It is February so Les Bordelaises are in town.
Lots of them.
Hundreds of owners, or representatives, from all but the first tire of great Bordeaux chateaux, the Union des Grandes Crus de Bordeaux, were in New York last week showing off the 2009 vintage for the trade and press. Though why they bothered I am not quite sure.
Since even before the harvest the vintage had
been proclaimed – yes, you’ve guessed it – another vintage of the century. Consequently demand has been exceptionally strong and the wine is sold out, at least at the chateau level, even if it’s only just now appearing in the shops.
It’s appeal is obvious – an almost perfect summer yielded wines that are luscious, voluptuous, plump and ripe. But is it a great vintage, a vintage to keep, to watch as it matures and deepens with time? That’s harder to say.
The people I talked to at the tasting fell into two camps. Those whose job it is to sell wine – sommeliers, retailers, auctioneers – were all adamant that while the wines were certainly very accessible now they also had the potential for long aging. More disinterested observers were less assured though.
One thing is certain – these wines are a lot more Napa-like that I would have thought possible 10 years ago. As Paul Wagner, the organizer of the tour, remarked to me “This is a vintage for drinking, not talking about.”
One of my favorites was the always impressive Chateau Gloria, Saint-Julien 2009 ($45) this week’s Five Star Nick’s Wine of the Week. Soft, juicy and accessible the property seems to have worked the abundant good weather to its advantage, making a wine that’s brimming with ripe blackberries and plums tinged with hints of cedar, licorice and cinnamon. A wine that’s delicious today but still maintains some sense of equilibrium. It might even last a few years, though given it’s seductive drinkability now, it’s unlikely many bottles will be around long enough for us to find out.
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A second recommendation from the 2009 vintage will follow after next week’s Valentines Day Wine of the Week.
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To find this wine near you try Wine Searcher.
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