Burgundy 2010 - An update from Domaine Grivot

Following what could be called a genuine winter with frost and rain and especially the night of 19th December with a temperature of -20 degree Celsius; not only did many vines perish but the same fate befell a large number of fruit-bearing buds.

Growth started at the usual time and was consistent thanks to summer temperatures in late April. But 2010 was one of the rainiest years ever recorded during the vines’ growing period.
During the summer, the weather was very cool and vines and fruits growth up normal. These conditions played a predominant role in ensuring that the vines remained healthy.

At Domaine Grivot, we took the decision to use only organic products for vines in 2010 and we are very happy; for the first time, we saw how the plant was able to cope with all of these weather challenges without external assistance. The foliage stayed a glorious deep green, the skin of the fruit had incredible thickness and all the different elements ripened in perfect harmony. Very good news for the future!

We started grape-picking on 23th September in cool weather with a light northerly wind. We record 40% less production compared to a normal year. However, given the weather experienced during the vintage, this also explains the marvellous quality of the harvest. The vintage is promising.

The wines produced are superbly balanced, in the spirit of the 2000 vintage but with greater density. Colours are dense and luminous. A generous palate with an incredibly delicate finish. Tannins are silky and sophisticated. Without any doubt a great success and a tribute to all the hard work in the vineyards over the last few years.

I have a liking for the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellations this year. They are superb and have a great elegance, freshness, harmony, fineness and structure.

Concerning the 2011 vintage? Very early to ask about it!

But the high temperature, at the beginning of spring, gives the premonition of a precocious vintage. The vines are crazy!!
The third week of April, we recorded, in Vosne-Romanee, 22 days earlier than 2009…
At the middle of May, flowering was blooming. Just one week was required to pass this stage.

If we count like the ancients, one hundred days, we should harvest around of the 20th August in Vosne-Romanee and Nuits-Saint-Georges.
Hopefully the weather will be cool this summer.

Germany 2010 - a potential legend

Like everyone else, I suppose, all I remembered about the 2010 German vintage were reports of doom and gloom that had already started to surface by September 2010, before the main harvest had even begun. People had all but written it off. So I came out to Germany in April 2011 with much scepticism after hearing reports from producers of "great things"

Difficult conditions throughout the 2010 summer were fortunately complimented by two factors: A bad flowering that meant potential yields were low, a good thing considering the poor summer that lay waiting, as fewer grapes mean easier ripening. The second factor was sunny, cool weather at the end of September through October, when the main harvest took place.

Early summer conditions and cool temperatures did mean that vintage was late, many growers were still picking into November. As Klaus Peter Keller put it "you had to not lose your nerve and wait until the grapes were ripe"

It is clear there are two sides to this vintage, commercial production and mediocre producers have meant lean, acidic wine. However totally on the contrary, top producers from top sites have made some stunning grosse gewachs and late harvest wines.

The crop is small but the wines are fabulously intense and concentrated, so much so that the extract covers the high acidities amply. It is also a vintage where the different soils and climates sing gloriously through each wine. This is a classic and should be a great one to lay down. As an example Zilliken has recorded the lowest crop for 30 years, but the highest ever average must weights.

So never has there been such a wide qualitative gap between the top and bottom wines in one vintage, but Riesling fans will not want to miss out on top growers' wines, at their best they could be something close to legendary

(pictured is the mightly Maximin Grunhaus Abtsberg of Carl von Schubert)

Bordeaux 2010 value survey

QPR, seems to be a commonplace initialism amongst tweeters, bloggers and those on the wine forums. I suppose it’s a sign of the times. Everyone has embraced austerity and we all demand a little more for our hard earned dollar. Although Bordeaux is dominated by stories of record auctions in Hong Kong and stratospheric prices for First Growths, there is lots of value to be found, if you look in the right places...

After the UGC tastings, we ask our team to list their top ten wines from various categories including ‘best value’. Value is subjective of course. A Wall Street Banker’s concept of value may not be very well aligned to that of a St James’s Street wine merchant, but with hands on hearts we compile a list of what we think are the best buys from the vintage. If proof were needed, after we have removed our hands from our chests, we put them in our pockets (or handbags...). The likes of Petit Bocq, Valade, Clos des Quatre Soeurs and Capbern Gasqueton all feature in our own cellars.

For the complete list and for more 'top tens', please follow this link http://bit.ly/jN5y0X

Bordeaux 2010 - Capbern Gasqueton

The formidable Madame Gasqueton of Calon Segur also owns this excellent estate situated south of the town of St Estephe, between the vineyards of Montrose and Phelan Segur. Tipped as one of the best value buys of the 2009 campaign, the team here have managed a repeat performance.
Sadly the yield has been influenced by some hail damage in May, but the quality is unaffected. The J&B team were mighty impressed by the cool, sophisticated style here. Whilst it doesn't have the class of the mighty Calon, it was by no means overshadowed. This is another glorious St Estephe, which offers lots of intensity and refinement for the price tag.

Bordeaux 2010 - Clos des Quatre Vents

Luc Thienpont's Clos des Quatre Vents is one of the jewels in the J&B portfolio. We have been following the estate since the 2000 vintage and it just keeps getting better and better. Luc's side of the Thienpont family are 'garagistes'. His brother Jacques owns Le Pin (1.6Ha) in Pomerol. Clos des Quatre Vents occupies an even smaller 1.2Ha of superb deep gravel terroir on the croups of Margaux. Annual production is similar to that of Le Pin, so this is a rare bottle of wine (approx 600 cases are produced per annum). Major cru classes surround the Clos on all sides, yet Luc has not followed the garagistes' pricing strategy – this still offers lots of value for money.
Luc is a pragmatic man; he loves to be out in the vineyards. His devotion to his vines almost cost him an arm earlier this year when he had an accident with a pruning machine. Thankfully he has recovered well and he is back in his beloved vineyards. This is the essence of Clos des Quatre Vents. Lots of work in the vineyard ensures that the 80 year old vines produce healthy fruit, which in turn is gently vinified by Jacques Boissenot (consultant to all of the First Growths) to ensure an elegant wine with intensity, charm, and reflects its great terroir.
We are delighted that Neal Martin shares our enthusiasm for this wine and has awarded the 2010 92-94 points, the same score as Chateau Palmer (which the J&B team thought was the best Palmer in yonks...).
'Courtesy of Luc Thienpont, a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, the Clos des Quatre Vents is broody and introspective on the nose at first with liquorice-tinged dark berried fruits. The palate has a rounded, supple entry with crisp raspberry and wild strawberry, very harmonious and focused towards the caressing finish. This is a lovely Margaux...just a shame the production is so tiny. 92-94/100'. – Neal Martin, Wine Journal