Divine Vintages –

2008, 2009 and 2010


     I have often noted that great vintages occur in 3s, which is a divine number. Although we may be required to skip a year occasional, they are: [1926, 1928 and 1929], [1947, 1948 and 1949], [1952, 1953 and 1955],  [1959, 1961, and 1962],  [1988, 1989 and 1990] and [2003, 2004 and 2005]. Those of us who have had the privilege of tasting these wines would agree that they are, in fact, divine, but what about now. I would argue that 2008, 2009 and 2010 trilogy is one of the greatest example of a wine divinity of all time.

     Although the 2008 Bordeaux vintage had a wet spring and a cool summer, the grapes benefited from a spectacular Indian Summer allowing some winemakers to pick into late October. Long hang-times are what enable winemakers to produce wines that are high in acid, high in density, and retain high levels of tannin, all attributes of the 2008 vintage. Also enabling the vines to produce extracts with a fruit bowl of flavors, were the extremely dry conditions from the  mid-summer months through harvest. The combination of these events produced very small yields, all resulting in a vintage of at least excellent quality. According to Robert Parker, "there are wines as profound as 2005 and vastly superior to 2007, 2006, 2004, 2003 (with some exceptions in that unusual vintage), 2002, 2001, and 1999".

     Unlike 2008, which had a persistent string of detractors early on, the 2009 Bordeaux vintage brought no "cat calls" from the audience. In some unusual opening remarks in the April 2010 edition of the Wine Advocate, Parker states, " 2009 may turn out to be the finest vintage I have tasted in 32 years of covering Bordeaux." Clearly the strongest performers in both the Medoc and Graves eclipsed the best vintages of the last decade and, perhaps, the last century. When compared to the uncommon and sensational 2005 vintage, on average, the 2009s had even higher residual sugar, higher alcohol and higher polyphenols (tannin). In fact, at the Union Grande Cru Exhibitions of 2010 and 2011 attended by EWR, the tannin associated with the 2009s made reliable tasting notes impossible. In a recent tasting in January, 2012 the wines have evolved substantially and are, as the press proclaimed,  "otherworldly".

     In the true fashion of a legendary trilogy, 2010 stands tall in comparison to 2008 and 2009. It is hard to conceptualize a third wine in the trilogy that was more highly extracted, with higher alcohol and higher acid than 2009, but 2010 was all of this and more. Many consumers shunned the 2010 vintage having already been bludgeoned by the high prices of 2009, but these wines stand on their own merits. 2010 was another drought year, but unlike 2009, the summer was more like 2005 with no dramatic heat waves. The weather remained dry from the early summer months through harvest surpassing 2003, 2005 and 2009 for lack of precipitation. All of which,  explains the extreme richness and high acidity of the vintage. The 2009s will always be more precocious, but the profundity of 2010 will be difficult to surpass.

     Ultimately, wine aficionados will make their selections based on personal preference. I enjoy wines with charm and elegance, such as the 2008s, but I can also appreciate the grace of a well aged Bordeaux from a profound year like 2009 and 2010. I have also benefited  from owning cellar treasures that seem to accrue in value, regardless of economic conditions. We recently received more than 500 cases of wine from the 2008 and 2009 vintages and have a long list of 2010 Bordeaux available as futures, all purchased by us, en primeur. We hope you will take advantage of this new offering and experience the divine nature of the 3.

EWR