I have visited Bordeaux three times this year, April for the primeurs, three weeks in July, and last week a third harvest-time visit. Today I begin a few reports from the most recent of these visits, starting with today’s update from Sociando-Mallet. First, though, I thought it would be appropriate to set the scene with a brief recap of the growing season so far, to at least provide some context prior to this and other forthcoming reports from my trip to the region. I will produce a more detailed report on the vintage next year, to accompany my definitive primeurs report on the vintage and wines, but for the moment brief synopsis of the 2012 story-so-far should provide sufficient context.

Bordeaux 2012: The Story So Far

By the time of my visit to Bordeaux in October 2012 the vintage had already proven to be a difficult one, even before a single grape was plucked from its mother vine. In a reversal of what was seen during the 2011 growing season, which was characterised by an unexpectedly hot spring, the weather during the first half of 2012 in Bordeaux was wholly disappointing; in particular spring was cool and wet, impairing and retarding flowering. And this inclement weather persisted right through until mid-July, bringing a constant threat of mildew, and the use of sprays to hold at bay the advancing army of mould spores was a necessity. This meant for the vineyards managed along ‘conventional’ means the use of chemical fungicides, although it saddens me to think of chemical treatments as being ‘convention’, and for the organic and biodynamic adherents copper, a toxic heavy metal arguably no kinder to soil microflora than synthesised chemicals. Whichever poison you prefer, you can be assurred that the vineyards were heavily dosed with it through spring and into early summer.

In mid-July, however, the weather turned. This was to my personal advantage as I spent three weeks in the region during the summer, and I was able to leave my family contentedly sunbathing at the poolside while I dashed off for appointments at Lafleur, Tertre-Roteboeuf, Teyssier and the like. What residual signs of mildew there were in the vineyard soon dried up (the leaf above shows a few brown spots, all that was left by late July), and the vines could get on with the job of ripening their fruit. There were, however, three major problems with this. First, the cool weather impaired fertilisation and development of the fruit, so some bunches were a mix of small undeveloped and larger normal berries (millerandage, sometimes called ‘hen and chickens’ or the less common but no less charming ‘pumpkins and peas’). I didn’t spot many such bunches during my visits in all honesty, but there were some here and there, such as those pictured below in the vineyard of a Margaux cru classé estate. Secondly, uneven and stuttering flowering resulted in a staggered fertilisation and fruit set, so that there was a greater degree of variation in ripeness of the berries on the vines than is usual. Thirdly, because of the delay in flowering, the vines were several weeks behind schedule.

I believe that, come the more detailed reviews of the vintage during next year’s en primeur circus, this late and uneven flowering will be regarded as the defining moment of the vintage. Although as the harvest neared the ripeness of the fruit on the vine appeared to gain some homogeneity, by early October most fruit – not just the later harvested Cabernet Sauvignons, but the Merlots too – was yet to ripen fully. The whites were brought in towards the end of September, but in early October, at a date by which in 2011 the entire harvest – dry whites, reds and sweet whites – had been completed, in 2012 most of the red grapes (and sweet whites) had yet to be picked. The Bordelais watched the skies and the regular Météo reports with more than a hint of anxiety. They needed several more weeks to fully ripen their fruit.

Would the weather gods show kindness?

This, in a nutshell (as indicated above, I will pen a more detailed report for my primeurs review next year), was the situation as I arrived at Château Sociando Mallet in early October 2012. For my report from that visit, see my Harvest Report from Sociando-Mallet.

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Posted by Chris Kissack on October 12, 2012 at 6:38 am
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I thought today I would post a few comments on the Bordeaux 2012 harvest, and “harvest reports” in general, to complement my rather hurried “Lafite Picks” post made yesterday. I’ve made a few visits in the last 24 hours, and tasted a lot of berries on the vine. I’ve tasted some 2012 musts and also some 2012 wine (white wine only, at this stage!).

None of which really allows any comment on the state of the 2012 vintage. We all know there is a lot of hype around Bordeaux, especially around the top 250-or-so cru classé (or similar level) châteaux. I’m not here to promulgate any overly positive message that the Bordelais might want to put out. But I can talk about what I have seen in the last few days, and what that might mean. But on the whole, speaking bluntly, it is too early to say anything on the quality of the 2012 vintage. And even where I can comment, my thoughts can’t be extrapolated across the whole region.

Firstly, on the whole, the white grapes for dry wines have all been picked. Other than on a few “nursery” or “library” vines (some château keep a row of all the local varieties, and sometimes more exotic varieties too, just for show) I haven’t seen any white grapes anywhere. And the white fermentations are on the whole well underway. Yesterday I tasted 2012 barrel samples at Château Brown in Pessac-Léognan, including Sauvignon Blanc (the fermentation begun in steel then transferred to barrel, with 13º potential and still 4 g/l residual sugar – shown above), Semillon (managed as per the Sauvignon Blanc) and an experimental batch of Semillon (fermented in stainless steel with oven-treated oak staves within). The last sample may sound unappealing, but it had such delicious fruit and vibrant acidity it was in fact the most delectable of the three samples. But all tasted good. So there is a potential for quality in the dry whites in 2012 I think, especially from those estates who delay harvesting and look for maturity most of all, so along with Brown that means Domaine de Chevalier and Smith Haut Lafitte. But more than this I can’t say. Nevertheless, it may be that just as the dry whites in the difficult-for-reds 2011 vintage were a success, the same may be true in 2012.

Reds are another story. First of all, most fruit remains on the vine. Yes, as I posted yesterday, some have started picking, always Merlot at this stage. But this is a vintage that is running close to the bone. Touring a vineyard with a Derenoncourt consultant today he advised waiting until next week to start one plot of Merlot, and waiting another week after that for a second plot. Thus on some estates harvest will not really get underway for another week or so yet. And then the Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon will have to come in. Certainly, tasting the grapes off the vine, they on the whole remain green. The pips are green and covered in adherent flesh, rather than the drier, more brown mature pips. Some skins still taste thick and unripe. And some grapes – the Cabernets especially – still taste overtly green. Many estates will be holding off for several weeks yet. This is going to be a very late harvest!

Some have sent out the pickers though, such as Beychevelle and Lafite, as I stated earlier this week. Another is Sociando-Mallet, who I visited today. The reception area was a hive of activity, with crate after crate of grapes coming through, the fruit going across the twin sorting tables before destemming. I tasted some fresh 2012 Merlot must, still more grape juice than wine. The slightly disconcerting character I found here was an overt greenness to the wine, which along with the Merlot fruit character also had vegetal notes of celery. If I had tasted it blind I might have guessed we were in the Loire. A Loire co-operative, to be more precise. Let’s hope the Cabernet (like the bunch pictured above, in the vineyards of Château Serilhan in St Estèphe) and other later picked fruit shows better.

So, I will look forward to tasting the whites at the primeurs. As for the reds, I will cross my fingers. The Bordelais need more dry and warm weather for several more weeks yet. This harvest could even run into November – it woudn’t be the first time.

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Posted by Chris Kissack on October 4, 2012 at 5:04 pm
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I’ve been here in Bordeaux for a few days – it’s a multipurpose trip, and I’ve been very busy doing other things Monday and Tuesday, hence the lack of posts since the weekend. Sorry! I have managed to swing by at a number of estates though, whenever there was a free moment. Even by just doing this I have managed to catch sight of a lot of picking activity.

On the better terroirs, fruit is already coming in; these will all be Merlots at this stage, the Cabernets (Sauvignon and Franc) will come in later. So up and down the Haut-Médoc there are harvesters everywhere. At Beychevelle there are signs telling drivers to slow down because there are large numbers of pickers crossing the road between château and vineyard. At Mouton-Rothschild, every spare corner of land around the estate has a camper-van parked on it, housing hundreds of pickers waiting for the starting gun to be fired. And there are coaches trundling up and down the D2, not full of tourists (well, one I saw was) but full of pickers being driven out to the next vineyard to be worked.

And they are picking at Lafite-Rothschild – this vineyard is just alongside the D2, as you head out of Pauillac up towards Cos d’Estournel.

Pickers fill buckets, which are emptied into the yellow hods, which are then tipped into a trailer ready for transport back to the cellars. On closer inpection the berries look (and taste) generally very good – although I have seen a few shrivelled berries I haven’t noticed any issues with rot or otherwise.

Hopefully today, with a little more free time on my hand now, a look at Pomerol or Pessac. Wherever the road takes me……!

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Posted by Chris Kissack on October 3, 2012 at 8:15 am
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For the third time this year I’m off to Bordeaux. I spent a week there during the primeurs tasting the 2011 vintage, and another three weeks there during the summer visiting several estates including Lafleur (pictured below), Tertre-Roteboeuf, Bauduc and a few others (for which profiles are yet to be published/updated). This time I’m returning for a multitude of reasons – a rare example of killing four birds with one stone.

First and foremost, and not of much interest to readers, I have a personal project I’m working on which will keep me busy Monday and Tuesday. So I’m not sure I will get much visiting or tasting done on those two days, but I do have an appointment at the mairie in Pauillac on Monday afternoon so who knows, maybe I’ll get some ‘drive-by’ photographs of Grand-Puy-Ducasse (which is right next-door to the mayoral office in the centre of Pauillac) to add to my image bank.

Second, I have some visits arranged on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and as I did during my summer visit I have a mix of famous and not-so-famous estates lined up. The former group includes the likes of Sociando-Mallet and Phélan-Ségur.

Third, unlike my October visit in 2012 (which was a little later in the month) this time I should catch a little of the harvest. Last year the fruit was brought in fairly early, and for various reasons my visit began on or around October 22nd or 23rd, if I recall correctly. On a re-run of 2010 this would have matched perfectly the Sauternes harvest (which was what I was hoping for), but in 2011 I managed to miss even that! This year, however, although the whites are all in, the reds won’t start with the Merlots until next week at the earliest. The Sauternais are sitting tight at present.

Fourth, there are one or two 2011 tastings I would like to make or repeat. I’m struggling to fit this in around my other commitments though, but Ideally I would like to squeeze in Latour, Ducru-Beaucaillou and Calon-Ségur.

Anyway, here’s hoping. Whatever happens, I will be busy, and so I’m going to suspend the main site updates next week, but I will post on my blog most days, with notes on my visits and hopefully a few pictures of the 2012 harvest.

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Posted by Chris Kissack on September 29, 2012 at 6:54 am
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It’s not really news, is it? Did anybody really believe, despite all the changes put in place for the 2012 St Emilion classification, that the final listing would go unchallenged? Unlike the legal wrangling that came in 2006, however, this time the objections come not from proprietors threatened with demotion, but from an unclassified corner of the appellation.

As I indicated yesterday, it has been reported that Pierre Carle, of Château Croque-Michotte, is not content with the process of classification. His objections have now been made clear in a press conference held at the château; this is reported in Sud Ouest. The complaints are as follows:

1. The system of scoring, which I described in detail in my post on the 2012 St Emilion classification, was only made public in June 2012. This was eight months after all supplicants were required to submit their dossiers in application. This, says Pierre Carle, is like asking a student to take the exam before seeing the syllabus. And, according to Pierre Carle, the scoring system, once revealed, was seen to be defective. In particular, the criteria were not stringent enough (I assume not sufficiently rigidly defined) and open to interpretation especially as the markers moved through the supplicants’ responses.

2. The methods of tasting – time of opening and decanting bottles, serving temperature, etc. – were not disclosed.

3. Scores are awarded for the price of the wine, but following declassification in 1996 the prices obtained by Croque-Michotte fell. Thus it is the classification system itself, as it was in 1996, which has inhibited Croque-Michotte’s ability to regain classification in 2012.

4. There are inconsistencies in the scoring of Croque-Michotte; these include a poor score for terroir, particularly for the water content of the soils, but then a good score for having a drainage system in place.

5. The scoring for terroir was based on a geological map drawn up by Professor Cornelis van Leeuwen (Cornelis, who goes more often by the name Kees I think, is a nice guy – I met him at Cheval Blanc once) is inappropriate. Van Leeuwen himself stated that any attempt to classify the wines (I assume based on the map) would be meaningless.

6. Developments at Croque-Michotte have been overlooked. No score was awarded for environmental work, but the vineyards were certified organic in 1999.

The response from Jacques Bertrand, honorary president of the Conseil des Vins de St Emilion, was that the INAO was competent and the system was clearly robust. Having looked at all of Pierre Carle’s complaints, I see that despite a few possible inconsistencies here and there I don’t think – set against the robust system put in place by the INAO – that he has a very strong case. And unfortunately for him, his complaint does come across as sour grapes. Personally I suspect he will not benefit from taking his complaints any further, and I think he would perhaps be better off concerning himself with raising quality, rather than fighting against a classification that is likely to be ratified as it stands.

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Posted by Chris Kissack on September 13, 2012 at 7:39 am
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There has been a lot of confusion over the 2012 St Emilion classification, for various reasons. First, although most St Emilion proprietors probably knew in June whether or not they had been ranked as they desired (because letters inviting appeals against demotions/failed promotions were sent out), they were only formally notified by letter September 6th 2012. The formal unveiling wasn’t due, however, until late afternoon, but once the news was received it started to leak out in dribs and drabs, by email, Twitter, phone call and the like. As soon as I heard about any confirmed classification I Tweeted about it last Thursday (so I was Tweet-Tweeting all morning) and the result of this was that a list was slowly built up. The Revue des Vins de France also kept updating a list, published here, but as this began to fill out some people took it to be the final version. As Trottevieille and Belair-Monange were some of the last to ‘come out’, some erroneously thought they had been demoted when they were seen to be missing from the incomplete list.

In addition, some estates disappeared from the list not through demotion, but through having been absorbed into other estates. Of these, the most surprising was Magdelaine, in a merger with Belair-Monange which I think very few people were aware of. It will only take effect with the 2012 vintage. Again, this led some to conclude Magdelaine had been demoted from the Premier Grand Cru Classé rung.

Lastly, some publications serve only to further confuse the issue by publishing stories that are factually incorrect. For example, the Revue des Vins de France published this story declaring that Château Croque-Michotte would be challenging the classification, stating that the château had been classed in 1996 but demoted in 2006 (and that proprietor Pierre Carle fought against this). In fact, Croque-Michotte was demoted in 1996 and has never bothered the classification since. It was not one of the properties demoted in 2006 – see my 2006 St Emilion classification report for those. Pierre Carle is threatening to challenge though – I can only assume that Croque-Michotte was one of the 14 (96 applied, 82 were ranked) unsuccessful applicants.

All the details on the process are included in my new post today on the 2012 St Emilion classification, and should it be of interest I also have updated my pages relating to the St Emilion classification per se (mainly its history and early revisions).

If, however, you cant be bothered wading through all that (and I would have some sympathy with you!!) here is the 2012 classification in a nutshell:

A classification which tends to promote and rarely demotes is perhaps safer from legal challenge, I suppose. It will, however, lead to perhaps justified criticisms of the classification. What is the merit of a system documenting success or otherwise, when you can climb the ladder without difficulty, but it seems very difficult for anyone to ever be knocked off their particular rung? I can see a number of other names listed in 2012 that probably merit demotion alongside those three above. I expect this classification will be ratified by the Ministry of Agriculture soon. And then we can all come back to it in 2022. See you then!

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Posted by Chris Kissack on September 12, 2012 at 10:56 am
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Latest News

After several enquiries from Winedoctor readers in the USA who have been disappointed to find that US Amazon lists my Pocket Guide to the Wines of Bordeaux as out of print, I am delighted to report that the book is available for worldwide delivery from Magbooks.

UK readers can still buy it from the UK Amazon, and of course if it is the Kindle edition you would prefer, this is available without any difficulty wherever you are. If you’re after a paper copy though, and local retailers don’t stock it, it is available for a good price (not including delivery) from Magbooks.

Visit the Magbooks site

About my Book

A 146-page A5 pocket (a large pocket, obviously) guide to Bordeaux, this guide features the latest Bordeaux news, a report on the Bordeaux 2011 vintage, vintage summaries going back 20 years, selected châteaux profiles (not just first growths but good-value Bordeaux too), opinion pieces, a guide to Bordeaux and its classifications and guidance on buying, storing, drinking and enjoying Bordeaux. Although a pocket guide its coverage is broad, so it should appeal to Bordeaux experts looking for the latest gossip and developments, as well as Bordeaux beginners looking for help in the Bordeaux minefield. The price is low (much less than the price of a bottle of Bordeaux today – something I discuss in the book), so it should make the ideal stocking filler!

For more detail on what the book covers, chapter by chapter, see this previous post.

Reader’s Reviews

I’m very grateful for feedback on the guide; here are some extracts from comments that have been posted on Amazon:

This is a really entertaining read and well worth keeping as a reference guide. The price is excellent too as you can own this book (although it is a pocket guide size) for little more than a cost of a single issue of Decanter. – Liberace0425, Amazon

Well written, clear and incisive, it’s all a pocket book should be. – TW Gisby, Amazon

It is quite impressive how it manages to be relevant for both the novice and the master at the same time. – PeterPilot, Amazon

And a couple I have received by email:

Just wanted to drop you a quick note to say congratulations and thanks for your new Pocket Guide to Bordeaux. I wish this guide existed when I first dipped my toe into the wines of Bordeaux a few years ago! – Anthony, Hong Kong

I am making my way through your excellent Bordeaux Wine Guide. It is most detailed and informative – I have found it an excellent read. – Gerald, Hong Kong

(clearly it is selling well in Hong Kong!!)

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Posted by Chris Kissack on September 9, 2012 at 8:33 am
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In just a couple of weeks time, on September 6th, the news will all be about St Emilion. This is the day that we should expect to see revealed the newest revision of the St Emilion classification. After the debacle that was the 2006 classification, which following legal challenges ultimately saw all the promoted estates stay promoted, while all those demoted moved back up to their previous position, there is a lot of potential for discontent and disagreement this time. Will the lawyers of Libourne (yes I know that’s the heart of Pomerol – I’m just doing this for the alliteration) be rubbing their hands with the glee as the Euro-signs flash across their eyes once more?

Perhaps not. This time, seemingly having learnt from their mistakes, the process is being handled somewhat differently. First, I’m told that all the châteaux threatened with relegation from their current position were notifed by letter sometime after the beginning of June. In other words, the process is already well underway. The purpose of this was to allow the proprietor(s) concerned to defend his or her position, before a panel from the INAO, away from the prying eyes of their neighbours. The St Emilion rumour mill is going like the clappers at the moment, and the latest story to do the rounds is that thirty such letters, each one the equivalent of a vinous P45, have been sent out, a number which – given that there are only about 70 châteaux currently ranked as premier grand cru classé or grand cru classé – seems remarkably high. Does this also relate to the grand cru ranking, I wonder?

That there will be demotions is inevitable; I think many Winedoctor readers could come up with a short-list of likely declassification targets, including some that were demoted and re-promoted in 2006, such as Guadet St-Julien, Cadet-Bon and Yon-Figeac. It will also be interesting to see what happens to those estates perhaps unfairly punished with attempted demotion in the 2006 listing, such as Bellevue, and those that have very recently come into new hands (such as Tertre-Dauguy, now owned by Domaine Clarence Dillon, and renamed Quintus). Will these estates survive this time around? Perhaps of most interest, however, is the question of who will be promoted.

It seems unlikely to me that any estate will scale the insurmountable wall between the A and B levels of the premier grand cru classé classification, so Cheval Blanc and Ausone should remain undisturbed. If they were to be joined by another estate, however, who would it be? Who would you like it to be? Popular choices are likely to be Pavie and Angélus. Elevation of the latter would be something of a coup for Hubert de Boüard de Laforest, an increasingly powerful figure in the little microcosm that is Bordeaux and wine. I would, however, be hugely surprised if either make the leap.

At the ‘lower’ levels there could be numerous changes and surprises. First up is surely Valandraud; having spent some time with Jean-Luc Thunevin in St Emilion a few weeks ago I know he is very hopeful of higher classification. The target for Thunevin is the ‘B’ level of the premier grand cru classé rung, and this would be an impressive feat, from grand cru to premier grand cru classé in one move. Forget the mere grand cru classé level! The next you might look out for is Le Dôme from Jonathan Malthus; sadly this estate is not eligible for the classification, the reason for this – if I understood Jonathan correctly – being regulations about what percentage of your wine must come from the estate, which is 50%. This means Jonathan, with so many other estates under his wing, could not submit this remarkable wine (the vineyards are just next to Angélus, by the way). Comte Stefan von Neipperg will be looking for La Mondotte to climb, and perhaps Canon-la-Gaffelière too.

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Posted by Chris Kissack on August 29, 2012 at 11:31 am
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I’ve got a few copies of my recently published Pocket Guide to the Wines of Bordeaux tucked under my desk, and I was wondering what to do with them.

It seems only right that I should give these away to visitors to this site.

Reply to this post if you would like me to send you one; I will send a copy to the first five respondents. Once you have posted your reply, I will email you to ascertain your postal address. I can’t do this if you don’t give me your email address, so please make sure you enter it in the appropriate field, correctly typed, when you make your post.

No prizes for the most exotic address. And I’m afraid I will be posting by the cheapest means available (wot a skinflint!), so if you live outside the UK be prepared for a long wait!

Best of luck.

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Posted by Chris Kissack on August 22, 2012 at 11:57 am
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I’ve spent a little time sorting out the digital photographs from my recent time in Bordeaux over the weekend – all 1221 of them! The subject depicted below, spotted in the cellars at Château de la Rivière in Fronsac, was perhaps one of the most unusual.

The 75 cl bottle and certain derivatives thereof have been the only legally permissible sizes for wine bottles as long as I can remember (I am that young – honest! ). Yes, I know there are exceptions, particularly some wines from the Jura that are permitted to use 62 cl bottles, and also sake (does that count? – it’s not something I have any experience of) which comes in 72 cl bottles.

Some of these 75 cl-derivatives are in themselves impressive; also in the cellars at Château de la Rivière I caught sight of a Melchior, a monster bottle so large I haven’t even included it in my guide to wine bottle sizes (I will amend that now). This is an 18-litre vessel, equivalent to 24 standard bottles, in other words two cases!

More unusual though were the two remaining gallon bottles from the 1975 vintage; as the bin label above suggests, there were until recently four, but two having been sold just two more remain. I don’t think I’ve ever seen wine in gallon containers before (obviously I’m not including wine sold en vrac – I remember seeing these 30 years ago, where you took the pump in one hand and fill your own container – do they still exist?).

If you think you could manage a gallon (and it is a US gallon by the way, so approximately 3.78 litres) at one sitting (c’mon, you know you want to!) you should direct your inevitable enquiries towards the château, but don’t hold your breath. I imagine these two final bottles will be saved for some very special occasion.

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Posted by Chris Kissack on August 13, 2012 at 1:40 pm
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