Bordeaux 2010 Primeurs: St Julien Tasting Notes
With each new instalment of my guide to the 2010 vintage as assessed during the primeur tastings I have been thinking about how 2010 stacks up when compared against 2009. I think this is a very valid exercise; there was certainly some surprise when the idea that we had another great vintage on our hand began to leak out. Coming immediately after the rich and voluptuous 2009 vintage,it is hardly surprising that there was a certain tendency for eyebrows to rise at the news. Was this really true, or was it just Bordeaux puffery?
Making a comparison of the two vintages it is plain that they are both of exceptional quality; I find the wines of 2010 enticing and clearly of high quality, but if you wish for a more objective measure I have also been comparing my 2010 scores with those I made for the 2009 vintage. I find this commune-by-commune comparison to be absolutely fascinating. For Pessac-Léognan I preferred 2009, despite the praise being heaped on the appellation in some quarters. For St Estèphe it was 2010 (although the sample size is small there), and for Pauillac – despite fabulous quality in 2010 – it was pretty much a draw.
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