All the medallists from the Bordeaux Masters 2024

The links between Bordeaux and the UK have echoed down the centuries – and the region remains a reliable source of quality wines, says Patricia Stefanowicz MW.

Bordeaux wines and the UK have long had a love affair. The region’s supremacy in England began in 1152 as a result of the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry Plantagenet, who thus acquired all of Gascony and, two years later, became King Henry II.

When King John came to the throne in 1199, he won favour with the Bordeaux citizens by giving them enormous privileges, including exemption from the export tax for goods sailing from Bordeaux, and he authorised favourable treatment for Gascon merchants in London. Even after the French regained Gascony in 1453, and despite the Anglo-Portuguese Methuen Treaty of 1703, the trade in Bordeaux wine continued, often as smuggled goods sold surreptitiously through London ‘coffee houses’. The burgeoning Bordeaux merchant class became the necessary link to perpetuate this British thirst for ‘claret’.

In spite of the ‘ups’ of trade over the centuries and ‘downs’ of wars and 19th century diseases (oidium and then the ‘dreaded worm’, phylloxera), Bordeaux wines remained pre-eminent in the UK, especially in the secondary market, until the late 1980s. Today they are still extremely well-traded and have lost little of their lustre and prestige. The decline in percentage terms on the secondary market is more a reflection of growth in alternative sources of fine wines, such as Burgundy, Champagne, Tuscany and the ‘icon wines’ of California and Australia.

Not all the wines sold by the Gascon merchants between the 1200s and 1400s were from Bordeaux itself, so selling wines from outside the region through the Bordeaux marketplace is definitely not new.

Small snapshot

This year ’s Bordeaux Masters has given the judges a very small snapshot of the wines coming from and through Bordeaux: white, rosé, red and sweet. Although small, the selection of wines created excitement in each of these styles.

Unoaked whites showed well. Sauvignon Blancs have purity of greengage, nettle and green pear fruits, with riper versions also exhibiting passion fruit and mango. At under £15, the whites are expressive, easy-drinking, crowd-pleasing wines, while those blending Sauvignon Blanc with Semillon and Muscadelle display a little more interest and texture. In the £15–£20 price bracket, the sample from Clarence Dillon Wines had lovely apricot and honey notes, meshing seamlessly with nettle and kiwi fruit.

The oaked white wine we judged, Château Suduiraut’s Lions de Suduiraut (£15–£20), showed green and yellow fruits, creamy texture and gentle toasty oak, with hints of allspice. The wine incorporates some Sauvignon Gris, a positive addition that appears more and more frequently in white Bordeaux. The example of sweet wine, L’Or du Ciron, is a classic Sauternes, packed with apricots, orange marmalade and acacia honey, and ‘kissed’ by a touch of creamy oak. At £12 per half-bottle, the wine is an incredible bargain.

Rosés from Bordeaux are commonly a blend of the Cabernets and Merlot, although there is no set formula. The better wines exhibit a light body, rose-petal and red berry fruits and a pale peach-pink colour, with crisp acidity and a touch of grip giving character and texture. Usually priced at £10–£15, they offer a superb alternative to more expensive rosés from elsewhere.

Bordeaux is still the epitome of very fine oaked red wines. Climate change has given riper vintages recently, and much improved viticulture – plus winemaking with greater understanding and attention to detail – means that many of the wines are drinking well much sooner than 40 or 50 years ago.

Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois wines, such as Château de Malleret 2020 and Château Mongravey 2019, and right bank wines, including Château Mazeyres 2019 and Château la Fleur de Boüard 2020, demonstrated just how plush-textured, integrated, balanced and drinkable these modern clarets can be, and at reasonable prices: under £50. The young, more expensive red Bordeaux wines from Pomerol that we judged were sensational: for example, Château l’Évangile’s second wine, Blason de l’Évangile 2020, and Château la Conseillante 2019 and 2020.

The wines we judged from outside the Bordeaux region selling through La Place all won Gold and Master medals, but the prices are very expensive—from just under £100 to more than £200. However, the wines were delectable, with the Chilean Maquis stable showing cassis, tobacco and herbal hints, with concentration, texture and balance. VIK’s iconic offering displays power and elegance. A couple of richly fruited, yet refined Australian expressions with welljudged oak, are Penfolds Bin 169 from Coonawarra and Hoosegg’s Cabernet Sauvignon from Philip Shaw’s New South Wales estate. Morlet Family Estate’s Oakville wines show the varietal character, depth, intensity and elegance of only the very finest Cabernet Sauvignons.

This Bordeaux Masters was a fabulous judging day, with, astonishingly, every wine tasted earning an award. The fine wine offering is undoubtedly expanding and there is stiff competition between regions, but in the global markets of today there is a place for all.

Still White – Unoaked

Still White – Oaked

Still Rosé – Unoaked

Still Red – Oaked

Sweet White

La Place: Still Red – Oaked