Bordeaux 2010 En Primeur - The Best Yet?
We thought 2005 to be a landmark wine vintage, unlikely to be matched for a generation, then along came 2009 to rival and in some cases surpass it. A week of wine tasting in Bordeaux leads me to believe that 2010 may well overtake them both, and I cannot recall a more thrilling week’s tasting in terms of the quality of the wines.
Red Bordeaux wines contain, principally, fruit, alcohol, tannin and acid. The Holy Grail for winemakers is to achieve a perfect harmony between these various elements, thus creating what we merchants call ‘balance’ in our sometimes arcane wine terminology.
So how does 2010 fare? Everything starts with the weather, and as ever I am deeply indebted to the comprehensive report prepared annually by négociant Bill Blatch which provides such an essential insight into why the wines turned out as they have. The growing season was extremely dry, in some cases the driest since 1949, so the grapes were small with thick skins. This created immense concentration of fruit, and also of tannins, which are found in the skins.
The summer was also warm, so sugar levels reached quite elevated levels, especially in the Médoc. Sugar determines the alcohol level, so the risk would be that the grapes produce wines which are very concentrated, very tannic and high in alcohol. In theory these would be heavy, ponderous wines, unless acidity can redress the balance, and this is where Nature came to the rescue. Cool nights in August and September helped to maintain a high level of acidity in the grapes; highly apparent in the finished wine, this acidity is the final piece of the jigsaw which has imbued the wines with amazing freshness, creating perfect balance.
Asked to name a similar past vintage I struggle, as did several proprietors, since the vintage breaks records in terms of the measurement of tannin, acidity and concentration. If pushed, I would say it has similarities to 2005 but with every element possessing greater intensity. Older heads speak of 1966, a classic year which has lasted very well, but it is such a unique vintage that it seems invidious to seek comparisons.
Summarising, we can be sure it is a great vintage, but not uniformly so. Some estates sought to extract more tannin and colour from the skins and created tannic, alcoholic monsters wholly lacking in charm and digestibility. With grapes so laden with all the ingredients needed to make fine wine there was no need for excessive intervention on the part of the winemaker, and the best producers maintained a very light touch on the tiller.
Jancis Robinson MW and Simon Staples talk Bordeaux 2010 En Primeur
Simon Staples, Berrys' Sales & Marketing Director, caught up with world famous wine writer Jancis Robinson MW for our, now traditional, chat about the release of the 2010 Bordeaux en primeur vintage
while at Ch. du Tertre the complete removal of Cabernet Franc from the blend in favour of a much higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon has yielded an extraordinary wine, comfortably the best of the modern era for this rejuvenated property.
St Julien wines are the epitome of effortless consistency; so many wines are outstanding that to pick out any seems unfair but:
Vieux Château Certan, despite not using grapes from its old Cabernet Franc vines, has produced a real masterpiece,
while La Conseillante, Nenin, Petit Village and Le Pin are all properties where the relatively high alcohol has been expertly handled so that the wines retain lovely balance and freshness.
St Emilion is a little more mixed; the tendency to seek to produce blockbuster wines persists amongst a few estates, and some of the most obvious examples of excessive, dry tannins occurred here. Nevertheless there are some glorious successes:
Ch. Ausone, including its junior wines, and Ch. Cheval Blanc are sumptuous,
Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion sits a touch ahead of Ch. Haut-Brion at this early stage in my estimation, and shows how a high degree (15.1%!) need not make the wine feel heavy if it is well balanced, as is eminently the case here.
Words can scarcely convey how much I admire the way in which the great terroirs of Domaine de Chevalier and Ch. Haut-Bailly express themselves in their wines. These are truly complex, majestic wines, the epitome of understated elegance, yet with enormous intensity and great length.
Produced especially for us by highly respected Bordeaux producer, Dourthe, this Merlot-dominated wine boasts an incredible purity of red and black fruits, ripe tannins and a delicious finish. Soft and silky, this is a sophisticated everyday wine which is perfect for drinking now.
.............. ... MORE
Bright vibrant black cherry fruit laced with warm vanilla. It really has an essence both on the nose and palate of the Grand Vin which was amazing this year. Scumptious and super value. A quaffers favourite.
Berrys' famous Good Ordinary Claret was first launched in 1974 and has been our best-selling wine ever since. First mooted in 1986, Berrys' Extra Ordinary Claret was launched a mere 19 years later - once the concept had perfectly matured. Produced especially for us by Bordeaux-legend Jean-Miche ... MORE
This wine is very rich on the nose, almost minty from the Cabernet Sauvignon, yet with a touch of red cherries. It has very good intensity on the nose and through the mid-palate, making this a very well-balanced and extremely good value wine. This is another tour de force from the Pontet-Canet ... MORE
Chateau Chasse-Spleen Moulis is definitely a property on the move; the 2008-2010 are three amazing vintages. The 2010 has lovely juicy black cherries with a touch of strawberry jam on the nose. The wine has great power in the middle with intense crunchy fresh fruits, a very well balanced finish ... MORE
This has real concentration of black fruit with a really rich and brooding palate packed with rich black fruit, dark spice and plum. Laura Atkinson, Fine Wine Account Manager
This classic, broad shouldered St Estèphe is actually the second wine of the well-known Cru Bourgeois Ch. Le Crock, and ... MORE
This is very sexy on the nose, with plenty going on and lots of freshness on the palate, despite the very ripe Merlot. This is a very well made and serious wine, and will be great value for money with a lovely long finish. (Max Lalondrelle, BBR Bordeaux Wine Buyer)
What a sumptuous, mouth-watering, fragrant delight! We often struggle in St Emilion to find wines with finesse and purity, with many châteaux going for an over-extracted, pushed and soupy style. This is a brilliant find that will offer relatively early drinking at a great price. It is really cl ... MORE
This has a lovely, perfumed cassis nose and is very fresh on the palate, despite the high percentage of Merlot, ending with a fine, long finish. A very good drinking wine, this is a great example of a well made second label. (Max Lalondrelle, BBR Bordeaux Wine Buyer)
Produced especially for us by highly respected Bordeaux producer, Dourthe, this Merlot-dominated wine boasts an incredible purity of red and black fruits, ripe tannins and a delicious finish. Soft and silky, this is a sophisticated everyday wine which is perfect for drinking now.
.............. ... MORE
Bright vibrant black cherry fruit laced with warm vanilla. It really has an essence both on the nose and palate of the Grand Vin which was amazing this year. Scumptious and super value. A quaffers favourite.
Berrys' famous Good Ordinary Claret was first launched in 1974 and has been our best-selling wine ever since. First mooted in 1986, Berrys' Extra Ordinary Claret was launched a mere 19 years later - once the concept had perfectly matured. Produced especially for us by Bordeaux-legend Jean-Miche ... MORE
This wine is very rich on the nose, almost minty from the Cabernet Sauvignon, yet with a touch of red cherries. It has very good intensity on the nose and through the mid-palate, making this a very well-balanced and extremely good value wine. This is another tour de force from the Pontet-Canet ... MORE
Chateau Chasse-Spleen Moulis is definitely a property on the move; the 2008-2010 are three amazing vintages. The 2010 has lovely juicy black cherries with a touch of strawberry jam on the nose. The wine has great power in the middle with intense crunchy fresh fruits, a very well balanced finish ... MORE
This has real concentration of black fruit with a really rich and brooding palate packed with rich black fruit, dark spice and plum. Laura Atkinson, Fine Wine Account Manager
This classic, broad shouldered St Estèphe is actually the second wine of the well-known Cru Bourgeois Ch. Le Crock, and ... MORE
This is very sexy on the nose, with plenty going on and lots of freshness on the palate, despite the very ripe Merlot. This is a very well made and serious wine, and will be great value for money with a lovely long finish. (Max Lalondrelle, BBR Bordeaux Wine Buyer)
What a sumptuous, mouth-watering, fragrant delight! We often struggle in St Emilion to find wines with finesse and purity, with many châteaux going for an over-extracted, pushed and soupy style. This is a brilliant find that will offer relatively early drinking at a great price. It is really cl ... MORE
This has a lovely, perfumed cassis nose and is very fresh on the palate, despite the high percentage of Merlot, ending with a fine, long finish. A very good drinking wine, this is a great example of a well made second label. (Max Lalondrelle, BBR Bordeaux Wine Buyer)
