Bordeaux 2008 Vintage Report

 

The Weather

 

In short patchy; the season was even wetter than 2007 but this time weather patterns were far more conducive to fine wine making. Hints of frost in April and some dangerous hail in the middle Medoc did more to reduce yields than compromise quality. As in the UK it was fairly dismal until the end of August but the two key times were July and September. July was warm and quite dry promoting excellent fruit set and a healthy start to the ripening phase. August was damp again but by this stage sunlight is not particularly limiting and temperatures stayed high enough to encourage fruit development. The danger then was mildew and this is very much a management issue and therefore wide variation in quality between properties. September and early October were bright and sunny if a little cool on some days. Weather-wise this is 90% of a good vintage and so it should not be such a big surprise that there are some lovely wines here.

As for 2007 this rainy mid-season is unusual and so it’s difficult to compare the weather with another year. 2002 with a much finer end to the season is close.

 

The Wines

 

There is huge variation almost everywhere. Beginning on the right bank we noted some lush Merlots but slightly weaker wines that were more Cabernet dominant. Strangely though a number of wines with a quarter to a third of Cabernet seemed to turn out for the best. Petit Village is a good example though the great examples are for drinking within a decade. Many Graves producers held their nerve to harvest very late and that seemed to pay off with elegant and cool Cabernets. Margaux and the southern Medoc were perhaps most stressed by hail and early rains resulting in our shortest shopping list. Rauzan Segla is the most notable exception. By contrast Saint Julien was the most consistent commune with Leoville Poyferre Leoville Barton and Lagrange outstanding. The neighbouring appellation to the north is Pauillac and so it was no surprise that some of the best of the smaller chateau are from the southern half of that commune; Batailley is excellent and the nearby Haut Medoc red of Chateau Belgrave stands out. As in vintages like 1999 and 2001 the well drained high gravel plateau of Pauillac offers the very finest examples; Pichon Baron (rather than Lalande) Pontet Canet d’Armailhac Mouton and Lafite. Saint Estephe was quite hard work with the classic mineral edge and stoney tannins overpowering the fruit. With the possible exceptions of Cos d’Estournel and Calon Segur the few wines that were balanced fell a little short on the palate.

 

The Notes

 It is most important to be aware that these samples were prepared from barrels and the wines are not yet finished. Appearances are important though may be deceptive as the wines will be racked (cleared) further and the shade will develop before bottling. The absolute colour however is important and a good indication of quality. In their extreme youth wines are often ‘closed’. This means that the structure encases the aromas. At this stage this is a good thing. On the palate we look for depth concentration complexity (number of flavours) and length. There may be a feeling for fruit rather than an abundance of flavours. These qualities also give an indication of how long each wine needs to be kept. 

 

The Market

Sadly the state of the market is now discussed in more breadth and depth than the quality of the wines. Quite rightly the Bordelais are keen to release at a fair market price so as to obviate too much speculation. This year some have chosen to release a small quantity to test the market. This seems to have worked in that true values are being reached quite quickly. Of course there may still be movement upward but looking at the small volumes released initially fresh supplies should keep those rises in check. The influential Robert Parker can only rate the better wines above 2007 and that will result in some surprisingly decent marks.

In the mid range prices are at worst in line with inflation versus 2001 and 2002 and at best some 20% less in real terms. Buyers have been given fair encouragement to deal at least in the top 30 or 40 wines which is just what we like to offer!

 

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