Bordeaux 2010 - Video: Jean-Guillaume Prats, Cos d'Estournel

Bordeaux 2010 - Jean-Guillaume Prats, Director of Cos d'Estournel on what makes his 2010 so compelling and the differences between it and his majestic 2009.

The wines of François Mitjavile

François Mitjavile is one of the most philosophical characters in Bordeaux and is usually one of the most verbose too, so we were astonished when he retorted to our 'un mot' question with consummate ease... If you haven't already seen it, there is a link to 'un mot' below.

Arriving at his tranquil estate in the commune of St.Laurent-des-Combes on a beautiful, hot, spring evening in April, the J&B team descended into the pitch black vaults to taste. It was only when we were groping around for a banister that we realised sun glasses were no longer necessary. François' cellar is like being teleported to the Cote d'Or. There's nothing futuristic or glitzy, just cold stone walls and a gutter to spit in (reluctantly). It is always one of our favourite tastings as the wines are as colourful as the man himself. Roc de Cambes 2010 is the finest effort to date in our opinion. It is decadent, opulent, hedonistic, sumptuous, yet possesses classical freshness, velvety tannins and impeccable balance.

The Tertre is something of an orgy of flavours in a glass. To use a Parkerism (a man not too popular in this particular corner of St Emilion...), this is a `prodigious` effort. An utterly intoxicating, exotic, flamboyant Tertre Roteboeuf, but as with the sister property, one is not overwhelmed; balance is the key. Some merchants are linking François' wines on a 2:1 basis (2 Roc with 1 Tertre). We don't think that this is necessary as the Roc de Cambes sells itself. You can buy a case of Tertre Roteboeuf on its own, but you'd be mad to miss out on the Roc de Cambes!

On another calm day on the Place, we have only seen two other releases of note. Olivier Casteja's wonderful Doisy Vedrines; always one of the best value Barsacs and Lafaurie Peyraguey, a 1er Cru Classé Sauternes. The 2010 sweeties will almost certainly be overlooked as it is the reds that will capture all the headlines, however, there are some really attractive dessert wines and at £245 per case, you can't go wrong with the Doisy Vedrines.

Bordeaux 2010 - Chateau Providence

Right at the heart of the plateau in Pomerol lies Providence, a beautifully restored, elegant Chateau surrounded by ten acres of vines. Neighbours include exalted names such as Hosanna and Certan de May. Although a relative newcomer, Providence has been heaped with praise by Robert Parker, James Suckling, Jancis Robinson et al and is quickly establishing itself as one of the leading properties in the commune.

For many years the estate was owned and managed by the Dupuy family, who tended the vines with devotion, but lacked a little technical savoir faire. JP Moueix, ever alert to a good opportunity, spotted the potential and purchased the estate in time for the 2005 vintage. Since then the cellar and tank rooms have been rebuilt, the chateau has been blasted until it gleams and the Moueix team have implemented several changes in the vineyards. The results are staggering. Now that the Moueix team are achieving the full potential from the vineyard, the wines are consistently amongst the best performers in this star studded commune. The cépage is typically 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, grown on the well suited clay and gravel soils of the plateau.

The 2010 is a sensational wine with wonderful tension and minerality. We found it even more stylish than the flamboyant 2009; a truly seductive, harmonious and aristocratic Pomerol. Bravo.

'Resurrected by Christian Moueix, Providence is made in a muscular, macho style with considerable minerality as well as dense plum, blackberry and black currant fruit, a formidable quantity of tannin and stunning depth and richness. The classic 2010 is similar in style and personality to that of the great Moueix estate of Chateau Trotanoy. Forget it for 5-6 years and drink it over the following 25-30 years. 92-94+/100`. - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #194.

Bordeaux 2010 Video: Charles Chevallier, Chateau Lafite

The director of the hottest Chateau in Bordeaux talks to Hew Blair and gives a very interesting, succinct comparison between 2009 and 2010. If you wanted to describe the differences between the two vintages in a single sentence you'd be hard pushed to do it better than this...

Bordeaux 2010 - Un Mot

We asked some of the greatest names in Bordeaux the impossible question, namely to sum up their 2010 vintage in a single word. Never normally a set of winemakers to be short of words, this simple question provoked some thought provoking answers, and no shortage of umms and errs..

Featuring the men and women behind: Lafite, Latour, Margaux, Cheval Blanc, Yquem, Ausone, Calon Segur, Montrose, Ducru Beaucaillou, Grand Puy Lacoste, Evangile, Conseillante, Le Pin, Petrus, Tertre Roteboeuf, Providence, Lynch Bages, and many more...

p.s. It is quite a large file so you might want to give it a minute or so to load up.

Reading between the lines...

So, Big Bob’s scores are out. 2010, as we all expected has been hailed as another exceptional vintage by the world’s most influential wine critic. There are plenty of potential hundred pointers to get consumers very excited, but as virtually no wines have been released we will focus on the reassessment of the 2008s.

Parker’s initial appraisal breathed life into a subdued market, battered by financial uncertainty and seemingly disinterested with Bordeaux 2008. The campaign was going nowhere until issue 182 of the Wine Advocate started landing on peoples’ doorsteps. High scores and high praise for the wines turned the campaign around and many customers bagged themselves a bargain. Unfortunately, Mr P wasn’t aware of what was to come (in 2009 and 2010).

So with hindsight we can say that he over egged the `08s a little, and as such most scores have been re-evaluated to the lower end of their initial range. Some have been downgraded a little further still, but those who read the notes will see that he is still a huge fan of these wines. The headline grabbers are Lafite and Ausone, both with 98/100. Praise and high points are heaped particularly on the wines from Pomerol and Graves and there are many 90+ point wines that won’t break the bank including the exceptional Chateau Poujeaux.

Bordeaux 2010 - Hew's Views, Margaux & The Haut Medoc

In which Hew opines on his favourite Margaux properties in 2010, and his top value bargains from the Haut-Medoc...

Bordeaux 2010 - Hew's Views, The Medoc

The road trip continues...Hew discloses his top picks from the Medoc and muses on the new popularity for having horses do the work that tractors would otherwise have been employed for...

Join the great `09/`10 debate

Call us sceptics, but we left for Bordeaux confident that 2009 was the greatest vintage we have ever tasted from barrel, and sure that 2010 would not live up to its distinguished predecessor. After a week of at times gruelling tastings, it is clear the 2010 rivals and could even surpass 2009. This is perplexing to say the least. 2009 enjoyed a near perfect growing season, 2010 did not. Poor flowering dramatically reduced yields; there was no talk of green harvests this year... In fact this was a bit of good fortune as the vines could not have coped through one of the most severe droughts in living memory with a full crop. This is a vintage characterised by a shortage of water, lots of sunshine and little extreme heat.

It wasn’t until the harvest started in perfect conditions that vignerons realised what potential the 2010s possessed. Analysis revealed that the tiny berries were super-concentrated, have huge tannin levels, wonderful acidity and big potential alcohols. One member of the team called the wines Neo-Classical; i.e. they are classically balanced but in an altogether new, bigger style. You could argue that they are Post Neo-Classical as vintages such as 2000 and 2005 are Neo-Classical and 2010 offers something altogether different. These are immense wines from top to bottom. In fact we were impressed by the consistency and quality of many petit chateaux. Words such as ‘monumental’ and ‘aristocratic’ have been used to describe the 2010s. They don’t possess the flamboyant character of the 2009s; they are at times reserved and brooding, but always powerful, intense, balanced and will no doubt last for many years.

In truth, it is impossible to favour one vintage; both are exceptional. Opinions are divided now and they will continue to be split for the next thirty or more years as these wines evolve. We stand by our comments last year – 2009 was and still is exceptional; at the time the greatest primeur tastings in living memory. We didn’t have the benefit of foresight... Now that we have tasted the 2010s there could be a new contender, but only time will tell. Much as the `28s and `29s have and continue to arouse discourse, the `09s and `10s have started a new debate.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Masterclass – Monday, 18 April

A celebration of Châteauneuf-du-Pape!

Justerini & Brooks are excited to host a tasting featuring Châteauneuf-du-Pape in all its glory at the fabulous French restaurant, Boundary, in Shoreditch. On offer will be an exquisite range of wines from Château Mont Redon, Domaine Jean Paul Versino/ Bois du Boursan, Vieux Télégraphe and Château de Beaucastel. The tasting will explore the varying styles of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and will investigate the complexities of this historic appellation accross different vintages, all this around a selection of great Charcuteries and Canapés. Visit http://www.theboundary.co.uk/news/chateau-boundary/chateauneuf-du-pape-masterclass-monday-18-april-2011/index.php for further details and booking.

Voyager Estate - The Final Harvest Update April 2011

The final instalment of Voyager Estate’s harvest report.

"Similar to last year - we had just finished tipping our last bin of Cabernet Sauvignon into the de-stemmer and the rain started to fall. The harvest which commenced on the 9th of Feb and concluded on the 6th of April will be remembered for the warm and humid February and the perfect March weather which finished the reds off beautifully.

It was a season where patience was rewarded, as it was important to wait for the Cabernet Sauvignon and give it some hang time to ensure the tannins were fully ripe. Those who waited will make outstanding wines, with great concentration and fine, ripe, silky tannins.

The condition of the vine canopies at harvest was the best I have ever seen, with no sign of yellow leaves due to some timely midsummer rain. However, the fruit still showed evidence of the dry growing season, with small, deeply coloured berries and thick skins. Consequently the yields were quite low and came in just under our targeted range at around one and a half tonnes per acre.

The excellent quality of the grapes will see the fruit from most of our best vineyards spend a couple of weeks left on skins after fermentation which contributes great complexity and tannin structure to the wine.
Most of the Shiraz vineyards have completed fermentation and are looking fantastic with rich dark and red berry fruit and fine, complex layered tannins.

We have just started blending our Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon which looks great and the Chardonnay is potentially exceptional. The consistency of this region never ceases to amaze me and it really does fit the description as a "viticulturist’s paradise".

Cheers, Steve James"

Bordeaux 2010 - Video Interview with J-M Laporte, La Conseillante

As the debate rages as to whether 2010 is better than 2009 all we can say is that we would dearly love to have both in our cellar. Jean-Michel gives us a clue as to why that might be...

Bordeaux 2010 - Hew's Views, Pomerol

The inimitable Hew Blair on the highlights from Pomerol in this most extraordinary of vintages...

Bordeaux 2010 - Hew's Views, St Emilion

Bordeaux 2010 - Video Interview with Edouard Moueix

Edouard Moueix, one of Bordeaux's most charming characters, talks 2010, 2009, 1990, 1989....

Bordeaux UGC Week - Days Two & Three

There are some incredibly impressive wines this year. Embarrassingly impressive if you're Bordelais.

Our second day on the right bank gave us beauties such as Tertre Roteboeuf, Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Evangile, Gazin, Pavie Macquin, Troplong Mondot and Figeac. There were plenty of others, as there always are that side of the Gironde, too ripe, too extracted, too chewy, who shall remain nameless.

At the lower, shall we say more value end there are nevertheless some definite finds. Tour du Pin, Fleur de Bouard, Teyssier, La Chenade, Petite Eglise, Fonbel, Moulin St Georges and Valade all hit the spot and would be excellent additions to any cellar.

Heading west the highlights thus far have blown us away. The obvious stars of Lafite, Cos d'Estournel, Montrose, Las Cases, Ducru Beaucaillou, Pontet Canet, Lynch Bages and Pichon Lalande have all shone brightly, so brightly they will no doubt burn a hole in many a pocket. But for those with less firepower there are some supremely intense and precise wines that will provide serious enjoyment for many years to come. Both Grand Puy Lacoste and Haut Batailley took our collective breath away. Branaire-Ducru, Gruaud Larose, Haut Marbuzet, both Bartons and Sainte Pierre were all terrific. The best of these wines possess such enormous detail, freshness and refinement as to have left us at times rendered speechless. Could there be a better complimentary vintage to 2009?

And now for something completely different...

It wasn’t all work work work yesterday. We enjoyed a splendid lunch as Chateau Conseillante where we were lucky enough to taste some magnificent back vintages including a magnum of the '45. Most of us assumed that this would be the oldest wine of the day or even the week, but the accolade didn’t last long...

In the evening we had dinner with the superstar winemaker, negociant and general human dynamo, Denis Durantou. Denis is always extraordinarily generous, but last night’s feast was something to behold. Between cabaret from the eccentric but charming Rene Gabriel we enjoyed a fabulous vertical of Eglise Clinet. We started with the '29 (which we are quite confident will be the oldest wine we taste this week and for many weeks...). This was still brimming with life, a wonderfully vibrant example and one with a lovely story as this was the wine that inspired a young (9yo) Denis to become a winemaker; the rest as they say is history. Then followed the '54, '64, '55 and '85. It is hard to pick one vintage out as all were thrilling, however, perhaps particular mention should go to the '55, which was the baby of the flight and received 20/20 from this humble writer. Many thanks Denis for a splendid evening and congratulations on an outstanding 2010.

Bordeaux UGC Week - Day one

The question on everyone's lips this year is, can 2010 be better than 2009? Whilst it is almost certainly too early to say with any real conviction (though many seem convinced otherwise), our first day here on the right bank has thrown up some very interesting comparisons. At La Conseillante we were treated to a wonderful vertical that began with the 2010 and 2009 side by side. If the 2009, having taken on plenty of weight over the past 12 months, is gorgeous in its exuberance, the 2010 is a model of muscled, polished intensity.

At Tertre Roteboeuf we were again allowed to taste these two twin vintages side by side and the comparison split the group over its preference. Both were magnificent, opulent and hedonistic. Could one be called better than the other? Very hard to say...

At Eglise Clinet we tasted a 2010 that might well have had the edge over 2009, at Ausone we almost certainly did, and at Clos l'Eglise I think we were almost unanimous. But at our other appointments it was perhaps just too close to call.

2010 is undoubtedly a firmer more powerful vintage than 2009. The wines we have tasted do not have the opulence, voluptuousness or succulence of their 2009 siblings but they do have increased acidity and with it freshness, more prominent tannic spines, and in some cases increased aromatics. These huge raw materials have created in the right hands, wines of real significance and importance.

Some of yesterdays most exciting wines:

Lafleur

Eglise Clinet

Providence

VCC

Conseillante

Clos l'Eglise

Angelus

Le Pin

Ausone

Tertre Rotebeuf

And for value:

Ch la Grande Maye

Ch Valade, St Emilion

Ch La Chenade

Ch Fonbel

Bordeaux 2010 UGC week

It’s very nearly that time of year again – this weekend we’ll be packing our cords and Sensodyne and heading south to taste the latest barrel samples from Bordeaux. There are a few changes to the program: sadly, our annual cricket match against the Bordeaux XI has been cancelled, and following a request/demand from our Chairman – we will be turning our schedule on its head. We will be taking on the Right Bank first, followed by the Medoc. Hopefully the rest of the trade will stick to the conventional slog through the Left Bank on Monday and Tuesday and leave us to taste Pomerol and St Emilion in relative tranquillity...

We will cover more than 200 samples and visiting almost 50 Chateaux over the five days. @Justerinis and @BordeauxBuyer will both be blogging from the Espace (but not whilst at the wheel), and when the tastings have finished, we’ll be spending our evenings blogging and facebooking. So, whatever your choice of social media, you’ll be able to keep up to date with our progress and discover the highs and lows of this fascinating vintage.

"Outstanding" wines from 2008 - The wines

Chevillon, Robert

Nuits St.-Georges “Les Chaignots”: from a 1.5 ha parcel that blends 40+ and 60+ year old vines

A spicy and wonderfully complex nose of red berry liqueur, violets and earth notes, the latter of which continues onto the pure, refined and poised middle weight flavors that possess outstanding balance and excellent length. This is really quite lovely if entirely serious and I admire how fine the tannins are. Note that this will require at least a decade to be at its best. 91/100, drink from 2018+

12 x 75cl - £365/case in bond

Clair, Bruno

Savigny-lès-Beaune “La Dominode: from vines planted in 1902

A ripe and dense nose of high-toned red pinot fruit cut with ample amounts of plum, violets and Savigny-style earth that are very much in keeping with the rich, full, delicious and serious medium weight flavors that finish with fine intensity and plenty of sappy extract. The old vines and low yields are very much in evidence because in addition to the impressive intensity and sap, there is very good phenolic ripeness. 91/100, drink from 2016+

12 x 75cl - £360/case in bond

Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Cazetiers”: from 40+ year old vines

A classic Gevrey nose of superb complexity displays distinctly sauvage notes on the intensely earthy and underbrush-suffused red berry fruit aromas that also show a hint of crushed leaf character merge seamlessly into very rich and full-bodied flavors where the tannic spine is prominent and firm on the strikingly long finish. Though patience will certainly be required, there is enough extract present that this should not be unduly austere once it begins to mature though note that it is very austere and backward at present. 92/100, drink from 2020+

12 x 75cl - £645/case in bond

Gevrey-Chambertin “Clos St. Jacques”: from a 1 ha parcel of 40+ year old vines

An ultra elegant, cool, refined and layered nose of stone-infused red pinot fruit from crushed leaf aromas complements to perfection the textured, gorgeously detailed and driving middle weight flavors where the wonderfully persistent though presently austere and linear finish seems to be constructed over a firm base of minerality. Terrific. 93/100, drink from 2020+

12 x 75cl - £785/case in bond 6 x 150cl - £810/case in bond

Chambertin – Clos de Bèze: two-thirds of the vines were planted in 1912 and the remainder in 1973

Discreet wood influence surrounds the intensely spicy and earthy nose that is at once elegant yet animale and this sauvage character extends to the very rich, powerful and well-muscled flavors that possess a seductively textured yet firm finish of imposing length. This is a big but focused Bèze that has already begun to shut down. Patience will be required. 94/100, drink from 2023+

12 x 75cl - £1095/case in bond 6 x 150cl - £1120/case in bond

Gouges, Henri

Nuits St.-Georges “Les St.-Georges”: 55+ year old vines

A more elegant but cool and reserved nose of exceptionally pure red berry and plum aromas also possesses notes of earth and underbrush that transfer seamlessly over to the rich, full and focused medium weight plus flavors that are actually quite supple and round but where this really distinguishes itself from the Vaucrains is the seriously impressive depth on the moderately austere and mildly herbal but hugely long finish. Like the Vaucrains, this will need plenty of time. 92/100, drink from 2018+

12 x 75cl - £695/case in bond 6 x 150cl - £710/case in bond

Grivot, Jean

Nuits St.-Georges “Les Boudots”: from 70+ year old vines

This is a classic Boudots with its half Vosne from half Nuits personality as the aromatic profile is both ripe and spicy, offering an herb-infused mix of red pinot and plum fruit notes that complement the rich, powerful and serious full-bodied flavors that possess solid dry extract level that confers a textured mouth feel by virtue of buffering the very firm and mouth coating tannins. This will require patience. 91/100, drink from 2018+

12 x 75cl - £625/case in bond 6 x 150cl - £645/case in bond

Clos de Vougeot: 50+ year old vines

A discreet touch of wood frames strikingly complex, ripe, fresh and quite densely fruited earth suffused red pinot aromas that lead to rich, full-bodied and textured flavors that exude an overt muscularity on the equally explosive finish where the integrated tannins confer a dusty mouth feel to the moderately austere finale. This is an extremely impressive effort but note that even more patience will be required. 94/100, drink from 2023+

12 x 75cl - £750/case in bond 6 x 150cl - £770/case in bond

Clos des Lambrays

Clos des Lambrays: produced from two large parcels of differing vine age - one that is approximately two-thirds of the blend and is now 45 years of age and a second, smaller group of vines that is approximately 20+ years of age)

The deeply pitched nose evidences obvious earth and floral influences on the mostly ripe red pinot fruit aromas that complement the rich, pure and detailed medium weight flavors that culminate in a dusty and mouth coating finish where the supporting tannins display a clear stem influence. This is an excellent wine though it may not be to everyone’s taste due to the obvious stem character. 93/100, drink from 2020+

12 x 75cl - £770/case in bond

Mortet, Denis

Gevrey-Chambertin “Lavaut St. Jacques”

An expressive nose of herbal, plum and wet stone merges seamlessly into fresh and pure flavors that are really quite fine detailed and supported by equally fine tannins on the classy, tension-filled and moderately austere finish. I quite like this but there is enough austerity present that it won’t be for everyone. 91/100, drink from 2016+

12 x 75cl - £810/case in bond 6 x 150cl - £830/case in bond

Clos de Vougeot: from a .32 ha parcel of vines just below those of Château de la Tour in the lower middle of the slope

This is the ripest of this group of ‘08s with a very earthy nose of plum, cassis and mocha hints that lead to reserved big-bodied flavors that enjoy excellent mid-palate concentration as there is ample extract that buffers the firmly tannic spine on the powerful and long finish. 92/100, drink from 2018+

6 x 150cl - £1670/case in bond

Mugnier, Jacques Frederic

Nuits St. Georges “Clos de la Maréchale”

A distinctly earthy and anise-infused mix of sour cherry and blue berry fruit that displays whiffs of crushed herbs and pepper merges into detailed, pure and almost delicate middle weight flavors that possess a sophisticated mouth feel and fine length. I should point out though that while there is no rusticity present, the very firm tannins are not as refined as those of the Fuées. 90/100, drink from 2016+

12 x 75cl - £410/case in bond 6 x 150cl - £420/case in bond

All notes are taken from Burghound issue 41 (2011).