Neal Martin
Neal Martin's 2009 Bordeaux Overall Impressions
So, after tasting hundreds of wines, is the 2009 all it was cracked up to be?
The answer is: in parts.
In terms of consistency, the 2009 falls far short of 2005. This was made clear upon my first visits, when I asked whether the benign growing season had homogenized the quality of terroir?
On the contrary, every winemaker, every chef de culture that I asked, replied that the growing season accentuated the differences. The reasons for that can be traced back to the details in Blatch's growing season report: the disparity in bud-burst between the cold and warmer soils subsequently exacerbated by the lack of moisture. The propitiousness of a vineyard is governed by its ability to drain when there is too much water and succour the vine from reserves when there is too little. The 2009 tested this paradox like no other, thereby elevating the great terroirs both inter- and intra-châteaux.
I have heard reports that the Deuxième Vins are great in 2009.
I disagree, for the very reasons I have stated above. Certainly, they are better than they were ten- of fifteen-years ago due to more draconian de-selection, but 2009 was not a vintage that elevated the quality of entire vineyards.
I have heard disparaging remarks about alcohol levels: anything over 14% deemed a pariah of the vintage.
To a certain extent, but it is far more complicated than that. Can you perceive the alcohol or did you make your mind up after the winemaker came clean? In some wines I could discern the alcohol and in others it was impossible. Much of that depended upon the acidity/pH level and the style of wine produced. I would rather have a fresh wine with higher alcohol than a dull one at lower. It varies from estate to estate, which is why I will go into great detail upon the specifics of as many wines as possible.
My greatest criticism for the 2009 vintage centres upon estates that missed an open goal, where they mishandled their "perfect" fruit through late picking, excessive skin maceration or fermentation at too higher temperature. In discussions with the winemakers, it was a common feature to find that the best wines were fermented 3-4 degrees below average for a shorter period. Those that did not tended to find their wine afflicted by prune/stewed apricot aromas dominating their aromatic profiles: a facet that I dislike in Bordeaux. These were often accompanied by hard tannins and dry finishes that were more common at the lower end of the hierarchy than the upper.
This was perhaps the most disappointing feature of the 2009 vintage. I was hoping to promulgate more Cru Bourgeois and Petit Châteaux, but too often I felt that the winemaker was trying too hard to make an impression, as if they had to prove something rather than the wine. This was a year when "less is more" and tasting through flights of smaller châteaux, the well balanced, natural, fresh samples stood out like a sore thumb because they simply offered the palate a sense of relief.
But at the top end, there are a clutch of spectacular, dare I say legendary wines in the making. There were simply a joy to taste: pure, delineated, fresh, silky in texture, achieving that elusive combination of intensity and finesse. Perusing my notes, it is probably the Left Bank that provides the most pleasure, the Cabernets handling the alcohol far better than the more rapid ripening Merlots. I would not single out any particular Appéllation, but I did see a distinct improvement with some of the Margaux wines. Do not dismiss the Right Bank, in particular a clutch of breathtaking Cabernet Franc based Pomerols and Saint Emilions. As I have already mentioned, the satellite Appéllations are more inconsistent than I hoped, but I take pleasure in singling out some of the best wines from Côtes de Castillon, Côtes de Blaye, Fronsac, Lussac Saint Emilion and so on. With respect to Sauternes: my report will feature in The Wine Advocate.
So without further ado, let us examine the 2009 vintage and as usual, I approach each Appéllation in turn. There are too many identikit primeur reports, (after all, everyone is now a wine critic) so I have added my usual twist to proceedings. This year it is my "A-Z of Primeur" that will hopefully balance the wealth of information with some much needed comic relief, a reminder that at the end of the day, it's only wine.