It isn't everyday that you visit Lafite, Mouton and Latour in immediate succession, but for me March 30th, 2010 was one such day. Well, in truth I am using a little poetic licence here, because I did not really visit Lafite at all. This year's tasting of China's favourite wine was to be at Duhart-Milon, the fourth growth cru classé estate which has been in the hands of the Rothschilds since 1962. Allegedly this was because of building work at Lafite, but with hindsight I know better; determined to prevent me reaching Latour in time for my appointment, dark forces were working behind the scenes. Their plan was simple; relocate the tasting to Duhart-Milon (rather than the more familiar Lafite) which is located down a little-known backstreet in Pauillac, and the time wasted as I tried to find what must be the grandest warehouse in alll Bordeaux would see my schedule enter meltdown. The inevitable casualty would be my last visit of the morning, Latour.

But it was not to be; like a bloodhound I sighted Duhart-Milon almost as soon as I had arrived in Pauillac, and after a tasting of the three wines on show (Carruades, Duhart, Lafite) I was off to Mouton. Unbeknownst to me, this is where the plan to disrupt my day of tasting began to escalate to a truly heinous level. I was delayed in the antechamber at Mouton, along with a number of colleagues, innocent travellers and fellow tasters, no doubt whilst the plotters - whoever they might be - synchronised watches and checked their radios. I was relieved to eventually be released from the antechamber, but instead of being shown to a tasting room I was surprised to find myself taken outside and invited aboard a small white golf buggy.

Bordeaux 2009

I had little choice other than to comply, and I - perhaps unwisely - chose the very rear seat, which had the most disconcerting characteristic of facing in the opposite direction to that of travel. No sooner was I aboard than the kart careered forward, myself and Derek Smedley MW - my companion on this wet, glistening and slippery seat - clung on for fear of our lives. With each burst of acceleration the kart lurched forwards and then slowed, each surge from the powerful yet strangely silent electric motor bringing torrents of water tumbling down off the plastic and canvas roof of the buggy. It was the perfect crime; an assassination dressed up as an innocent golf buggy incident in unfortunately wet weather. But these dark schemes were to no avail; Smedley and I are made of sterner stuff than that. Ending in a chaotic and high-speed chase thankfully of short duration (shown above), the plans of our enemies soon unravelled, and before long we were able to alight, unscathed and with our nine lives (and tasting books and laptops) intact. And so we proceeded inside to taste 2009 Mouton.

Four wines later (Le Petit Mouton, d'Armailhac, Clerc Milon, Mouton) and it was time to leave, and from this moment on it was plain sailing. Our enemies had accepted defeat, it seems. Not even Frédéric Engerer's gatekeeper and his electronically-controlled bollards could keep me from my date with Latour. And what a date it was. I dallied with the Pauillac de Latour, the third wine. I dillied with Les Forts de Latour, the magnificent second wine. But it was the grand vin that caused me to stop in my tracks. No other wine in this vintage put on such a perfect performance as this premier cru classé. In fact, no other young Bordeaux I have ever tasted could have matched Latour on that day. March 30th, 2010; a landmark day, the moment I met the greatest young red Bordeaux I have ever tasted. A wine of soaring majesty, perfect balance, elegance and fortitude combined. It is - just in case it isn't yet obvious - my wine of the vintage.

Bordeaux 2009

So Latour (above - Latour vines) leads the way, taking top spot in my Bordeaux 2009 dream team. And, having given all the wines of the past week due consideration, I have lined up another eleven to accompany it, as in keeping with my write-up for 2008 my top ten is in fact a top twelve. I must admit I always feel a little uncomfortable drawing up a list such as this; after all, so many of the wines are just the usual suspects, and these now largely wear stratospheric price tags. But I still do it, for a number of reasons. First, the list is often just as informative if we see who isn't on the list, as much as who is. And if there is an unexpected arrival, mixing it with the big boys, the list gives these estates a moment in the limelight, a chance to shine alongside the first growths and super-seconds. Admittedly, 2009 isn't quite like that, as this is a vintage where the top estates have, by and large, outdone themselves and have therefore stolen the show. In fact, this is a vintage where I had trouble whittling down my list to just a dozen wines.

Bordeaux Dreams....

Imagine a case of twelve bottles from this vintage, just one bottle each from twelve different estates. Which wines should I choose? This was an almost impossible task; despite the inconsistent nature of this vintage there are still an unprecedented number of superb wines to choose from. My dream team of red wines focuses on the left bank, where the Cabernet-dominated wines can be just sublime. There are excellent wines on the right bank too though, although they are represented here only by the quartet of Petrus, Ausone, Vieux Château Certan and Église-Clinet, stacked up against eight wines from the left bank communes.

The Top Layer

Latour: ethereal, majestic, magical. Words fail me.
Lafite: smoky and expansive, sleek and seamless.
Mouton: harmonious and yet rich, with bags of typicity. A Mouton for Mouton-drinkers.
Margaux: pure, defined, the most admirable young Margaux ever encountered.
Petrus: fresh and elegant. A cliché of velvet and iron.
Ducru: a huge vin de garde. One to leave for your grandchildren.

The Bottom Layer

Haut-Bailly: once the equal of first growths. In this vintage it is not so far behind.
Palmer: magnificently direct structure and supple texture.
Pichon-Baron: a gorgeous wine with more of that velvet.
Église-Clinet: harmony and structure, plum skins and damson.
Ausone: another elegant, well-honed effort.
Vieux Château Certan: a typically great wine from Alexandre Thienpont.

Bordeaux Reality...

This is the sort of vintage where lesser estates could excel, given the right soils, the right varieties and the right decisions come harvest time. Sadly my time in Bordeaux was too short to explore the wines right down to this level, and so I don't have a list of great-value wines from Côtes de Castillon and Lalande-de-Pomerol to extol.

Nevertheless, that does not mean I have no suggestions. Bordeaux is expensive, I know that as well as anyone else, but picking out the wines that offer value-for-money is not simply a matter of listing the cheapest. The wines below all offer a lot for what you are likely to have to pay. That does not necessarily mean they are bargain-basement cheap, rather than you get what you pay for....and then some. Of course, I have no firm information on how these wines will be priced, I am simply extrapolating from figures in recent vintages.

The Top Layer

Pontet-Canet: easily scoring at a level that puts it alongside the bottom layer of my Bordeaux Dreams case, and still lots of bang for your buck here.
Léoville-Barton: same goes here, plenty of wine for your money.
Grand-Puy-Lacoste: delicious fruit and a supple elegance.
Haut-Batailley: a reserved style, with plenty of potential.
D'Armailhac: well, I did say there was a sweet-spot in Pauillac, didn't I?
Clerc-Milon: see what I mean?

The Bottom Layer

Du Tertre: a rich and flavoursome Margaux representative.
Giscours: from the same stable, another prodigious effort.
Sociando-Mallet: not the highest scoring wine, but a fine one nevertheless. But isn't that always so with the wines of Jean Gautreau?
Les Carmes Haut-Brion: splendid depth.
De Fieuzal: dark, concentrated, huge yet balanced.
Gazin: an indicator that there are right bank, Merlot-dominated successes in this vintage beyond the likes of Ausone and Petrus. It's just that you have to look long and hard for them.

Wines of Freshness: A Six Pack

The overarching style in 2009 is of largesse; big velvety tannins and rich textures, all backed up by a seam of alcohol. Where the acidity is equally bold the wines have balance and I enjoyed them. But there are some that completely buck the trend, instead showing textures of silk, with light and lift rather than sweetness and extraction. I could include Margaux and Haut-Bailly here, both bright and ethereal wines, or indeed Vieux Château Certan, Ausone and Cheval Blanc all of which displayed something of a stylistic convergence, each one showing a fresh and elegant, pure and - dare I say it - Burgundian style. But I have already mentioned these exalted names, and so here are six other high-scoring wines which major not on texture, but on freshness, acidity, lift and vigour.

Calon-Ségur: so pure, a huge contrast to neighbour Cos d'Estournel.
Domaine de Chevalier: a breath of fresh air in this commune.
Figeac: a little richer than I expected on tasting, but still a very good wine from this estate.
Pavillon Rouge de Margaux: a first in a trio of second wines, offering a bright and lively taste of the grand vin for a fraction - even if it is a large fraction - of the cost.
Carruades de Lafite: ditto. These days also an investment vehicle such is the demand in the Far East, so expect prices to be high - and then go higher.
La Petite Église: the second wine of Église-Clinet. Rather a substantial wine, but fresh and maybe good value too.

Tomorrow, my Pessac notes. (7/4/10)