WINE - A Vintage That Will Age for a Century - BORDEAUX 2010

Bordeaux en primeur 2010.

It is often said that great Bordeaux vintages come in pairs. For those who have tasted as far back as the twenties, there was 1928 and 1929—two summers that produced glorious wines very different in style. The hard and tannic '28s were followed by the softer, suppler '29s. In my lifetime, there has been the '85 and '86, and the '89 and '90. The great 2005 was preceded by the inconsistent, but still very good 2004, and now we have the 2009 and 2010, two vintages that have, in many ways, rewritten the Bordeaux history books.

I have just returned from a week in Bordeaux, tasting six-month-old barrel samples of the 2010 vintage ahead of the forthcoming en primeur campaign. Over five days that saw more than 5,000 critics, trade buyers and wine professionals descend on the region, we covered all the Classed Growths, a feat which meant that, in some cases, we began our tastings well before 9 a.m.

It is a vintage where levels of alcohol, tannin and acidity are so high that seasoned tasters such as Hew Blair, chairman of U.K.-based Justerini & Brooks wine merchants—who has been tasting Bordeaux from the barrel since the mid-seventies, described the wine as "beyond anything we have tasted before." - via Wall Street Journal

It is often said that great Bordeaux vintages come in pairs. For those who have tasted as far back as the twenties, there was 1928 and 1929—two summers that produced glorious wines very different in style. The hard and tannic '28s were followed by the softer, suppler '29s. In my lifetime, there has been the '85 and '86, and the '89 and '90. The great 2005 was preceded by the inconsistent, but still very good 2004, and now we have the 2009 and 2010, two vintages that have, in many ways, rewritten the Bordeaux history books.

In 2009, the weather was immaculate, facilitating a growing season that produced wines with harmonious fruit, high acidity and firm tannins—wines that are supple and easy to drink. Some described 2009 as one of the best vintages the old region has ever experienced. Certainly, it was a year where châteaux on both sides of the Gironde, such as Château Margaux and Vieux Château Certan, made some of the best wines in their history. Now we have 2010, undoubtedly a great year, but a vintage that has produced wines high in alcohol, acidity and tannin—in short, wines that aren't easy to taste when young, but have all the components, including the key one of freshness, to last a long time and improve with age. As Paul Pontallier, director of Château Margaux says, 2010 is a vintage that will age for a century.

The Wines

This is undoubtedly another great Bordeaux vintage. Very different in style to 2009, the 2010 wines are fresher, with more tannin, alcohol and acidity. On the Gironde's left bank, there are some beautiful wines, particularly in Saint-Estèphe. On the right bank, the picture is more mixed, but Pomerol has once again produced some sensational wines. As with all great vintages, the bargains are to be found at the lower end in areas such as the Cru Bourgeois.

Sublime

Châteaux that have made outstanding wines this year.

• Château Lafite Rothschild, 1er Cru Classé, Pauillac
• Château Margaux, 1er Cru Classé, Margaux
• Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac
• Château Montrose, 2ème Cru Classé, Saint-Estèphe
• Château Montrose, 2ème Cru Classé, Saint-Estèphe
• Château Cheval Blanc, 1er Grand Cru Classé, Pomerol
• Château L'Evangile, Pomerol
• Château Latour, 1er Cru Classé, Pauillac
• Château Ausone, 1er Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Emilion
• Le Pin, Pomerol
• Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol
• Château Palmer, 3ème Cru Classé, Margaux
• Château La Conseillante, Pomerol

Good

Châteaux that have produced wines of an above-average quality in 2010.

• Château Haut-Marbuzet, Cru Bourgeois, Saint-Estèphe
• La Petite Eglise, Pomerol
• Château Bellevue, Grand Cru Classé, Saint Emilion
• Le Dôme, Grand Cru, Saint-Emilion
• Château Cantemerle, 5ème Cru Classé, Haut-Médoc
• Château Brane-Cantenac, 2ème Cru Classé, Margaux
• Château Lagrange, 3ème Cru Classé, Saint-Julien
• Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, Margaux
• Château Ormes de Pez, Cru Bourgeois, Saint-Estèphe
• Château Le Tertre Rôteboeuf, Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Emilion
• Les Forts de Latour, Pauillac
• Château Léoville Las Cases,2ème Cru Classé, Saint-Julien

Value

Châteaux that have made wines that will offer good value for money.

• Château Haut-Batailley, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac
• Château Petit Bocq, Cru Bourgeois, Saint-Estephe
• Château La Tour du Pin, Saint-Emilion
• Château La Grande Maye, Côtes de Castillon
• Château Valade, Saint-Emilion
• Chateau Teyssier, Saint-Emilion
• Château Reynon, Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux
• Château Puygueraud, Côtes de Francs
• Château Beaumont, Cussac
• Clos des Quatre Vents, Cru Bourgeois, Margaux
• Château d'Aiguilhe, Côtes de Castillon
• Château Tour Saint Bonnet, Cru Bourgeois, Saint-Christoly de Médoc

I have just returned from a week in Bordeaux, tasting six-month-old barrel samples of the 2010 vintage ahead of the forthcoming en primeur campaign. Over five days that saw more than 5,000 critics, trade buyers and wine professionals descend on the region, we covered all the Classed Growths, a feat which meant that, in some cases, we began our tastings well before 9 a.m. It is a vintage where levels of alcohol, tannin and acidity are so high that seasoned tasters such as Hew Blair, chairman of U.K.-based Justerini & Brooks wine merchants—who has been tasting Bordeaux from the barrel since the mid-seventies, described the wine as "beyond anything we have tasted before."

Improvements in viticulture, such as reducing the yields of the vine and the introduction of modern practices in the vineyard, including green-harvesting and removing excess leaves, have led to greater ripeness. Coupled with late picking, this has produced wines that, at some châteaux, are bigger, more alcoholic and texturally richer than before. The 2010 vintage typifies this change. The dry summer produced wines rich in concentration and tannin, but high sugar levels resulted in wines high in alcohol, with many châteaux hovering around the 14.5% mark, which, although it may not detrimentally affect the style and taste of the wine, certainly affect the drinker, particularly those who are used to wine in the 11%-12.5% category.

In many ways, there are two styles of Bordeaux now—the riper, fuller, more fruity wines seen in châteaux such as Pavie; Cos D'Estournel, which has reined back from the massively concentrated and opulent 2009 vintage; and, to a certain degree, Ducru-Beaucaillou, which has a silky and smooth character. At the other end of the scale, there is the balance, elegance and finesse of Château Montrose in Saint-Estèphe or Château La Conseillante in Pomerol.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes handled the heat better in 2010; the latter, when used in a blend with Merlot, has given the wines an extra lift and freshness. And on the right bank of the Gironde, the Pomerol region has produced some glorious wines, in particular from Château L'Evangile, Château La Conseillante, Vieux Château Certan and Château Cheval Blanc, whose vineyards sit on the higher plains where the soil of gravel over sand imparts a dry, mineral edge to the wine when it hits the palate. As in 2009, the left bank, which favors a blend high in Cabernet Sauvignon, has produced some truly great wines. In Saint-Estèphe, the wines impressed with their structure, elegance and finesse; Château Montrose, Château Haut-Marbuzet, Château Les Ormes-de-Pez and Château Petit Bocq are all on form. Further south in Pauillac, Château Pontet Canet, Château Lynch-Bages, Château Haut Batailley and Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste all produced wines that were arguably better than their 2009 counterparts. Grand-Puy-Lacoste appears to be getting better and better, and I would recommend buying the 2008, '09 and '10. The 2008 can be picked up for around €350 a case, while the 2009 is €650—not cheap by any standards, but considerably less expensive than the ludicrously priced First Growths.

To my surprise, it was the second wines of the First Growths that tasted better at this embryonic stage. Both Château Margaux's Pavillon Rouge and Château Latour's Les Forts de Latour were outstanding in 2010, but sadly, these are no longer the bargains they once were. At Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild, other wines in the portfolio, such as Château Duhart-Milon and Château Clerc Milon, stood out—which leads to the topic of value. With a case of Lafite 2009 now selling for €15,000, most of the grand terroirs of Bordeaux are beyond consumers' reach. And yet in great vintages such as '09 and '10, it is the lesser wines in appellations such as Haut-Médoc that benefit. While the quality has risen significantly, the price may only rise 10%. Time and time again, I tasted wines in the €10-€20 bracket that provided established examples of how decent red Bordeaux should taste. €10,000 a case? The canny buyer will only have to spend €150 in this vintage.