Critics who tripped over themselves to heap superlatives on the 2009 Bordeaux vintage are rolling out the hyperboles for the 2010 vintage. “For some Médocs and Graves, 2009 may turn out to be the finest vintage I have tasted in thirty-two years of covering Bordeaux,” Robert Parker proclaimed. “I find it hard to imagine that I will ever again encounter such successful consecutive vintages in Bordeaux as 2009 and the infant 2010s I have just been tasting” opined Jancis Robinson. Weather, terroir and fruit came together for a perfect Claret. Twice. “To find comparisons, you have to go back to the climatology of the Forties,” explains Denis Dubourdieu, director of the Bordeaux Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences.
Universal approbation has already had one lasting effect: sky high prices. The 2009 (if you can find it) and 2010 Haut-Brion are close to $1,000. Expect to pay a lot for the other big names like Cheval Blanc, Haut Bailly, Palmer, Lafite-Rothschild, and Angelus, all of whom have produced dazzling 2009 and 2010 offerings.
"Even Bordeaux’s château owners admit to surprise at the sky high prices," writes Jancis Robinson, the FT’s chief wine correspondent. Robinson notes that some Bordeaux futures are now approaching the current prices of 2005 Bordeaux (the most recent mega-hyped vintage and a very good year by all accounts).
Prices are highest at the top end, driven in part by investors. “It has been quite difficult to sell wines below $50 a bottle. There seems to have been a lot of speculative buying,” says Pierre Lawton of Bordeaux merchant Alias.
For wine buyers this means a fourchette in the Bordeaux road. If you’re buying futures (“en primeur"), you’ll want to acquire one of the big guns, which will likely yield the highest returns, even though the initial investment is highest.
For wine lovers who want to cellar a case, there are, happily, some more affordable options. Chateau Climens and Smith Haut Lafitte, both at around $100, are rated among the best of the vintage. At $60 and $75 a bottle, Chateau D'Issan and St. Pierre are relative bargains. "Unbelievably powerful, rich, and impressive, this may be the finest St. Pierre ever made," opines Robert Parker. Other relative bargains include Chateau Chasse Spleen, Chateau Carbonnieux, Croix de Beaucaillou, Phelan Segur and Les Ormes de Pez.
And what about the 2012s? By all accounts they’re damn good too. Again, the big guys and middle range are expensive, and don’t even think about drinking them now. Stay tuned and if you’re tasting them, let us know what you think.
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