We have just finished bottling the Bevan Cellars 2008 Bordeaux varietals and last night was the first chance I had to compare the bottled 2007 and 2008 vintages alongside barrel samples from 2009. Today we are bottling our new label Ontogeny, which is an Oakville blend, but right now the crew is on break so I thought I would post some early impressions, based on our wines.
The 2008’s have just amazing aromatics. They scream from the glass, more so than the 2007’s at this stage. They are not as concentrated as the 2007’s, but the acidity is livelier and should carry the wines for many years. If you like big and rich, the 2007’s are the right call, if you want wines that compliment a meal and literally pull your nose into the glass the 2008’s deliver the goods. The 2008’s also have slightly lower alcohols and lower ph levels. The 2009 vintage has yet to find its way. It has great weight and depth, but it isn’t as fruit driven as either the 2007 or 2008. I have lots picked both before and after the rain and they are almost identical at this point even though they were harvest 31 days apart. The later lots actually have lower alcohol and higher PH levels. They are both very balanced, but I’m waiting for the flavor profiles to develop. Right now I think they are going to make excellent wines, but they might not have the same aromatic and flavor profile that runs through our previous vintages.
Side note: Bought the new Eminem album “Recovery” (not “Relapse” as I posted pre edit) on iTunes to listen to while bottling. I am not a huge hip hop fan, but I have been a bit of an Eminem fan after after watching 8 Mile a few years ago. I would rate the album A-. Many of the songs will be on my iPods gym mix.