Bordeaux 2010 Primeurs: St Estèphe
In previous Bordeaux primeur assessments I have grouped my Médoc reviews together, but with 2010 I have divided them into commune-by-commune assessments. There are several reasons why. First, I seem to have a lot more to say beyond my simple tasting notes. I think this reflects the fact that, with six vintages of primeur tastings under my belt, I think I begin to understand the complexity of it all. When I started out tasting wines at this stage I imagined as the years progressed it would get easier. In fact, I think it has become more complex, although I think it might be me that has changed rather than the wines. And secondly, having spent the first three days of this week judging on the Loire panel in the Decanter World Wine Awards, I find the task of writing up the whole of the Médoc in one instalment somewhat overbearing. I need bite-sized chunks. And I’ve started by biting off St Estèphe.
Cos d’Estournel
My first exposure to the wines of St Estèphe in the 2010 vintage was with Cos d’Estournel, where Jean-Guillaume Prats regaled all around him with tales of the harvest. It was here that the interesting data-point concerning the breaking of the traditional 100-day interval between flowering and harvest to which I alluded in my 2010 vintage review came from. Of course, Mother Nature has not read the text books, and there is naturally variability in this 100-day figure, but for the team at Cos to bring in the fruit more than 120 days from flowering – a massive increase by any standard – says much about not only the character of the vintage, the fruit plodding slowly towards physiological ripeness under the cooler conditions of later summer, but also the determination at Cos to bring in the very best quality fruit possible.
