I read Gil’s most recent blog with interest, and it made me think of future sales of 2011 for Bordeaux and Burgundy. Bordeaux is going to be tough to sell, and Burgundy should be no problem.
I will taste the 2011 from barrel next week in Bordeaux. I am looking forward to it. I will also taste a number of 2009s that I need to review. I will shoot some cool video as usual, so stay tuned.
I suspect that Gil’s assessment of 2011 Bordeaux as a vintage similar to 2008 is pretty accurate, although I will know more next week. We already know that the weather during the growing season was less than perfect. So, the worse case scenario appears to be that 2011 is a vintage when the top names produced good to excellent quality wines.
The question for 2011 is the price.
I don’t think 2011 will sell unless the top wines are a fraction of the cost of the extraordinary 2009s now in bottle. They would probably have to be half the price, or maybe even less? Maybe 20 or 30 percent of the current prices for 2008 is realistic?
Burgundy is another subject. The global demand for the top wines is unprecedented, and lovers of the wines of the region are prepared to buy less than great vintages. Plus, they make very little of the stuff.
