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Bordeaux 2005
Bordeaux 2005
Vintage Review
En primeur
At Two Years:
Watching the progression of vintages in Bordeaux is fascinating, regardless of whether the quality of an individual year is high, low or somewhere in between. This is the third year that I have been able to assess the wines of Bordeaux at two years of age, when they have just been bottled. The first time was in 2003, a heatwave year, when many wines reflected this characteristic of the vintage very transparently. Then came the rather more subtle, reserved and quietly elegant 2004, a vintage that is likely to remain ever under-rated, thanks to that which followed. The 2005 vintage is, without any doubt in my mind, one of the greatest Bordeaux vintages of recent decades.
The wines described in this series of tasting notes were presented at the annual Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux in London, one in a series of tastings that sees the wines travel the world, taking in Europe, Asia and North America. There was considerable demand for entry to the tasting, so much so that the day was divided up into two sessions, morning and afternoon, with prospective tasters restricted to one or the other. This is one more sign - as if another were needed - of just how highly the vintage is rated by the UK trade and press.
As usual, here I present a brief review of the climatic conditions that characterised the vintage, followed by my overall impressions of the wines; my soundbites, if you will. Over the next couple of weeks, I will publish my tasting notes for the 85 wines (one less than last year!) that I have assessed, together with any comments relevant to the individual communes.
Vintage Review
Many Bordeaux vintage reviews are stories of concern, of worry, of doubt. Unsatisfactory flowering, perhaps, summer rains or in the case of 2003, prolonged summer drought. Uneven ripening, frost, vine diseases and a harvest downpour or two, causing the grapes to bloat and rot; these are all potential lead roles for the tale of a Bordeaux vintage. But during 2005, these characters have been struck from the script, and we have some new ones in their place. And these new characters have come together to create what is perhaps the most successful Bordeaux vintage for many, many decades.
The
2005 vintage in Bordeaux was marked by low rainfall, with precipitation during the
preceding winter, following the 2004 harvest, and during the 2005 growing season through to the
harvest that year totalling less than 50% of what is usual, based on an average
figure for the preceding three decades. Fortunately, the vine can cope well with
low levels of rainfall, particularly those individual plants that are well
established, with deep roots. Since the drought of 2003 low rainfall has been a
standing feature in Bordeaux, and this has no
doubt encouraged the vines to search deep for water, setting them up very nicely
for dry years such as 2005. Nevertheless, extreme or continued hydric stress can
inhibit the development of the vine during the cycle of the vintage, and some
rainfall is always welcome. During 2005 precipitation was light but it came
interspersed throughout the year, each time helping the vine along, but it was
never excessive, thus reducing the risk of vine diseases such as oidium, and
vineyard treatments were kept to a minimum as a result. Budding proceeded in
April and flowering in May, each stimulated by gentle showers. The weather
remained warm but not overly hot throughout, with temperatures generally just
above average, the only moments of really high temperature being in June and
October. These brief periods of heat, together with light precipitation at just
the right moments, were
wonderful for the vines and the ripening of the fruit, and late summer showers
also kick-started the development of botrytis in Sauternes, which at harvest was
remarkably pure. Overall, though, the harvest remained largely free of the
rainfall that can ruin a vintage, and the fruit was brought in by relaxed
and happy workers. The potential of the vintage was already clear, even before
the first fermentations were finished, and the mood of the régisseurs and
proprietors was on the up.
To sum up the characteristics of 2005, then:
- A warm summer
Consequent upon the warm but not excessively hot weather, which did not overly stress the vines, the fruit developed perfectly, with rapid and even véraison and subsequent ripening of the fruit, which showed good flavour but also freshness and acidity, in the red grapes at least. Tasting the wines, however, I cannot imagine that the white grapes also maintained this admirable composition. - Near-drought conditions
The largely dry weather engendered the development of small, nicely packed berries, with hard skins rich in tannin. Thus there is a potential for plenty of structure in the wines, as well as the ripe substance, flavour and acidity brought about by the warm weather. Although the rendements annuels permitted by the INAO were very similar to those for 2004, the actual yields at harvest were considerably smaller than the previous year, testament to those small, concentrated, flavour-rich berries.
In short, this is not a year where we should be finding unripe, green characteristics in the wines. Fermentations should have passed without notable problem. If the wines are poor, the régisseurs have only themselves to blame.
Tasting the Wines
As in previous years I will make some comment with each commune, but I still reserve the right to make sweeping generalisations here, in my introduction to the vintage.
On the whole, when shopping for red wines, it will be difficult to go wrong with the 2005 vintage. I have never before seen (within the limit of my experience) such a desirable and consequently highly scored collection of young wines. There are commune differences, as we travel from Graves, through the Médoc, and to the right bank, but in all communes the wines are predominantly as we would expect from the vintage summary above; they are rich in substance, flavour and tannin, and most have good acidity. They are great wines, built in many cases for the long haul. The flavours are fresh and certainly cool climate in style, despite the character of the vintage; many show delightfully lively cranberry, redcurrant, red cherry and crunchy blackcurrant leaf character, and yet have a depth, substance and richness that these 'lighter' flavours would not otherwise suggest. There are, admittedly, nuances to this picture; one or two are perhaps too softly composed, with lower acidities than I would like, one or two are too rich in tannin, too over-extracted. But these wines are certainly in the minority, and a review of my tasting notes will reveal which.
As for the white wines, this is perhaps where the vintage is a little less exciting. I am afraid that I would have to disagree with anyone who claims that 2005 is a universal success, as I found a point of criticism in many of the dry white wines of the Graves. I will include more details with my Graves notes, but in my opinion the majority of the dry whites of 2005 lacked the fresh zip and acid backbone that perhaps a slightly cooler vintage might offer. As for Sauternes, I also have a little nagging doubt. Yes, the wines are good, but here we have again a little concern about acidity; to my palate, the balance was questionable, although I heard many tasters raving about the wines, so perhaps I am in the minority in looking for more freshness in my sweet wines. And as another note, my vintage report suggests a wealth of fresh and pure botrytis. This did not come through as well as I would have hoped during the tasting, although many of the wines showed an exciting, vibrant purity.
The only way to get to grips with the vintage is to taste the wines. I will add my notes next week, starting with the Graves region. (8/11/07)
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