Bordeaux 2009 Vintage Report

 

The Weather

 

The heavens through some curve balls into the 2009 vintage. Two were noteworthy; in May two swathes of hail that marked a cross over the whole region. Of the great appellations only the northern fringe of Graves (including La Mission Haut Brion) the most extreme westerly vineyards of Saint Emilion and its satellite ACs and bits of the southern Medoc. Serious damage was done to the bread basket vineyards of Entre Deux Mers. Hail is almost expected in Burgundy but rarely to this extent in Bordeaux. The second major consideration was the dryness of August and early September. Many vines had simply shut down by early September but rains in mid month brought them back to life. This though made it difficult for Chateaux to judge the time to pick. Sugar levels were high but maturity of flavour compounds often fell short. The result is that some Chateau have produced bold robust and alcoholic wines but with little classic substance. The effect was clearly more marked for Merlot partly because the risk of leaving this earlier ripener on the vines seemed greater and so there are more of these disappointments on the right bank.

These two notes aside with no frosts perfect conditions for early flowering and fruit set and a warm and sunny summer Bordeaux enjoyed a rich harvest.

 

The Wines

 

The key to the vintage is maintaining some freshness. Most of the Cabernets are excellent though rarely showing a hint of that blackcurrant leaf character that makes it so distinctive and in time distinguished. Instead the lush fruits are swathed in a thick wrapping of unusually high but wonderfully ripe tannin. The vineyard management and picking times are so important that all the money invested in high tech wineries could easily come to nothing. The pleasant result of this is that many of the super seconds and even some smaller wines are far closer in quality to the icon wines than is usual. There are exceptional wines and very few disasters in Saint Estephe Pauillac and Saint Julien. Further south Margaux and Graves fail to inspire; this was not the vintage to be forcing their naturally finer styles into the modern mould. Of course there are notable exceptions Brane Cantenac Rauzan Segla Carmes Haut Brion Haut Bailly and a very serious Haut Brion being among the front runners.

Tasting the right bank wines was far more difficult. There is plenty of welly jelly fruit and a belly full of creamy vanilla texture but many examples are not truly fine. Alcohols on the lower yielding east side of Saint Emilion (e.g. Troplong Tertre Rotbeouf and Pavie) are close to or over 15% and tastings suggest that the harvest simply had to come in before phenolic (flavour) ripeness. Of those who nailed it most were in Pomerol or on that side of Saint Emilion. Any of Le Pin Vieux Chateau Certan Trotanoy Cheval Blanc and Petrus could be a good taster’s wine of the vintage. It was a fine line between the exquisite and the unexciting.

There is not a recent vintage to compare with 2009. The 1982s were just before my time but there must be some association. It may also come to pass that as for 1982 many wines that are criticised in their youth turn out to be sumptuous beauties in their twenties and thirties.

Sauternes are the best since 2001. Harvests were even and early and as in 1990 there was less need for several pickings. Sugars are high without having exceptional levels of botrytis and most importantly acids are deliciously fresh and vibrant. Like the 1997s the wines will be more brilliant within 12 to 15 years.

 

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 but they must leave room for upward growth to avoid ‘futures’ becoming resigned to history. In turbulent times and with pressure on currency Handford is acutely aware that 2009 may prove a ‘tipping point’ for many Chateaux. Expect a drawn out campaign going well into June and with more limited volumes being released at first price. Like the vintage beware of some deep potholes on the road to some big rewards.

 

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