Bordeaux 2009 Primeurs: Margaux, Médoc & Haut-Médoc
The broad seam of good quality Cabernet-dominated wines in this vintage extends from Pauillac, through St Julien and into Margaux. But the latter of these three communes is perhaps the trickiest of all to describe. This wines here are in many cases of high quality, displaying sweet fruit, often very dark/black in nature, with plenty of extract, tannin and acidity. Some are delicious. But they do not often resemble what many Bordeaux punters would be looking for from this commune, more typically associated with the fresh and lifted aromas of red fruits, flower petals and gravel.
This fits in with my overall impressions of the vintage as one where not only are the wines variable in quality, they are very variable in style. Amongst the good wines on the left bank there are broadly two categories (I accept this is a very sweeping generalisation); those that opted for extreme Cabernet-dominance, producing elegant, lifted wines in doing so, and those that went for a more turbo-charged style, making use of the alcohol-rich Merlots in combination with the ripe Cabernet Sauvignons. Many of these latter wines are admirable, powerful yet balanced, and delicious too. Whether or not they would please those looking for a very specific style of wine – something closer to Bordeaux than Bandol – is, of course, a vital consideration. I am sure in many cases they will not. In the commune of Margaux this issue of style stood out more than any other for me (although it was certainly evident elsewhere in Bordeaux).
