Does Bordeaux matter anymore? If you read the major publications in the "winestream media," you might decide it doesn't. The top chateaux are chasing the nouveau riche in China, who continue to drive prices skyward in their thirst for prestige while the rest of the world is "trading down" in a tough economy.
When the press descended on Bordeaux last spring for "en primeur" tastings of the wonderful 2009s, the enthusiastic reviews left normal folk wistful about ever catching a sniff of one of those wines, much less a taste. We can expect a similar frenzy this April for the 2010s, by all accounts another great vintage.
If you really want in on some of the top wines of 2009, it's not too late. The Web site Wine-Searcher.com recently listed the Chateau Lafite Rothschild at $1,400 to $2,300 a bottle. Chateau Mouton Rothschild will set you back $800 to $1,400.
In this month's Wine Spectator, columnist Matt Kramer makes a case for the irrelevance of Bordeaux, calling it "neither a reference point nor a personal wine reality for young American wine drinkers. The famous red Bordeaux are beyond their reach. They're not real. Inexpensive red Bordeaux are viewed as uninteresting or worse, lacking either the newness or the narrative of so many wines from Spain, Italy, California, Oregon, Portugal, New Zealand, Argentina or Chile."
And yet, any wines from those trendier regions made with traditional Bordeaux grapes (cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and malbec) will in some way be using Bordeaux as a model. That is especially true given the growing interest in blended wines over single-variety bottlings. So Bordeaux does matter.
And there's good news: The high quality of the 2009 vintage means even Bordeaux's lesser wines - from the petits chateaux that don't get the attention of collectors - are better than they are in an average vintage. Those wines are reaching our stores now, and they offer good value and a chance to rediscover Bordeaux. Just don't expect them to linger long on retail shelves.
Most years, these petits chateaux wines tend to range from thin and acidic to eminently drinkable. The 2009s are a step or two above that: Most of the wines I tasted recently were quite pleasant at least, while the better ones showed a verve and spirit that are remarkable for wines of this price, from anywhere. As more of the 2009 Bordeaux come to market over the next year (with higher-end wines arriving later), we will have an opportunity to stock our cellars for the next decade.
Don't expect a clear-cut lesson in grape varieties, however. Almost all Bordeaux will be a blend of two or more grapes, but the label typically will not tell us which or how much of each. To know that, you need to study the geography and the individual wineries. Appellations such as Medoc, Margaux and Saint-Estephe will favor cabernet sauvignon, while Pomerol and Saint-Emilion are predominantly merlot. Right now, the merlot-based wines seem to be showing better. Many of the wines coming to market are simply labeled Bordeaux; odds are they favor merlot, though there's usually no way of knowing by reading the label.
What we can expect from these wines is to experience the flavors and styles of Bordeaux in a top vintage: simple, everyday bottlings, meant for the dinner table rather than the trophy case in the wine cellar. The best of the 2009 Bordeaux, including those trophies, is yet to come. But much of what's already here is delicious.