2009 bordeaux - the greatest vintage ever?
We Bordeaux lovers have been blessed in the last decade with a run of excellent vintages reminiscent of the glorious forties and fifties. Yet in 2009 they are not talking about the vintage of this decade, most are describing it as the greatest in living memory, perhaps the greatest vintage of all time...
“I have never seen anything like it in my career” Christian Moueix – Château Pétrus
“We have wines with exceptional richness and incomparable balance. At Haut-Brion, we haven’t seen these levels of concentration in centuries, and I stress the word centuries.” Jean-Philippe Delmas – Château Haut-Brion
“In my opinion 2009 blows away 2005 and 2000.” Bruno Prats – Former owner of Château Cos d'Estournel
“Quite simply, 2009 is the best Bordeaux vintage I have ever worked with.” Michel Rolland - Winemaking consultant:
“A lot of people make comparisons to 1982, but honestly, I think they are better. Just think of such legends as 1959, 1947 and 1929” James Suckling – Wine Spectator
I have never given so many really high scores when tasting en primeur anywhere” - Jancis Robinson
“The elegance of 2000, the power of 2005, but with a unique aromatic twist. It’s important that those of us lucky enough to have tasted this wine now, as a futures offering, fix it in their memory, because 30 years from now it will still be the vintage by which all new ones are measured.” Frederic Engerer – Château Latour
The blessing of 2009 came from a textbook perfect vintage year. Traditionally defined seasons throughout, particularly an Indian summer of very stable temperatures. Finishing with an uncharacteristically warm and dry harvest. This was not a vintage of extremes like 2003 (the hottest) or 2005 (the driest), but rather everything coming in the right amount in the right order. This has created both the highest sugar levels ever recorded, along with a slow build up of the most extraordinarily massive tannins ever seen. All of this has combined to give us the most powerful, perfectly balanced yet hugely concentrated wines of our lifetime.
With Bordeaux we always like to compare to other vintages, yet 2009 is a beast that has never been seen before. It does not bear much resemblance to the scorching heat wave concentration that produced such exotic wines in 2003, 1990 and 1921. Yet it didn’t have the dry build up of hard tannins found in 2005, 2000 or 1928. And the power of the great 1961 and 1945 vintages came primarily from the extremely low yields after freak May frosts. So what do we have? The comparisons most mentioned are that of 1982, 1947 and 1929 due to their high alcohols and silky acid concentration.
Noted Bordeaux commentator Bill Blatch puts it nicely when he says, “’09 is what ’82 or ’85 would have been if the vineyard and the yields had been managed as today, or what the ’47 or ‘29 would have been if the vinification had been controlled as today. All of those historic vintages seem to share the same sweetness of concentrated fruit as the ‘09, but in those days, 12°5 for the Cabs and 13°5 for the Merlots was the absolute maximum. These ‘09s have, in addition, far higher alcohol levels which make the vintage - so far – unique.”
The reports coming back from the tastings in Bordeaux are saying that these are some of the most enjoyable wines they have ever had at En Primeur. Jancis Robinson explained that despite having much higher tannin levels than 2005, the wines were apparently softer and much easier to taste. The best wines have a phenomenal balance, combined with ultra high levels of everything that will make them beautifully approachable in their youth, yet almost certain to be extremely long lived.
Having the perfect materials however, does not ensure the perfect result... In 2005 the wines were brilliant from top to bottom, you could almost buy at random and be assured of exceptional quality. 2009 on the other hand is not as consistent. The highs are greater but not everyone has hit the mark. This was a winemakers vintage, where conditions were so perfect that they had complete control over when to pick, but were also having to deal with record levels of ripeness. The top wines are legendary with incredible purity, aromatic complexity and huge concentration, yet they maintain the important freshness, balance and texture. But those who picked too late, (especially with the Merlot on the right bank) or forced things in the winery with excessive maceration or high fermentation temperatures have produced clumsy, tannic, over extracted wines.
Rounding out this incredible year though is the sweet wines of Barsac and Sauternes which have also had a great decade of vintages. Conditions for slow maturity of the grapes and botrytis were so perfect that Château d’Yquem had its largest harvest since 1893 and the highest levels of residual sugar ever recorded (beating 2001).
With the superlative quality and the return of confidence to the market there has been massive interest in Bordeaux and the En Primeur tasting have been full all week. Asia is also emerging as a big buyer for the first time. Indications are therefore that it will not be cheap, but this is a vintage you cannot afford not to have in your cellar. At this stage we expect pricing to be similar to 2005 levels but allocations of the top wines will be highly contested so make your wish lists now.
