Points in wine is a contentious subject – it has been since Robert Parker published his review of the famed 1982 Bordeaux vintage in (his) The Wine Advocate. His appreciation for the richness and power of the 1982s, replicated in subsequent warmer vintages, saw his 100-point scale capture the zeitgeist and he quickly gained a following, which in turn made him somewhat responsible for a broader change in approach from the Bordelais seeking his approval and his favourable reports. Richer, more exotic, atypical ‘modern’ Claret became the vogue, especially through the 1990s, and the race was on to hit the high marks, to achieve greater fame and, of course, the trappings that come with that.

The Wine Advocate endures. Mr Parker has long since relinquished his editorial duties and we’ve seen more than a few changes in leadership over the past decade or so, but it remains a valuable source of commentary and detailed analysis from the excellent William Kelley and team. Vinous has perhaps taken the lead from The Wine Advocate in recent times, headed by Antonio Galloni, supported by a host of experts that includes Neal Martin, many of whom have come through The Wine Advocate in one way or another.

Outside of those two, we have Jancis Robinson; Jeb Dunnuck writes about Bordeaux, the USA, and Rhône wines in the main; there is James Suckling, often a source of ridicule for his oft overly generous scoring, but enormously influential; and many more besides. Even if you aren’t swayed by scores and the opinions of others, they are difficult to ignore and there has never been an easier time to compare, contrast and find consensus amongst a swathe of authoritative writers.

However long you’ve been enjoying wines, learning and studying the subject, developing your own vocabulary and experiences… vindication counts. Sharing a bottle you know well, something you might love – and seeing that bottle enjoyed by friends and colleagues gives you a lift. Similarly, when we visit a region to taste the new vintage, Bordeaux for example, and you come back with a shortlist of favourites that you truly believe in, and you can’t wait to talk about them – it’s exciting to find your own thoughts echoed by the critics.

Antonio Galloni, for Vinous, has just updated his scores for a good range of 2022 Bordeaux wines now that they have been tasted from bottle. Taking a cursory glance, I can see he has up-scored many from his initial tastings during the primeurs and for a vintage that (outside of pricing) was, and is, much acclaimed. That means some seriously impressive numbers for Bordeaux 2022. I’m sure we will soon see a similar re-cap from Neal Martin.

Here are six wines that catch the eye, wines that we still have a little stock of and are offering at the original En Primeur prices per six bottle case. Scores are from Antonio Galloni (Jan 2025) and Neal Martin (April 2023) for comparison.

Both Haut-Bages Libéral and Lafon-Rochet will be approachable from 2030 and will sail through the following 20-25 years (and I expect much longer), so they represent affordable, long-term options – not necessarily (not likely, perhaps) in terms of making money but to lay down and become something that will be truly remarkable in time.

Those two estates are noteworthy as both took an approach some years ago to change the way they operate their vineyards. Practices include cover planting, the introduction of hedgerows, grubbing up vines in favour of planting trees - all to improve biodiversity and soil health, water retention and actually cooling the vineyard a touch. I have written before about Haut-Bages Libéral sticking to their organic principles when vintage conditions conspired against them, and there were periods when the property carried a perception of underachieving in the eyes of some critics. They have well and truly turned a corner and their methods stand the vineyard in good stead going forwards, they are vindicated by the great scores they are now achieving on the regular.

We will soon turn our attention to the 2024 vintage which is exciting for me for all the non-wine reasons – the state of the market, the appetite for collecting and buying through the En Primeur system. Will the châteaux reduce prices to try and win back favour – can they afford not to considering the market vs the problems with the vintage? Interesting times and late Spring/early Summer 2025 is going to be fascinating! I’ll report back.