They were quick to praise a 'phenomenal' harvest but Bordeaux winemakers are saying that the big test facing the 2009 vintage will be keeping down alcohol levels.
Speaking at today's Unions des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tastings at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, winemakers said that 2009 was set to be 'an exceptional vintage.'
Corrine Conroy, marketing manager for Chateau Brane-Cantenac said that there was going to be 'a big demand for 2009.'
'The harvest conditions were phenomenal – perfect, better than 2005. This means we need to find ways to bring out acidity to make the wines expressive and balanced.'
'The wines will need a lot of attention due to their high alcohol content – we will be trying to bring out the terroir.'
'It's too early to discuss pricing for 2009, but demand will be great.'
However, some vingerons are worried about making the most of the harvest in the wineries.
Noemi Ruelloux, communications manager at Chateau Haut-Bailly, told decanter.com that one of the biggest challenges facing the winemakers is keeping the wines balanced after a 'perfect harvest'.
'We want alcohol but not over extraction. We had to be careful that we picked the grapes at the right maturity. We'd pick, stop, then pick again. We didn't pick too late, ensuring freshness and elegance.'
Chateau Branaire-Ducru owner Patrick Maroteaux described the 2009 vintage as 'exceptional,' adding that 'it is the best in the last 20 or 30 years.'
'This year it is all about the definition of the fruit. The balance is very good - it's got freshness thanks to the cool nights.'
High alcohol levels were a major talking point, with many chateaux saying their wines were reaching 14-14.5%.
Fabrice Bacuey, from St Estèphe property Chateau Phélan-Ségur, said its Merlot had reached 15%.
'With such high alcohol levels, the winemaking direction is changing. We need to keep tasting the tanks and blending to make sure the wines have structure and fruit.'
Magali Puppa from Chateau Rauzan-Ségla agreed, saying 'the alcohol is quite high, which is a challenge.'
'We don't want our wines to be too powerful, that's why the winemaking process is very important. Refined elegance is what Margaux is famous for.'
But merchants are already firing the first shots in the war over prices.
Sebastian Payne MW, chief wine buyer for the Wine Society urged the chateau owners to be realistic in their pricing.
'The price for Bordeaux 2007 started off too high. The chateaux are getting better at making great wine every year, which is great - we want lots of good wine.
'But I'd like to see the chateaux making more first wine, and fewer seconds labels – it would certainly help bring the prices down,' he added.
Oliver Sharp, associate director at Major Bordeaux merchants Bordeaux Index, said it was 'very much in the interests of the chateaux' to bring prices down in a 'subdued' market.
The problem, he said in his firm's October newsletter, would be to 'resuscitate' the American market after the 'bruising' 2006 and 2007 campaigns.'
'The Far East is king,' he warned, and with 'Asia's reluctance to buy into the en primeur culture… high release prices even in a “miracle” vintage are not necessarily attainable.'
Have your say... To post your comment on this story, email us at news@decanter.com
I should like to propose a new pricing system for Bordeaux En Primeur: If the vintage is going to be as stellar as reported in this story, then the Bordelais can double their price from last year. In other words, if the 2008 First Growths were 120-130 Euro First Tranche, then the 2009's can be 240-260 Euro...Double the money in one year is a pretty fantastic deal, considering the sad state of the markets in most countries, not the least United States and the stock market is only up 50+%, so it's a vast improvement over stocks still. Clearly Hong Kong and Asia is on a roll right now, but they don't buy En Primeur wines, so this will mainly be a ploy to get traditional buyers back in the game. However, if 2010 then turns out to be not so good (as 2009), then the prices should again go down to half from the previous year and so forth; that way the Bordelais can always charge Double for a great vintage, of which there will be many in the near future and then Half for a lesser vintage. It gives the consumer peace of mind to know that the high price is only double or half the other way, instead of being driven by real and often intangible market forces... Gil Lempert-Schwarz, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Who cares? Seriously, the market is underwater, the reliance on Asia spouted by those in the industry is seriously overblown (wasn't it Russia too, until they hit the skids?), and the Bordeleis still have their heads up their bums about pricing. The wine consumer, at least the consumer here in the States, is simply exhausted from one over-hyped and over-priced vintage after another: 2000, 2003 ("mortage your house" said Parker), 2005 (best in Parker's 30+ years tasting), 2008 (according to Parker), and now 2009....give us a break. I stopped buying futures after the 2005 vintage and am now immune to the hype. I am not alone in that regard. The Bordeaux pipeline is full up and they have not even begun to dump the 2006s yet at levels anything close to that which will engender consumer interest, but it is certainly coming. Andrew Skroback, NYC
Andrew has it right. The Bordelais must pay to have their children tutored to speak a variety of Chinese dialects. Most Americans can't afford their product any more or must reserve it for an infrequent special evening – our assets are de-valued and our investment/retirement funds are decimated; therefore, we now have to save the money we used to spend. Jay Oliver, Colorado
Register on decanter.com absolutely free for news alerts delivered direct to your email inbox, and our fortnightly newsletter with advance notice of what’s coming up in Decanter magazine, offers, competitions and more.
PLUS registration is a one-stop shop for the Decanter magazine Archive and Decanter Fine Wine Tracker.
