Bordeaux 2009 Revisited
03 March 2011 Filed in: Tastings
It is a chilly morning here in Bordeaux as I prepare for the annual Millesima tasting, where the last vintage but one is always presented, shortly before it is bottled. Thus it is the already legendary 2009 that is under the microscope this year.
Hardly before a grape was picked 2009 was being hailed as another ‘vintage of the century’, a descriptor that has descended to comic status in recent years, such is the overuse to which it has been subjected. Now, along with 40-plus other wine writers and communicators from Europe and Asia, I have the chance to see if the vintage is worthy of its reputation.
The tasting conditions in the Millesima warehouse could hardly be bettered, making it my favourite event of the year. The temperature is cool and, in the early stages at least, there is very little talk. The wines are clearly laid out by appellation and in the order in which they are listed in the tasting booklet. (Which seems like a simple and logical thing to do – so simple that many tasting organisers manage to fluff it hopelessly.) Empty bottles and full spittoons are attended to quickly. You taste at your own pace, pouring your own samples, without having the winemakers barging in on your thoughts with unasked-for details of the wine’s genesis. (You can meet them all later at lunch.)
Crucially, though, the wines are all under one roof and because they are one year older than when tasted en primeur it is possible to reach a more measured judgement on their merits. So, while the wine world licks its chops in anticipation of the 2010 en primeur tastings next month, I prefer to ‘look the other way’ and take a hype-free look at 2009, without the hoopla and bluster that greeted it initially. I will report on my findings at greater length next week.
Hardly before a grape was picked 2009 was being hailed as another ‘vintage of the century’, a descriptor that has descended to comic status in recent years, such is the overuse to which it has been subjected. Now, along with 40-plus other wine writers and communicators from Europe and Asia, I have the chance to see if the vintage is worthy of its reputation.
The tasting conditions in the Millesima warehouse could hardly be bettered, making it my favourite event of the year. The temperature is cool and, in the early stages at least, there is very little talk. The wines are clearly laid out by appellation and in the order in which they are listed in the tasting booklet. (Which seems like a simple and logical thing to do – so simple that many tasting organisers manage to fluff it hopelessly.) Empty bottles and full spittoons are attended to quickly. You taste at your own pace, pouring your own samples, without having the winemakers barging in on your thoughts with unasked-for details of the wine’s genesis. (You can meet them all later at lunch.)
Crucially, though, the wines are all under one roof and because they are one year older than when tasted en primeur it is possible to reach a more measured judgement on their merits. So, while the wine world licks its chops in anticipation of the 2010 en primeur tastings next month, I prefer to ‘look the other way’ and take a hype-free look at 2009, without the hoopla and bluster that greeted it initially. I will report on my findings at greater length next week.
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