My Article: Is 2011 Modern 1975 in Bordeaux?

It seems pegging the 2011 vintage for Bordeaux to another year is a hard thing to do. I have been speaking to a number of palates that I respect and they are having as hard of a time as I am.

The fact is that vintage comparisons are very hard unless you have a vast knowledge of past vintages and you have a damn good memory to remember what these young vintages of Bordeaux tasted like when they were from barrel. I think I do, and it’s still hard!

One of the great memories I know for tasting young Bordeaux is the elderly English wine writer David Peppercorn. I love to hear the Master of Wine rattle off memories of tasting the great vintages of the 1950s and 1960s.

I have tasted Bordeaux from barrel since the 1982 vintage.

It must be hard for other people who taste from barrel in Bordeaux but have no real reference points to go from. I think there are many now, considering about 4,000 people come to Bordeaux to taste from barrel each April, but it doesn’t matter. They need the experience as much as anyone else. Obviously, my tasting peer Robert Parker has a big reference point.

Anyway, I have thought a lot about what vintage in the past parallels 2011. As I have written, the wines are very tannic and a little lean, or slender in fruit. They have bright acidities and lower alcohols than the ripe 2009s and 2010s. I thought about 2001, but the wines in that year are a little better overall and they are less hard and tannic than 2011. They are friendlier. I feel the same about 2004. They are more friendly than 2011.

I can’t think of a similar vintage structurally to 2011 in the 1990s. The 1996s are more diluted while the 1995 is more balanced and is superior in quality. Nineteen ninety-four might be a good comparison because they were lean yet very good from the Right Bank. I still remember the excellent Le Pin and Cheval Blanc from this vintage.

But 2011 is better.

The 1980s have a couple of vintages that might be comparable. I think that 1986 is the best. The wines were very tannic and structured yet a little lean when I tasted them from barrel in 1987. I remember doing this with wine writer Terry Robards, formerly of the New York Times. Our palates were raw from the tannins. Many of the 1986s are still tight and hard. I had 1986 twice last month in Hong Kong and it was tight as a drum. That needs two to three hours of decanting before drinking

I honestly don’t think 2011 is as excellent quality as 1986.

This brings us to the 1975. I did not taste this from barrel but I have been drinking the wine for more than 30 years. When I was a teenager my father in Los Angeles had a lot of 1975s. And I am still drinking great 1975s from the Right Bank. Just had the 1975 Evangile last month – it’s awesome.

I think that 2011 has comparable tannic strength, acid intensity, and lean fruit to the 1975s. But they are more modern and polished due to advancements in viticulture, such as lower grape yields during the harvest and more precise vinification and barrel maceration. In other words, I would call 2011 a modern 1975.

What are your thoughts?