Readers respond to Andrew Jefford’s ‘The problem with Bordeaux…’

Andrew Jefford’s October issue cover story, ‘The problem with Bordeaux, and how to fix it’, prompted a flurry of engaged and often passionate responses. Here we publish an edited selection, including the view from one of Bordeaux’s leading cru classé estates.

Dear Andrew,

In your article you pointed out that, for you, a great Bordeaux fine wine ‘may be the most obvious, unoriginal and unhip “favourite wine” in existence, but at its best it’s also the most subtle, refined and complex red wine of all’.

About 473 years ago, the Valladolid Controversy pitted those who claimed that Native Americans had souls against those who disagreed. The recurring debates surrounding ‘the Bordeaux crisis’ are often no less fiery or radical, and I like the way you nailed it.

Do we have a soul? Are we about to die, if not already dead? Are we still the very best grands vins of the world, carrying the name of the first and only global worldwide wine brand: Bordeaux? Or are we definitely done?

Herein lies the paradox, though, and here’s my question to you: how can a wine devoid of character, originality and spirit be at the same time the most subtle, refined and complex of all the world’s great wines? Isn’t subtlety a character trait? Isn’t it the refinement of a grand vin that underpins its originality? Isn’t its complexity a testament to its spirit?

You have known Bordeaux intimately for the past 30 years, dear Andrew, and you speak of it with such great accuracy when you say that our great wines are ‘the most food-friendly, the most successful in terms of accomplishing metamorphosis with age, the most qualitatively consistent across a broad price spectrum, the most generous in terms of market offer, the most profoundly satisfying, and the most digestible and health-bringing wine of all’ that I have to ask your precious help on the matter.

What should we do to try and help change the conversation about Bordeaux, calm tempers, put things back into perspective and, quite simply put, get back to the fundamentals and keep moving on, instead of sawing off the branch we’re sitting on?

Every year without fail, we welcome American sommeliers who come in small groups to Bordeaux and to Château Haut-Bailly. They arrive full of preconceived ideas, and they leave with tears in their eyes, deeply moved by what they’ve seen (the terroirs, the people, the magnificent landscapes…) and by the great wines they have tasted. Within a few years, the wine lists of New York and Los Angeles have changed, reintegrating the great fine wines of Bordeaux in explosive fashion.

This is my message to my dearest colleagues who manage great domaines on Bordeaux’s Left and Right Banks: together works better. Let’s continue to open our doors to wine professionals and connoisseurs from all over the world, individually and at appellation level. Let’s invite them to visit, and let’s provide them with an unforgettable experience – not only during the en primeur tastings, but all year round. Wine is life, and there’s no substitute for tasting it on our own land, with our feet in the vines, before sitting down to eat and share our thoughts and emotions.

In a word, let’s break down the armour, get out of our own backyard, show off our strengths and the tremendous progress we’ve made over the last three decades: granular knowledge of our soils, attentive care of our vines, constant refinement of our winemaking processes, thanks to considerable investment in the most advanced technologies.

Let’s put an end to preconceived ideas: our wines can absolutely be drunk young, as today’s great Bordeaux wines are flawless, supple, elegant and fruity. Yet, they have not lost their legendary capacity for ageing.

The great wines of Bordeaux are better than ever, and this is exactly why we thank you, dear Andrew, for reminding us of what is a reality, and not a wish! I invite everyone to come and see us, and experience our unique Bordeaux model: neither a pointless revolution that destroys value, nor an untimely upheaval, nor incessant concessions to the air du temps – none of that indeed, but a genuine new golden age.

This is the attitude that has always been ours, and the hallmark of our multi-century success: intellectual and professional curiosity, the quest for constant optimisation of all our processes, the cult of the terroir, the vines, the grapes, a full dedication to haute couture winemaking, the certainty that what is simply enough is not enough at all and, above all, the passion to give our wine lovers incomparable emotions.

Véronique Sanders, CEO of Château Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

In good shape

While I agree with many of Andrew’s points, I disagree vehemently with his argument about the bottle. There is nothing wrong with the bottle shape, and his proposal to stick the wine in Burgundy bottles is appalling. The main problem with a Bordeaux bottle, as with most French wine, is in the lack of information on the label. The shape however is next to perfect. The bottles stack in the cellar beautifully, whereas a stack of Burgundy or Syrah is the most unstable imaginable!

John Penney, Martinborough, New Zealand

A customer lost

Many thoughts struck me when I read Andrew Jefford’s magnificent article on Bordeaux, two of which stood out. Firstly, how late in life I came to discover claret compared to other wines. Secondly, how my relationship with it has changed in recent years.

I grew up in a single-parent family on income support with my teetotal mother. No family trips to the south of France for me. Indeed, wine simply was not part of my family life. Consequently, I only discovered wine during my first week of university (Girton College, Cambridge). The college welcome pack mentioned Formal Hall dining every Thursday and suggested that students bring their own wine. I set off to the local Oddbins. I discovered that wine came mainly in two colours. I chose red over white, for reasons that I still do not know to this day.

Mr Jefford’s piece brought back my first thought when looking at wines on the shelves: ‘My god, these French bottles have intimidating labels and are austere-looking.’ I plumped for a Wolf Blass. At a cost of £8 back in 1996, this was considered extravagant for a student to purchase, the sales assistant told me. Reassuring, I thought. No danger of me looking like a wine moron at this upcoming formal dinner.

The Bordeaux bottle shape, its labelling, the absence of English and of any story of the wine inside the bottle, all kept me away from Bordeaux wine until the end of my final year. Then, a friend – from a different social class to me – threw a birthday party and served some claret that his dad had purchased back in the 1980s. I was instantly hooked on Bordeaux, and for the next 15 years, would choose Bordeaux over other red wines.

Over the last decade, something has changed. It has been a multitude of factors that have put Bordeaux firmly at the bottom of my red wine list. Trips to Asturias have convinced me that if I have £50 to £80 to spend on a Rioja or Ribera, I simply will not go wrong; but the same amount of money on a bottle of Bordeaux will be a gamble, due to the sheer number of Bordeaux wines available and their variability.  Articles in Decanter have pushed me towards Georgia and China, as wines were produced in those countries so long ago. Reading about Susana Balbo (October issue, ‘Hall of Fame Award’) made me order one of her Malbecs to go with my steak last weekend.

Above all, I think what has put me off Bordeaux the most is that I no longer consider it to be either accessible or quintessentially French. Sacré bleu, I hear you say! While I accept that the contents of a bottle of Bordeaux are a testament to the region’s soil, climate, centuries of winemaking expertise etc, the final, bottled product strikes me as a branded luxury good aimed at the world’s elite earners. When I see a Ferrari, I do not think ‘Italian car par excellence’, but rather, ‘car purchased by rich people around the world, to display their wealth’. No Right Bank château owner is marketing his Merlot to me. However, a stone’s throw from my office in London, I can enjoy wines from around the world, with down-to-earth back stories.

These wines are produced to be consumed rather than kept as investments. Bordeaux neither wants nor needs me; but other regions are happy to see me when I come calling. I hope that my relationship with Bordeaux changes back to what it used to be; but I doubt it will. Even when I am in the mood to splash out on a fine red, I will opt for almost anything other than Bordeaux. There are thousands more excellent wines available now than when I nervously entered Oddbins almost 30 years ago.

Louis Altman, London

Credit: Stephen Frost / Alamy Stock Photo

Route to success

One key area where even such a well-established region as Bordeaux could help consumers is to give a map, however small, as part of the back label. As viewers of television quiz shows can see so often, geography is a weak point. It may be as simple as a map that indicates the location of a country’s capital and then the wine district in question. Another idea is to combine this with a line of latitude linking the region with another one or two other well-known viticultural areas – this may surprise even the knowledgeable!

Conal R Gregory MW, York

Long-term admirer

I spend a lot of time drinking and thinking Bordeaux. My starting point is not dissimilar to yours, Mr Jefford – I think it is the most consistent source of splendid wine in the world. So part of me is quietly pleased that Bordeaux is unfashionable, as I can pick up lovely wines at prices I can afford (I rarely spend more than £30, and £40 in a restaurant). But after nearly 50 years’ experience of drinking the stuff, it’s obvious even to me that for the average punter Bordeaux is a nightmare.

The issues as I see them are as follows:
• The first growths and super seconds operate in a bizarre stratosphere of colossal price and pretension and should be totally ignored.
• Most of the other classed growths have priced themselves out of serious contention and a few aren’t even that good. Where these estates are still accessible and delicious are their second wines – and, apart from the seconds of the first growths (which are also ludicrously expensive), they are good value.
• As you suggest, the focus should be on the relatively unknown wines that represent 90% of Bordeaux. But how to identify which are delicious?
• En primeur ceased to work years ago. I don’t trust the merchants’ spiel and see no real benefit as these wines won’t sell out, and will reappear on the secondary market at the same or a lower price.
• White Bordeaux is a largely undiscovered delight. I’m no fan of Sauvignon Blanc, but when blended with Semillon… wow!
• Can you think of another product where you pay your money and are then told not to enjoy it for at least seven years? Bordeaux must be ready to drink sooner.
• I don’t agree with you on the use of the word ‘château’, label design (I love the château drawings) and bottle shape. Bordeaux needs to  remain recognisable.

What Bordeaux needs is for you and other respected critics to tell us what you think is seriously good, available in the UK, reasonably priced and can be drunk while we are still alive.

And for what its worth I’m state-educated, have never worked for a hedge fund or anything similar and have a Birmingham accent.

John Reading, Pirbright, Surrey

The traditional Bordeaux bottle shape presents uniformity – but does it obscure individuality? Credit: Juan Garcia Hinojosa / Shutterstock

Finding value

I agree that Bordeaux wines need a better, more balanced image rather than being typecast as very expensive, ‘snooty’ collectors’ bottles. There is such a superb range available from suppliers like The Wine Society, many in the £8-£20 price range. More people need to discover the delights of less well-known wines from the Côtes de Bordeaux (including Francs and Castillon), Fronsac and Canon Fronsac, Entre-deux Mers and Cadillac, and the more ‘modest’ Côtes de Bourg and Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux – especially from family producers (such as Despagne, Durantou, Thienpont and Dubourdieu).

There is no valid reason for any generational resistance to Bordeaux and its wines by younger consumers, and I’m delighted to say that both our 30-something sons and their female partners enjoy Bordeaux red wines as much as my older generation.

Thank you again to Andrew Jefford, whose opinions and wine palate clearly match my own, in addition to his vastly superior inside knowledge.

Graham Woodham, Guildford, Surrey

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