportions. Drink now or sell. |
| 2005 | A great, classic and traditional Bordeaux vintage. The top wines of the Médoc are still fairly firm but most can now be enjoyed. Some fabulous wines with structure and grip, they will cellar well. |
| 2004 | A quite good vintage that is now fully mature and should be drunk up. |
| 2003 | A freak vintage that offered Bordeaux lovers New World–style opulence. These wines are opulent and fleshy but many lack acidity. Only the best of the Northern Médoc will keep further though they are excellent now, all others should now be drunk up or sold. |
| 2002 | A cool vintage that is fully mature. Drink up. |
| 2001 | An under-rated, very good vintage that offers excellent drinking now. They are at their peak and should be enjoyed over the next few years or sold. They should not be held. |
| 2000 | The famous millennium vintage. The wines have classic structure with a touch of added richness. The lower end should be drunk up. The best are now all drinking well, though they can be cellared further. |
| <2000 | All are fully mature and should be drunk or sold. |
