2010 Bordeaux the 4th "Vintage of the Decade"

It seems that 2000, 2005 and then 2009 where all hailed as vintage of the decade, now I am starting to read that 2010 may be shaping up to be even better than 2009. Unless China has a sudden recession 2010 prices on 1st and 2nd growths may be completely out of my financial comfort zone not to mention out of my drinking window being 50 in a few months.
My question is are what about 2008,
Is this an overlooked vintage that will drink well younger than the 2009/2010’s?
Is history repeating itself? this seems very similar to 1988, 1989 & 1990. I have enjoyed 1988’s at a substantial discount over the 89/90’s.

Every Bordeaux vintage is either a Vintage of the _____, or a classic vintage (for drinking while aging the others).

When you have a family (or not), it is always a good time to buy a home, according to six-percent limo drivers.
When you have any disposable income (or not), it is always a good vintage to buy Bordeaux, according to the unbiased Bordelais.

I predict next decade will have no fewer than 6 vintages of the decade.

In the “timing is everything” category, this just in from our friend the Garagiste on exactly this topic:

UPDATE: 2010 – This Year’s Vintage of the Century

Now What?

After 2009 was proclaimed the Vintage of the Century by pundits worldwide (a ridiculous notion), and the Bordelaise raced to charge prices that made even the most liquid investment bankers suck wind…2010 may be even better.

Yes, I’ve said it.

How can this be? I don’t even have my 2009s yet?

Take a deep breath and lets look at this scientifically.

In certain areas of the Left Bank the anthocyanins were among the highest ever recorded, far higher than 2000, 2005 or 2009 and that’s a very good thing for your cardiologist and your cellar.

Anthocyanins are the flavonoid pigments that morph into extractives noted as a carrier of color, depth, tannin (and resveratrol) – they are the basic keys to the “oomph” behind the liquid you consume and to the degree of terroir transferred to bottle. Years low in anthocyanins (such as 1997 or 2007) generally produce under-ripe and lightly colored wines with somewhat green tannins and limited ageing potential. In years such as 2000, 2005 or 2009 that number is far higher. As an example, a particularly esteemed vineyard in Margaux had anthocyanin readings in 2000 of 1765 mg/l for Merlot and 2197 mg/l for Cabernet. In 2005, a fabulously tannic and deeply gritty year, 2058mg/Merlot and 3133mg/Cabernet. In the “Vintage of the Century”, 2009? 1975mg/Merlot and 2117mg/Cabernet. What about 2010? In 2010, the Merlot was 2811 mg and the Cabernet 3343 mg – even higher than 2005 or even 1986. You can do the math but these are readings that don’t come around very often, not even in 1961.

In 2010, the berries themselves are not as pin-up perfect as in 2005 (there was significant millanderage with Merlot throughout the Right and Left Bank, uneven flowering from cold or inclement conditions) but the resulting nuggets are full of flavor and color, especially the Cabernet Sauvignon (which some are calling the finest in over 50 years). The fruit reminds many vintners of a cross between 1990, 1996, 1986 and 2005 – four vintages that will more than wake the collector from casual interest. Unlike 2009, which is what I call a “fun house” vintage (similar to 2007 in the Rhone), the fruit in 2010 has the potential to produce a modern take on masculine Cabernet Sauvignon that could be unrivaled.

2010 also had among the highest accumulated winter rainfall totals in a long time - far higher than 2000, 2005 or 2009. This is a principal of collecting moisture in the deepest reserves of the sub-soil during the winter so the vines are not stressed if particularly long periods of dry sunshine result in the summer (a good thing for grapes as long as the high temperatures are not extreme, such as in 2003). With high levels of moisture reserve, the vines can produce balanced and beautifully ripe grapes without any stress – the lower the stress, the deeper and more perfumed/nuanced the overall impression may be (just like humans). The ideal scenario is high accumulated moisture in the winter, with low accumulated moisture during the growing season and high levels of sunshine with moderate temperatures. If you have a low/low year (low winter/low summer rainfall) with balanced temperatures and sunshine (such as 2005), the wines will be structured and more tannic. A high/high year can still produce wonderful, classic wines as long as ample sunshine follows any summer rain (such as 2000). And what about the ideal scenario, the very rare high/low? That was 2010 - the highest collected rainfall in winter and the lowest accumulated rainfall during the summer of any vintage in the past decade, including 2000, 2005 and 2009 (which incidentally was what I call a medium/medium year – good winter rain and also enough summer rain to give just enough to the vines, but the temperatures in 2009 verged on being too high which produced alcohol levels out of whack with the rest of the components). Sunshine in 2010? Nearly identical to 2000 but less than 2009 so the potential alcohols are not as high (although they are not low by 1970’s standards, still in the 13.3-13.8% range).

While it is far too early and foolhardy to make any vintage proclamation based on scientific analysis and bunches of grapes (and many speculators have lost their shirt relying on formulas and charts for success), what is clear is that 2010 has the physical potential in certain areas of Bordeaux to be not only the finest vintage of the decade but it has a legitimate scientific opportunity to be among the finest vintages of the last 100.

Where its sibling 2009 was a braggart and extrovert from the start – showy and in your face, 2010 appears to have as much or even more potential stuffing but it does so in a classic Marvel comics sort of way – think 1960’s Superman or Batman. In other words, a real superhero not a joker.

Now that’s something to be excited about…

…except for all of the overvalued/undelivered 2009s that may be losing worth as I write this - a full year before delivery.

A market conundrum?

• Jon Rimmerman

“a classic Marvel comics sort of way – think 1960’s Superman or Batman.”

Superman and Batman were DC and not Marvel.

And I have had some excellent 2001s and 2004s. If you really want to save money, find some 1975s and 1979s. You can occasionally find them at really good prices.

I’m guessing 7…

Don’t forget all of the praise for the 2003 vintage, particularly on the Left Bank.

Matt, I might take the under, but just barely.
Where can we place our wagers? I want in on this action! Is Vegas making odds and taking bets yet?

Apparently, this decade was so special that there were 11 vintages in it!

I’m so excited I plan on spending double what I have on the last few vintages of the decade. Maybe even triple.

I mean, we already have 1 out of 10…and stuff ain’t even in the bottle yet

What I really want to know is if Jeff Leve has proclaimed this the vintage of the century!

How many vintages are there in a decade? You´ve got your answer right there.

I predict 2010 is going to be the most expensive vintage for me; got married and had my first son this year…

2010 Leoville Poyferre for me thats it!!!

The reports on 2010 have been consistent, not just in tone, but in tenor as well. If you are curious, you can read interviews with numerous chateaux and see pictures of the harvest from over 30 producers located on both banks on my web site. 2010 Bordeaux Wine Harvest News Archives - The Wine Cellar Insider" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It would appear that 2010 is a successful, but IMO, not consistent vintage. My guess is, the wines will be favored in the Left Bank. The wines will be structured, tannic and alcoholic. In some cases, more than in 2009. But the pH is projected to be much lower than in previous ripe vintages. So the wines will show more freshness and lift than what we saw in 08 or 09. But they will not be as lush, opulent or sexy.

I imagine 2010 will be good. But I don’t think it will merit a vintage of the century tag. The truth is, that tag gets discussed more on web sites than in real life. IMO, 00 and 05, due the levels of consistency, quality and style merit that status. 03 and 09 produced some absolutely remarkable wines. 08 is only a few steps behind. Yet none of those years earn the vintage of the century tag.

2010 should be good, possibly even great for some chateaux. But I doubt it will merit a vintage of the century tag. The truth is, that tag gets discussed more on web sites than in real life. What serious professional writers wrote 03 or 09 were vintage of the centuries? Perhaps they did, but I did not see it. Can anyone cite real critics who called 03 & 09 VOC?

IMO, 00 and 05, due the levels of consistency and quality t all price leves in every appellation, along with a great style merit that honor. 03 and 09 produced some remarkable wines and 08 is only a few steps behind. But none of those years earn the vintage of the century tag.

For Bordeaux lovers, if you want to add some great wines for what I think are low prices, look at 2008. Those wines will be gone. Not much came to America. To get more stock, most of those wines will need to be repurchased in Europe where the prices have risen while our dollar has dropped. IMO, 2008 was priced cheap from the start and it still looks good today. I bought the wines for my cellar.

*** Note to Benjamin Sullivan… Because you mentioned Leoville Poyferre, you can read a nice report on LP with quotes from Didier about the harvest and his new vat rooms.

Well, this is from the WSJ, interviewing Mr. Parker:

“This week he [Parker] gave his opinion on the 2009 vintage and says that ‘it may turn out to be the finest vintage I have tasted’ in 32 years of covering Bordeaux.”

That’s certainly high praise of the '09 vintage from a “real critic”.

I’m not trying to be argumentative - I hope that every vintage is a 100 point vintage because, you know, I look good wine better than bad wine…

Met with Jean-Guillame Prats recently and asked his impressions of 2010. He candidly and honestly joked that every producer will be hyping it as their “vintage of the century”, but he wasn’t so sold. While he’s very excited about the vintage, he wasn’t as hyped about it as he was with his '09s. (Of course, his ‘09 Cos d’ is already a controversial wine and it’s still got lots of barrel life ahead of it.) He likened 2010 to 1990 on the left bank… very, very good.

Jeff, is his comparison to 1990 a fair one in your opinion?

Well, in a feature I wrote for harpers, I point out what Didier Cuvelier of Léoville Poyferré suggested, another Bordeaux trilogy à la 88-89-90… and the more modest Jean-Claude Berrouet of Petrus said another duo like 89-90. It was however essential to talk to oenologists who had less sales in mind. One of them said flatly that 2010 will not likely last as long as 2009 because the latter is far better balanced overall. Still, as Pascal Delbeck told me: 2010 will be a vintage for Bob.

This is just a blog entry that harpers wine & spirits posted as an intro to the full article, which is only available in their magazine.

http://www.harpers.co.uk/misc/content/article/9739-blog-is-bordeaux-2010-the-latest-in-another-great-trilogy.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ahh, the great bath of 06 & 07. I’ll be looking for 06 Pauillac and Pomerol, along with 07 Blancs and Sauternes to be slashed on shelves and squeaked through the usual backdoor clearance channels. 08s should hit shelves with no worry of selling out; an opportune time to hold tastings and make informed buying decisions.

I still see veritably no upward pricing movement in 08 BDX (caveat being the “point boom” 1sts e.g. Lafite; still very little price movement on huge scoring wines like Pontet Canet and Haut Bailly…) let alone 09s. Once the '10s saturate the futures market, it will be the golden era of winebuying. A true buyers lot. What will be interesting is how they position the pricing of the '10s. If they do garner high praise from the sultant of swirl (patent pending) can they possibly outbid the 09s? If they underbid them, who will buy 330 dollar 09 Cos?

Boy I’m glad I’m sitting on my cash allocated for 09 bdx!

Faryan,

Since you saved the money, now you can spend it on something good, like some Burgundy.