Many of us have lost touch with the delights of French wine.
Some terrific French reds are now on sale here. From the great 2009 vintage in Bordeaux, they are going cheap and worth grabbing.
The largest fine-wine region on Earth, Bordeaux has an annual output three times larger than New Zealand’s. The source of merlot and cabernet sauvignon-based reds known all over the world as “claret”, Bordeaux’s top chateaux form a roll-call of legendary names: Lafite-Rothschild, Margaux, Latour, Haut-Brion, Mouton-Rothschild, Cheval Blanc, Petrus.
A multitude of other chateaux offer you the essential style of red Bordeaux at descending quality and price levels. Harvested after a hot, dry summer and long, sunny vintage, the 2009 reds have been touted as superb. According to La Revue du Vin de France, “there is no question that 2009 is going to be one of the greatest Bordeaux vintages of our lifetime”.
But cheap? Paul Mitchell of Wine Importer (www.wineimporter.co.nz) has sold directly to the public since 1988. If you are an investor rather than a drinker, he can still secure three cases of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 2009 for delivery mid-2012 at $52,000 a case.
For “bargain Bordeaux”, Mitchell believes, you need “a great vintage, a less fashionable commune, experienced owners or consultant winemakers, and a track record … The good news for savvy Bordeaux drinkers is that emerging markets [in Asia] demand the very best grand crus and the very cheapest reds, leaving the excellent-value middle market alone, for now.”
American guru Robert Parker is also highly enthusiastic in his Wine Advocate about the petit chateaux. “Given the overall style of the 2009s, which combine creamy, voluptuous textures and sensational, fruit-driven opulence with remarkable finesse, precision, purity and vibrancy, the best of the ‘little wines’ will be delicious young. This is a magical vintage!”
With wine shelves in New Zealand crowded with local and Australian labels, many of us have lost touch with the delights of French wine. But an international swing away from powerful high-alcohol reds in favour of more elegant and drinkable wines has brought vins de France back into fashion.
New Zealand’s warmer wine regions – especially Hawke’s Bay and Waiheke Island – can produce merlot and cabernet sauvignon-based reds that challenge the finest of Bordeaux. But the lure of estate-grown, chateau-bottled reds from a region where vineyards have flourished since the 3rd century AD is hard to resist.
Chateau Saint-Paul Haut-Médoc 2009
Classic claret at a giveaway price. This cru bourgeois was created in 1979 by combining two old-vine St Estephe estates, but under French law it cannot be labelled St Estephe. Deeply coloured and finely scented, it offers a lovely surge of ripe, brambly flavours, seasoned with finely integrated French oak, and a firm, lasting finish. (Sold out, but more stock is coming.) $29.50
Chateau Tour St Bonnet 2009
This cru bourgeois from St-Christoly, at the far north of the Médoc, is praised by Parker as “one of the most reliable wines in Bordeaux over the past 30-plus years … and the 2009 may turn out to be the best they have ever made”. Made from equal portions of merlot and cabernet sauvignon, it has an inviting cedary, spicy bouquet leading into a classic Médoc style, with excellent density, finesse and length. Well worth cellaring. $29.50
Seigneurs D’Aiguilhe 2009
This enticingly perfumed Castillon red is blended from merlot (80%) and cabernet franc (20%). Dark and very sweet-fruited, with concentrated blackcurrant and plum flavours, a hint of leather – typical of merlot – and a well-rounded finish, it is already delicious. $26.50
Chateau Arnauton Fronsac 2009
From the highest vineyard in the Bordeaux region, this is a fleshy, substantial red, dark and rich. From 30-year-old merlot vines, planted in clay and limestone soils, and barrel-matured for a year, it has generous blackcurrant, plum, nut and herb flavours, braced by ripe, supple tannins. Drink now or cellar. $29.95