2017 IN-BOTTLE UPDATE: BEST OF THE LEFT BANK

‘Frost was one part of the 2017 story, but this was no 1961, when freezing temperatures were followed by a perfect season’

Bordeaux’s 2017 vintage was an unusual one, by many different measures. First there was the frost, the effects of which ultimately led to a number of atypical blends and overall some of the lowest yields for Bordeaux on record – a full 40% down on 2016 for the reds, 50% for the whites, and 33% down on the 10-year average overall.

While the frost was undoubtedly devastating for many, several other difficulties followed and the ISVV Institute of Oenology commented in its report that the ‘2017 vintage reminds us somewhat brutally of the risks associated with