Bordeaux 2009 Vintage Report
How good is good?
When Bordeaux 2009 is good, it is very, very good. Amazingly good, in fact. To quote Ben Collins, the top wines are 'off the clock' and many chateaux from the lower tiers are not too far behind.
The vintage's sweet spot is the Medoc: St Estephe, St Julien, Pauillac, and (to a slightly lesser extent) Margaux. The classified growths for these communes have almost uniformly excelled. The wines are ripe and rich with sweet tannins and sexy fruit but also have a fabulous freshness and energy. They taste like brilliant clarets rather than wines from the Napa Valley or Coonawarra.
The quality across the river on the right bank is less consistent. There are some tremendous highs but some disappointments too. St Emilion in particular has made some over-extracted, overly alcoholic wines. Merlot was a much harder grape to work with than Cabernet Sauvignon in 2009. The hit rate in Pomerol is higher.
You will not have to spend a fortune for a taste of this magical vintage, although bargain hunters will need to be selective. Not all the cheaper wines will offer fantastic value for money. 2009 is a vintage where the quality of the terroir is writ large upon the wines.
The Lowdown: Bordeaux 2009 in 5 easy steps
1. The best wines are ripe, rich, well-balanced and, most importantly of all, fresh. They will age very well
2. The left bank is more consistent than the right - this is a vintage that favours Cabernet Sauvignon over Merlot. Lots of superb wines in St Estephe, Pauillac & St Julien
3. The sweet spot on the right bank is Pomerol and the gravelly plateau in St Emilion which adjoins it
4. We found great value wines from Fronsac to Moulis but bargain hunters need to be selective at the cheaper end of the market
5. Both dry and sweet whites are very good rather than outstanding (with a few notable exceptions such as Yquem)
The Weather Report
2009 was a near perfect grape-growing summer in Bordeaux with a wet spring refilling the water table just before a long, warm summer. The vines enjoyed near perfect flowering and bud burst and the good weather meant there were precious few disease problems later on in the season. The importance of settled weather at bud burst and flowering was highlighted by Jancis Robinson when she wrote "Most crucially, the vines had finished their chief growth spurt by the time the long, fine summer came along so that all that sunshine went into ripening the grapes."
Overall the summer was a little bit drier than 2005 with more sun hours and cooler nights. This last point is very important as the lower night-time temperatures helped protect the grapes - fruit flavours and acidity levels. It means the 2009s have a wonderful tell-tale freshness that makes them even more delicious.
The harvest period was trouble free with some welcome rain in early September accelerating the maturity of the tannins. Most chateaux had the luxury of harvesting their grapes when they wished rather than hurrying to do so before the rain arrived.
For those of you who would like to read a more in depth account of the growing season, Jancis Robinson has published Bill Blatch's renowned report on her website.
The Value List
We won't know which wines will offer the best value for money until the prices are released but here is our list of wines to watch. Based on previous release prices, these are the chateaux we believe could offer the most bang per buck in 2009:
Haut Beausejour (St Estephe)
Lafon Rochet (St Estephe)
Ormes de Pez (St Estephe)
Tronquoy Lalande (St Estephe)
Batailley (Pauillac)
Pibran (Pauillac)
Gruaud Larose (St Julien)
Clos du Marquis (St Julien)
Talbot (St Julien)
Dauzac (Margaux)
Durfort Vivens (Margaux)
Cantemerle (Haut-Medoc)
Chasse-Spleen (Haut-Medoc)
Lanessan (Haut-Medoc)
Poujeaux (Haut-Medoc)
de Fieuzal (Pessac-Leognan)
Clarence de Haut Brion (Pessac-Leognan)
Berliquet (St Emilion)
Fonbel (St Emilion)
La Pointe (Pomerol)
Rouget (Pomerol)
La Dauphine (Fronsac)
Fontenil (Fronsac)
Here's what the Critics have to say:
"I have never given so many really high scores when tasting en primeur anywhere... The wines were, in general, a huge pleasure to taste, with luscious ripeness but also in more cases quite enough acidity and heavily disguised, often record levels of tannin." Jancis Robinson, www.jancisrobinson.com
"I love the way the wines have such opulent fruit backed by powerful tannins. Yet the tannins are round and polished with the top wines. In addition, the reds are fresh and vibrant. A lot of people make comparisons to 1982, which I have to agree with to some extent but, honestly, I think they are better." James Suckling, Wine Spectator
"2009 is an incredibly exciting vintage of opulence, power, and richness, yet the better wines have a precision and delicacy that is unprecedented." Robert Parker
How to Order
Prices are expected to be released end of April/May. You can register your interest and send us wish lists to sales@bibendum-wine.co.uk or call a member of the Fine Wine Team on 020 7449 4120.
