Comments on: Bordeaux 2009 en primeur — the dispatches!

By: Rick Geyer

Rick Geyer — Sat, 08 May 2010 19:28:34 +0000

I thought there were many wines of Breed and Elegance. In St Estephe Ch Montrose on a peak by itseld. With Jean Delmas assisting for nearly 5 years it is what I expect. Pauillac and St Julien very strong across the board. I am getting people who want Lafite and Carruades, I told them to be prepared for a bidding contest with China.
Farther South in Graves, I thought Mr. Parker was right on. Haut Brion/La Mission are fantastic and the second labels are terrific. Pape Clement, Smith Lafitte, Haut Bailly are wonderful. But some of the minor Chateau are very good and at realistic prices. I left importing and our internet web site has only been up for a year, but the store is over 50 years old. We will offer Futures but it wil be a list of tried and true wines we believe in. I thought Haut Brion was magical, but expect the Clarence de Haut Brion to be expensive after reading they only made 2.000 cases. I have enjoyed your web site for several years, long may you blog.

By: Bordeaux 2009: all over but the pricing | Dr Vino's wine blog

Bordeaux 2009: all over but the pricing | Dr Vino's wine blog — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:01:15 +0000

[...] tasting is a matter of opinion and others have expressed their views (captured, in part, in our tweet roundup). Writing in the Financial Times, Jancis Robinson compared the ripeness and high alcohols she [...]

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 05:39:50 +0000

Take a look at Roger Voss’s reviews (winemag.com) posted each day of tastings with scores.
My analysis (also on winemag.com) is about the pricing and US/Asian markets. I will be posting interviews next week but essentially experts seem to say the firsts will be high (maybe lower than 2005 on small first tranche), super-seconds will suffer (in US the result of how they played in 2005 – too high and had to be discounted). The rest will be good value and certainly many very good wines at lower prices than Napa (not just cults).
There were a lot of Americans (relatively speaking). The young Chinese tasters were the “first tranche” at various trade tastings. Ch’NG Poh Tiong had good point about Chinese “locking in” raw materials (en primeur) as they do with minerals etc. Lau Chi Sun notes distinction between mainland China and Hong Kong buyers (Hong Kong always buys en primeur, direct and historically through UK).
Colin Ferenbach (la Vieille Cure) spoke for many about fury with Diageo and Southern Wine and Spirits bailing out of en primeur. Getting to US market is the key issue below the firsts. That’s the space to watch.
Vintage is ripe for legit wine investment funds and fund frauds. Attn doctors: Due diligence!

By: Dean @ Vintology

Dean @ Vintology — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 03:55:10 +0000

I was there. I’m a big Bordeaux head. I’m in the trade and own Vintology!

By: Why is there so little Biodynamics in Bordeaux? | Dr Vino's wine blog

Why is there so little Biodynamics in Bordeaux? | Dr Vino's wine blog — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:36:04 +0000

[...] Thanks for visiting! One of the 2009 wines that generated favorable comments at last week’s en primeur tastings in Bordeaux was Pontet-Canet in Pauillac. Over on Twitter, there was some confusion about [...]

By: Wine Blog

Wine Blog — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:25:04 +0000

It will be interesting to see whether or not 2009 lives up to the expectations, its certainly had quite a few critics excited, we’ll just have to wait a few years to see if they are right!

By: mauss

mauss — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:37:45 +0000

At this moment, we should not discuss about the prices. This will come later and so many factors are playing a role in various ways such as the huge stocks existing around, the ratio $/€, the Parker scores and so many others points.

We have to speak about the qualities.

No doubt that those who did realize top wines will put later on the markets real new benchmarks since you have clearly a new style coming out which may be defined as a fantastic finesse with soft high quality tanins and a lenght for time, without loosing the typicity of the terroir and, of course, any fruit in total and pure maturity. Perfect balance. Joy to come.

Of course, Cos and Palmer and Valandraud will remain the moguls of a style and will have their usual fanatics : great : enough for every taste.

But then, VCC and Haut-Brion (IMO) will become the 2 stars in the future. Be sure many others wines, also at a very low price level have achieved exceptional results.

Now, any one may say – and it is OK – that the homogeneity of 2005 is superior : so what ? My target is to find the very best 2009 in various price’ ranges, and I will not put in my cellar some 2009 just because they are from 2009 (idem of course for 2005).

What I do like in many 2009, it is that we are, at last, out the “boring” style of so many bordeaux, a style which was pushing amateurs to others regions,like Burgundy.

Read also what Yan d’Agata has writtenon Tanzer : quite a sensible opinion.

By: Dr. Vino

Dr. Vino — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:43:32 +0000

Gary, Yes, certainly the top Bordeaux wines seem to have turned into high priced commodities some time a decade or more ago.

Dean, cool you were there. Are you in the trade?

Also, Alfonso Cevola, who is with the wholesaler Glazers in Texas but also a wine blogger (On the Wine Route in Italy), has posted a flickr stream with some of his photos from en primeur:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21444245@N00/sets/72157623781918838/show/

By: Dean @ Vintology

Dean @ Vintology — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:36:20 +0000

I’ve just come back from tasting the 2009′s. There are definitely some great wines in 2009 and many inconsistencies, but it is not a vintage of across the board greatness as in other vintages such as 2000 or 2005. The wines in most cases are extremely dense with concentrated, sometimes too ripe fruit. The wines have silky tannins & for the most part are balanced at this time! I believe the classified growths will be priced extremely high with great values at the lower end of the spectrum. The chateau were talking 2005 pricing? I told them our economy is not what it was back in 2005. It won’t really matter as the Far East will gobble up most wines at any price.

By: Gary

Gary — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:34:48 +0000

Tyler,

I would be surprise to find too many “honest” critiques of the vintage as a whole, not just individual wines. IMO the critics cheer, and with the exception of 2005 my opinion of the vintages was diametrically opposed to most of the professionals, at least through 2007.

From the initial reports it is clear that there would be many unbalanced high alcohol, fruit bombs and that appears to be the case, especially with Merlot. I’m waiting for Chris Kissack’s report, but I’m not surprised by his initial comments.

This is not a great vintages, as I define by across the board and top down quality. This is a mixed bag vintage with what appears to be some terrific wines and some disasters.

I’m sure it will be priced as another VOTC. I haven’t bought any Bdx since 2005 and back filled 2001, some select 2002, 2004, and some 1998 that were at some very reasonable prices since no one wanted the wines. Even RB 1998, stored perfectly for 10 years was much cheaper than any of the releases over the past few years.

IMO, people are nuts to pay these prices.

By: 1WineDude

1WineDude — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:44:20 +0000

VINTAGE OF THE CENTURY!

You heard it here FIRST!

Oh… wait a second….

By: castello

castello — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:05:00 +0000

Best vintage ever! Again