My Article: The Joy of 2010 Bordeaux

I have been in Bordeaux a few days now tasting 2010 from bottle, and I am elated. There’s a positive energy and excitement to tasting such young wines from such an extraordinary vintage. This is indeed one of the greatest vintages of my generation – one of the greatest vintages ever.

Whether the year is better than the amazing 2009 remains to be seen. I have my doubts. But I wonder if I should even worry about it. The 2010 vintage is a great one and so is 2009.

Wine producers, and experts, in Bordeaux continue to talk about how 2010 is going to be the better vintage in 10 or 20 years, but I have to ask why they are even predicating the vintage on this. The wines are already wonderful. They are a joy to taste and to drink!

I killed a bottle of 2010 Calon Segur last night during dinner with wine merchant Francois Thienpont in my kitchen in Bordeaux with roasted chicken, potatoes and salad. It was soooo delicious. The fruit is so pure in the wine. The tannins are poised but not harsh. The acidity is fresh and electrifying. I believe there are so many 2010 Bordeaux out there like this. This is the beauty of the vintage.

As I wrote in the past, a lot of things contributed to the greatness of 2010 for Bordeaux. The wet winter aided the vines to grow during the dry summer, which was one of the driest in memory. The cool nights maintained acidities and perfumes in the grapes. Grape yields were slightly lower than 2009 and the berries slightly smaller. And the harvest was a little later in 2010 than in 2009. This all added up to gorgeous ripe grapes with bright and lively acidities.

I was at Leoville Las Cases today and spent time tasting and speaking with owner Jean Hubert Delon and he explained that his wines are only slightly different in 2010 and 2009. His 2010s have a tiny amount less alcohol and slightly stronger acidity. This gives the wines a different texture and freshness. The tannins are slightly more evident in the 2010s and the acidity tangier than the 2009s. But they grab your attention and taste buds. They are fascinating.

Yet, I find the 2010s so far very approachable, especially if you like slightly austere and lively young Bordeaux. Of course, the top wines will be better in five or six years and beyond. But they are a joy to taste now.

Great Bordeaux is always great from the barrel or from the bottle. And the 2010 Bordeaux I have already tasted are certainly that – I already scored one wine a perfect 100 points.