Now that I am back and getting settled I can start writing about my experience and thoughts on the En Primeur experience.
I had the good fortune of being invited to a private tasting at a Negociant's office (since I don't have permission to quote him, I won't mention the company name) during the tasting he said something that really resonated me and something that I think is worth discussing. He said he felt that the 2009 vintage is going to be about the $20 wine.
To understand why he feels this way, you first have to understand the Bordeaux distribution system. Most wine producers do not sell their wines directly. If you visit a Chateau and enjoy their wine, you most likely will not be able to pick up a bottle on the spot (note: not all Chateau function this way, but most do), in fact many Chateaux can't tell you where you would be able to find their wine. The Chateaux use a courtier (a broker) to sell their wine to one, or several, negociants (in the United States, this would be the equivalent of a distributor), who then sells the wine to wine merchants, who sell the wine to you. Negociants can also act as the broker for smaller estates, and many will see out the small estates in order to distribute their wines.
The 2009 vintage was very interesting. The left bank, predominately Cabernet Sauvignon based wines, was almost universally praised (a sentiment that I wholeheartedly agree with). The right bank, predominately Merlot based wines, was hit or miss. Some of them were excellent, others were good, but not great.
By my tally, I tasted just over 400 samples of the 2009 vintage during En Primeurs. There are more than 12,000 producers in Bordeaux, that leaves a lot of really good wine that won't be tried by most of the press. Negociants do try many of those producers though, looking for good wines to distribute. So, there is a lot of great wine that won't get written about in Wine Spectator or my new friends at Wine Enthuiast or reviewed by Robert Parker that will be hitting the shelves of your local wine shop in 2011.
And much of that wine will have a sub-$20 price tag.
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3 comments:
2009 Bordeaux is wonderful choice for wines under $20. It really taste well. Your blog looks perfect.
I have been there and I fully agree with your conclusions. And yes, it is true, we may look forward from, lets say june 2011 to be able to buy lots of superbe bordeaux wines of small growers under $20!!
Hi Allan, Bordeaux needs more under $20 wines in the U.S. I was browsing the Bordeaux selection yesterday at one of my regular wine shops in Rhode Island and I was shocked to find most Bordeaux wines priced at $30-$40.
...and we're talking Bordeaux AOC, Bordeaux Sup., etc. I haven't tasted these wines, so perhaps they merit these prices, but honestly---I get the impression people are trying to sell the "Bordeaux brand". There were plenty of other French wines available for under $20 from Loire, Rhone, Alsace---but only one from Bordeaux (Bdx AOC).
My own experience w/ Bdx AOC in France tells me you're better off spending the same amount on another region!
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