“Perhaps the closest we can come to a definition is 2009 meets 2016 on the Left Bank, and 1998 meets 2015 for the Right Bank.”
Decanter magazine has now published Jane Anson’s Bordeaux 2018 En Primeur report, as well as her top-scoring wines from the vintage. Full notes, scores and appellation overviews are expected to follow this week.
Anson does not award straight 100 points at En Primeur, but she did identify seven potentially perfect wines, each given a range of 98-100 points. These will be reassessed after bottling, towards the end of 2020.
Anson’s verdict on Bordeaux 2018 is that it is “a very good vintage – maybe even great – albeit a little atypical for some appellations.” She says that it “has the qualities to age, but the high alcohols have in many cases wrapped the tannins up in silk, and the wines feel approachable [now].” She adds that “you will find concentration and hidden power”, and “a whole lot of seduction”.
However, for Anson the vintage is “not consistent enough to be a true five-star year”. She advises buyers “to exercise some caution over buying choices”.
While she praises many of the wines, she is wary of the “relatively high” pH levels – particularly in the Medoc – and their effect on “long-term stability”. To see Anson’s notes on her Bordeaux 2018 top-scoring wines, click here.
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