The region has gone crazy for Bordeaux’s much-heralded 2009 vintage. Renowned US wine critic and Asia Tatler’s new wine editor James Suckling explains what all the fuss is about

In the space of about two months early last summer, London-based fine wine merchant Farr Vintners sold US$84 million of 2009 Bordeaux, 40 per cent of which was invoiced through its Hong Kong office. This was for wine that was still ageing in barrels and wouldn't be bottled for another 12 to 14 months.

France's premier wine region has been selling en primeur, or wine futures, for centuries, but never before has it seen such demand from Asia. Indeed, some wine merchants are calling 2009 "the Hong Kong vintage." Farr Vintners is one of the world's biggest players in fine Bordeaux, but Jo Purcell, head of its Hong Kong office, admits, "We've never sold anything like this in Bordeaux futures in the Far East." Many top wine merchants say the same thing. And since it's hard to gauge how much 2009 Bordeaux en primeur was sold in Hong Kong from other cities including London, New York and Bordeaux, demand could be even bigger than first thought.

 

"Our sales of Bordeaux en primeur went from nothing to US$32 million in 2009 in Hong Kong," says Gary Boom, owner of London based Bordeaux Index, which also has an office in Hong Kong. "It's still very centred on the first growths and the second wines of first growths, but it's impressive."

The 2009 Bordeaux vintage has been heralded as one of the greatest of all time. Comparisons have been made with such modern classics as 1982, 1989, 1990, 2000 and 2005, while some say wine lovers have to go back to 1961, 1959, 1945 or even 1929 to find such a stellar year. I began my barrel-tasting career with the storied 1982 vintage and have been tasting young vintages of red Bordeaux ever since, but I don't remember ever tasting such an exciting young vintage as this one. What is so striking is the purity of fruit in the wines, particularly the reds. They show an essence of perfectly ripe grapes that seems almost unworldly. They have intense and juicy fruit, yet they maintain the tannin structure and bright acidity that one expects from top-notch Bordeaux.

Some winemakers say that their 2009 wines have the most powerful tannins to date, but I find most of them to be balanced and polished. "It is the greatest vintage of my career," says Christian Moueix, whose family owns top Bordeaux wine estates, such as Pétrus, Trotanoy, La Fleur-Pétrus, Hosanna and La Providence. This is quite a statement for Moueix, who has been running the family business since 1970. He has experienced a bounty of great vintages during his years as a winemaker, but says that 2009 offers a special fruit character that he has never seen before.

 

Personally, I rate 2009 at the top of my vintage chart for modern Bordeaux harvests. With Bordeaux having enjoyed such exceptional vintages as 2000, 2003 and 2005 in recent years, I was hesitant to bestow such a ranking at first taste. But I went back to Bordeaux in September, just as the harvest was beginning, and I was amazed at the quality of the 2009s I tasted from 100 or so of the top estates.

According to Farr Vintners, the demand from Asia has been focused on a handful of labels, including Lafite, Latour, Mouton Rothschild, Cos d'Estournel, Haut-Brion, Pontet- Canet, Margaux, Lynch-Bages, Ausone, and La Mission Haut-Brion. Currently, my top wines of the vintage in order of preference are: Margaux, Cheval Blanc, Léoville Las Cases, Cos d'Estournel, Yquem, Latour, Lafite, Mouton Rothschild, Pétrus, Trotanoy, Montrose, Palmer and Suduiraut.

The 2009s are the most expensive young wines ever produced. For example, a case of 2009 Pétrus will set you back around US$47,000, while first growths range from about US$13,000 for Mouton Rothschild to US$25,000 for Lafite. Second growths such as Cos d'Estournel or Ducru-Beaucaillou are going for around US$3,200 to US$4,300.

Whether the future is golden for the great 2009 Bordeaux vintage in Asia remains to be seen. The quality of the wine is certainly amazing, but price appreciation for the year is another question entirely. Producers in this famous wine region of France are now reporting that their most recent harvest is another exceptional year.

If 2010 is as good, or better even, than 2009, then many must be asking themselves if the world, and in particular Asia, will be willing to buy yet another top vintage of Bordeaux futures.

 

Visit James Suckling at www.jamessuckling.com

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