Bordeaux

A picture of a sprawling vineyeard and its accompanying homesteads in Bordeaux

Cabernet is King,
Merlot is Majestic and
Botrytis Semillon is Sublime.

Bordeaux is home to some of the world’s most prestigious, noble and age-worthy wines. It is the home of the famous Chateaux and famous names like Lafite-Rothschild, La Tour and Petrus.

Red wines dominate, produced as a single variety or more commonly as a blend of up to five varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

Profoundly intense dessert wines and smaller amounts of white wine are made chiefly from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. and Viognier.

2008 Vintage Bordeaux – An introduction by Andrew Caillard MW

2008 will not be remembered as a great Bordeaux vintage, but for wine drinkers the good news is that many outstanding wines were made. Plentiful rainfall during the growing season resulted in negative press opinion and a poor vintage reputation, even before the wines were made! With a global financial crisis in full swing and China still on the sidelines, many producers (for a change) offered their wines at realistic opening prices. As a result 2008 may well be the last great value Bordeaux vintage for at least a decade.

The growing demand from emerging markets, particularly Hong Kong and China, has seen a wholesale escalation in prices for the highly lionised 2009 and 2010 Grand Cru Classé wines, particularly ‘First Growths’ and ‘Super Seconds’. Notwithstanding the hype, greed and lusty market conditions, created by the Middle Kingdom’s red obsession, 2008 has somehow remained in the eye of the hurricane. The wines have escaped speculation and are delicious to drink. Although the region experienced above average rainfall, disease pressure was kept in check by low yields, open canopy management and regular spraying. It was definitely a difficult vintage but a spate of dry, warm conditions during July gave respite before the August rains. Breezy Indian summer conditions in late September/October lead to optimum fruit ripeness at most well-managed estates. Modern technology and intuitive winemaking have done the rest. There are many classically proportioned and deliciously buoyant reds, or “clarets”, with terrific freshness, colours, flavour development and tannin/ acid balance. The dry whites and “lighter” Sauternes/Barsacs are also very high quality and delicious to drink. Robert Parker, whose famous tasting notes drive the Bordeaux market described the 2008 vintage as “excellent” and “dramatically better than I had expected.”

Ultimately there is a spread of many lovely wines across all sub-regions.

We Recommend

bottle of Château Petrus
Château Petrus

Pomerol, Mer-CF

The tiny highly-prized Château Petrus, which lies on a buttonhole of iron-rich clay soils in Pomerol, is one of Bordeaux’s most celebrated, seductive and rarest wines.

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bottle of Chateau Latour
Château Latour

Pauillac, 1st Growth,
Cab-Mer-CF-PV

Rich with full-bodied power, beautiful purity and graciousness…

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bottle of chateau haut-brion
Château Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan, 1st Growth,
Cab-Mer-CF

…Haut-Brion is a candidate for wine of the vintage. Soft, clean and long finish.

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