2017 Wine

Vintage 2017: the year of frost, low yields and great precision in the wines

The 2017 vintage in France is above all the story of a brutal spring. After a relatively mild winter and an early budburst, a series of severe frosts at the end of April struck a large part of the vineyard, particularly in Bordeaux, the Loire, Champagne and certain areas of Burgundy. At a national level.

Once this episode had passed, the vegetative cycle nonetheless followed a rather favourable course. The summer of 2017 was broadly warm and dry, without excessive heat, with nights cool enough to preserve acidity. In several regions — Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhône, Alsace — ripeness came early, making 2017 one of the fastest vintages of recent decades. The harvest, which began early, took place in predominantly dry conditions, ensuring an excellent state of health in the grapes.

For the taster, the 2017 vintage is characterised by an assured freshness, often moderate alcohol levels, fine tannins and a clean aromatic profile. The 2017 red wines do not seek to demonstrate power, but rather balance and precision. 2017 is a heterogeneous vintage in terms of volume, but of very high quality in the great terroirs, with the finest 2017 wines destined for a very beautiful evolution.

Bordeaux 2017 — Frost in the plains, elegance on the plateaux

In Bordeaux, 2017 is the year in which altitude and drainage decided everything. The April frost ravaged entire lowland sectors, sometimes twice over, while the plateaux and gravel ridges remained out of reach. There, the vines ripened serenely, producing wines with pure fruit, fine tannins and restrained alcohol: a classic, fresh and approachable Bordeaux, closer to the balanced styles of the past than to recent sun-drenched vintages. This is a medium-term keeping wine, to be opened earlier than 2015 or 2016.

The Pomerol plateau, spared by the frost, produced one of the highlights of the year, with rare purity and length. In Saint-Émilion, Château La Mondotte displays a dense and velvety texture. In the Médoc, elegance prevails: Château Brane-Cantenac embodies the floral finesse of Margaux, while the second wines of Pauillac's first growths — such as Les Forts de Latour and Carruades de Lafite — offer an accessible entry point into the great terroirs of the left bank. Among the sweet wines, Sauternes and Barsac, swept by a fine wave of botrytis (noble rot), produced wines of remarkable freshness, often underestimated.

Burgundy 2017 — The year of relief, with whites taking centre stage

After the devastating frosts of 2016, Burgundy recovered in 2017 with a healthy and generous harvest, without any loss of quality. The whites are the great winners of the year: from Chablis to the Côte de Beaune, they combine the energy of a fresh vintage with the charm of fine ripeness, with a saline tension and a precision reminiscent of the finest 2014s. The reds, meanwhile, show purity, juiciness and transparency, with delicate red fruit and fine tannins, in a classic and approachable style.

In Chassagne-Montrachet, Domaine Ramonet brings grand cru chardonnay to a rare balance between richness and minerality. In the Côte de Nuits, Domaine Georges Roumier produces Bonnes-Mares of remarkable finesse and depth, while Anne Gros crafts an Échezeaux of great delicacy and Arnoux-Lachaux confirms its rising status in Vosne-Romanée. On the Hautes-Côtes, Denis Carré offers an accessible and sincere introduction to the vintage.

Northern Rhône Valley 2017 — Hillside syrah, concentrated by drought

The northern Rhône is the great success story of 2017. Perched on their steep hillsides, the vineyards of Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Hermitage escaped the frost, then benefited from a very hot and dry summer. The drought reduced yields but concentrated the grapes: the syrah is ripe, dense and deep, carried by a characteristic dark fruit and smoky note. The finest wines combine this sun-drenched material with supple tannins and remarkable length. These are wines that are approachable young, but built for good ageing.

On the Côte Brune, Domaine Jamet produces a Côte-Rôtie of peppery finesse and exemplary balance, while René Rostaing draws from the same hillside a dense and thoroughbred cuvée. The Guigal house dominates the appellation with its hillside crus — La Landonne, La Mouline and La Turque — the pinnacles of concentration and length. Christophe Pichon and Stéphane Ogier confirm the vitality of the new generation, the latter producing, with his Lancement cuvée, a syrah of brilliant fruit and fine structure. Domaine Clape extends the year southwards within the northern vineyard with a taut and mineral white Saint-Péray.

Alsace 2017 — Ripe grand crus and exceptional sweet wines

Alsace also paid its toll to the frost, with a reduced but beautifully ripe harvest. The sunshine of the summer produced ample and precise wines, and above all made possible some superb late-harvest wines and Sélections de Grains Nobles. In this vintage, the Alsace sweet wines form the northern counterpart to the great moelleux: concentrated, pure, carried by a vibrant acidity that keeps them light and airy.

On the grand cru Moenchberg, Domaine Marc Kreydenweiss produces a dense and saline dry wine, a faithful expression of its marly-limestone terroir. And Domaine Weinbach, with its Sélection de Grains Nobles, reaches the pinnacle of the style: a rich, luminous and taut liqueur, born from grapes concentrated by botrytis. These are rare bottles, to be reserved for lovers of great sweet wines.

Languedoc-Roussillon 2017 — The southern sun, an accessible entry point

Far from the frosts of the north, the Languedoc-Roussillon enjoyed a sunny and dry year, marked by a scorching summer. The old vines, with their deep roots, best withstood the drought and yielded ripe, spiced and generous reds, without heaviness where altitude or proximity to the sea preserved freshness. The terroir whites, rarer, combine roundness and tension. This is a region of immediate appeal, ideal for discovering the vintage without waiting.

On the schist terroirs of Roussillon, Domaine du Clos des Fées draws from its old vines a deep and velvety red, at once powerful and fresh. In the hills of Pézenas, Domaine Les Aurelles crafts, with its Aurel cuvées in both red and white, age-worthy wines of unexpected elegance, carried by old pebble terroirs. These bottles show that in 2017, the South was able to combine richness and balance.

Giving a 2017 wine, an excellent gift idea

A 2017 wine is the perfect gift for a birthday.

Are you looking for a great 2017 wine? Would you like to give a 2017 wine as a gift, or simply enjoy one? Explore our unique cellar and find your bottle of wine. Giving a great vintage wine is an original and memorable gift. Wedding anniversary, the year you met, a gift for a colleague… All are occasions to give a vintage wine to mark the moment.