2009 Bordeaux preliminary report

2009 Margaux barrel sample label Forget Brown-Cameron;
here comes 2009 Brane-Cantenac

Saturday 3 April. All aboard the 10:26 from Gare St-Jean bound for St Pancras. Still the rain doesn't relent but nothing could dampen our enthusiasm throughout a week of tasting 2009 Bordeaux from barrel.

I remember a customer saying that even his teetotal great aunt had her opinion about the 2005 vintage. By now she's probably quoting the met office's stats for the growing season of 2009: the perfect combination of warm and sunny summer days for ripening and cool nights to retain acidity; the odd dash of rain to refresh the grapes and prolong their development. Far from the normal worries about harvesting before the onset of rain, the only concern was too little water and grapes turning raisiny. That aside, it was a good-sized crop of rich, ripe and exceedingly healthy fruit.

The excitement is palpable: vignerons in all corners of Bordeaux have something very special in their cellars, and the level of interest amongst buyers is unprecedented: for the 2005 vintage, 700 people visited Cheval Blanc to taste barrel samples, said general manager Pierre Lurton; this year, the figure was 1,200. The left bank appears to hold more promise than the right, and - to our taste - Cabernet seems to have performed better than Merlot due to the low rainfall. But this isn't always the case, especially where the soils are more water-retentive (as in much of Pomerol), or the vine roots very deep. It is also a very good year for the white wines - both dry and sweet. Concentrated like 2005 but with finer tannins, they said at Margaux and Haut-Brion; closest to 1986, we were told at Mouton-Rothschild; the power of 1990 with the elegance of 89 (Lynch-Bages); like a combination of 82, 90 and 96 (Grand-Puy-Lacoste); 61/82/89/90 (Montrose); 90/98 (Le Pin) or even 28/45/61 (Palmer). Alexandre Thienpont says he's seen nothing like it in his 25 years at Vieux Chateau Certan and in Barsac Climens compare it to their fabulous 07 and 01.

But to conclude that the whole of the world's biggest and greatest fine wine region has just hit upon nirvana is, of course, a gross simplification. The massive points scores already emerging conceal the vast array of styles not just across the region but also within its individual communes (this is, for sure, a year of very expressive and characterful wines). Consumers who are well acquainted with a particular chateau's style are going to have a lot of fun but those who aren't will need a lot of guidance. And although the greatest 2009s may well ultimately outperform their 2005 forebears, quality overall isn't as consistent as the earlier vintage.

And, sadly, the gulf between the haves and have nots continues to widen. In sterling terms but also, probably, in euros, the least affordable two dozen or so wines are going to be less so than ever but - unless the bubble bursts - will reward their wealthy buyers by continuing to appreciate in value. At the other extreme, the great majority of Bordeaux's 10,000 or so different labels struggle to sell at all, regardless of price. Somewhere in between there are dozens of wines which offer a taste of the former at a price closer to the latter. These are growers who, for sure, will raise their prices this year, but who also respect their customers and value repeat business. They make the best wines they can year in, year out and their wines are worth buying every year. They are wines which can sometimes eclipse their vastly more expensive neighbours and, in 2009, they are must-buys. Please see below for our recommendations by money-no-object, high QPR, and on a tight budget. /AR

We shall be adding tasting notes and scores to the website as they are published and then sending information by email as the wines are released over the next two to three months. In the meantime, we are very happy to take pre-orders - with no obligation to buy - in person, by phone or email, or via the 'Order' function on the relevant product details pages.

Two dozen must-buys...

... money-no-object
Angelus
Cheval Blanc
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
Climens
Clos Fourtet
Ducru-Beaucaillou
Haut-Brion
Lafite
Latour
Leoville-Las Cases
Margaux
La Mission Haut-Brion
Montrose
Mouton-Rothschild
Palmer
Pape-Clement Blanc
Pavie
Pavillon Blanc du Margaux
Pichon-Longueville
Le Pin
Pontet-Canet
Smith-Haut-Lafitte Blanc
Vieux Chateau Certan
Yquem

... with (we hope) a high quality-price ratio
Alter Ego de Palmer
Armailhac
Beau-Sejour Becot
Branaire-Ducru
Brane-Cantenac
Carmes Haut-Brion
Domaine de Chevalier Rouge
Clerc Milon
Clos Fourtet
Clos du Marquis
Durfort-Vivens
Figeac
Grand-Puy-Lacoste
Haut-Bailly
Haut-Batailley
Lafon-Rochet
La Lagune
Leoville-Poyferre
Nenin
Pavillon Rouge du Margaux
Petit Village
Rauzan-Segla
Sociando-Mallet
Talbot

... on a tight budget
Angludet
Batailley
Bernadotte
Cantemerle
Citran
Le Crock
Croix de Beaucaillou
Durfort-Vivens
Ferriere
de Fieuzal Rouge
La Gurgue
Haut-Bages Liberal
Haut-Beausejour
Labadie
Lacoste Borie
Les Ormes de Pez
Le Petit Lion (Leoville-Las Cases)
Potensac
Poujeaux
Sarget de Gruaud-Larose
Siran
Talbot Caillou Blanc
Tour de By
Tronquoy-Lalande

View all 2009 Bordeaux en primeur