Wine: The 2005 vintage could be a legendary one for Bordeaux, and the prices should be memorable too. Joe Breen asks some Irish wine merchants for their buy-for-later recommendations
The latest instalment of the Bordeaux en-primeur campaign has just been played out in tastings at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, which represents the cream of the region's wine establishment, and at other, more private affairs. The aim was to get 5,000 merchants and journalists from around the world to put the good word out on the 2005 vintage. There was little need. It was an open secret that it promises to be one of the great years for Bordeaux.
The next episode of the drama comes at the end of this month, when the influential US critic Robert Parker publishes his review. Many leading estates set their prices partly on the back of it, with some expected to offer their wine at the jaw-dropping price of €300-€500 a bottle and others likely to push up prices by anything up to 300 per cent. Some estates have already released their prices. Greenacres, in Wexford, is offering Château La Fleur-Pétrus 2005 at €795 per case of 12, excluding duty and VAT, up from €550 last year.
Such rises would normally cool the ardour of most, but demand will greatly exceed supply nevertheless, especially as the Americans, Russians and investors from the Far East are reportedly keen to stock up on this vintage after a number of years of fading interest in Bordeaux. (The consensus, by the way, is that bargains can still be had at the less exalted end of the market.)
The en-primeur campaign has always been popular in Ireland; this year, with SSIA money in plentiful supply, there is no shortage of wine merchants keen to offer what are essentially deals in wine futures. We asked a number of them for their highlights. jbreen@irish-times.ie
LIAM CABOT CABOT & CO Having tasted some 300 samples, from first growths to humble unclassified wines, there's no doubt that some will become legends in years to come. The left bank is marginally better than the right, with Margaux the most successful appellation, delivering some stunning wines, followed by Pauillac and St Julien. On the right bank, St Émilion has produced some great wines, with Pomerol a little disappointing - although only in the context of very good versus simply good. Buying en primeur is really the cheapest way to secure a wine during a great vintage. Beware of buying only for investment, though: unless you can afford to drink whatever you are buying - and would actually enjoy it, too - then investment is best avoided. Heavy-hitting chateaux: Pontet Canet, Haut-Bages Libéral, Pichon Baron, Léoville Barton, Palmer, Giscours, Malescot St Exupéry, Angelus, Beau-Séjour Bécot, Le Gay and Le Bon Pasteur. Value buys: Clarke, Chasse-Spleen, Beaumont, La Lagune and La Tour Carnet.
DAVID WHELEHAN O'BRIENS The overall impression is very good to excellent. Both right bank and left bank look promising, though not all wines are great. Some, particularly from the right bank, are over-ripe. The feeling is that the chateaux are going to hold out for the words of Robert Parker, as they are planning to really capitalise on this vintage. The concern is that when there is an opportunity to offer exciting value to wine enthusiasts, they are likely to inflate prices so that this group will be excluded. The word on the ground is to expect low-volume first-launch tranches, with 30- to 50-per-cent price increases over the 2004 vintage. Left-bank heavy hitters: Léoville Barton, Pichon Longueville and Lynch-Bages. Left-bank value buys: Phélan Ségur, Beaumont and Camensac. Right bank: Angelus, Canon-la-Gaffèliere and Troplong-Mondot. Right bank (Pomerol): L'Évangile, Vieux Chateau Certan. Pessac-Leognan: Pape Clément red and white, Smith Haut Lafitte white and Olivier red and white (for value).
CHARLES SEARSON SEARSONS WINE MERCHANTS This was the most enjoyable en primeur that I ever tasted. Even though the 2003 was very juicy, many wines lacked balance. The power of the 2000 was repeated in 2005 with an added layer of fresh fruit. Overall, this is a five-star vintage, the kind that happens five or six times in a century. Don't believe the hype that choosing individual wines was like shooting fish in a barrel. There were many overextracted wines that will not evolve properly. Painting with a big brush, St Julien and Pauillac starred.
St Émilion was mixed. Pomerol was even more variable but with some fantastic examples. This year we are concentrating on wines that will be hard to find in years to come. If prices move as predicted, it would be hard to justify any of these wines purely as an investment.
JAMES NICHOLSON JAMES NICHOLSON WINE MERCHANT In our opinion the best vintage since 2000, although at this stage the wines are less impressive. But it is still early days, as the malolactic fermentation was very slow to finish in most chateaux. It's a very collectable vintage, full of top-class wines and long drinking windows in many cases. Quite high alcohol in a lot of cases but generally tremendous concentration. Again, overuse of extraction in a lot of samples, which was particularly noticeable in St Émilion. Margaux as an appellation is stunning, closely followed by St Julien. The pricing is vital, and if the expected increases occur, the en-primeur purchases will be less enticing. Heavy hitters: Le Pin, Château Margaux, Ausone, Lafite Rothschild, Langoa Barton, Léoville Barton and Carruades de Lafite. Value buys: Du Tertre, Belgrave, La Lagune, Malescot St Exupéry and Carignan Cuvée Prima.
NIGEL WERNER FINDLATER GRANTS We found many very impressive wines, though the wines of St Émilion were not tasting well. Having said that, Angelus, Ausone, Canon-la- Gaffelière and La Tour Figeac were all terrific. The neighbouring wines of Pomerol were superb, undoubtedly the finest since the great right-bank vintage of 1998, with L'Évangile, Clinet, Vieux Chateau Certan and La Conseillante all excelling. The Medoc tastings were very exciting, with so many great wines, particularly in St Julien and Pauillac. Margaux and St Estephe were close behind. Heavy hitters: Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Cos d'Estournel, Montrose, Léoville, Langoa Barton, Pontet-Canet, Clerc Milon, Lynch-Bages, Branaire Ducru, Kirwan, Lascombes and du Tertre. Value buys: Lanessan, Chasse-Spleen, Cantemerle and La Lagune.
MONICA MURPHY FEBVRE & COMPANY The prices for the tops growths are expected to be breathtaking, so we would urge buyers to think carefully about whether they want to buy to drink beautifully in years to come or as an investment. It will be a bit like our housing market: is this a peak or not? We advise caution. There were some stars. Haut Brion would bring tears to your eyes. La Mission Haut-Brion was hardly far behind. The delicious Pétrus was closely followed by Trotanoy, La Fleur Pétrus, Hosanna and La Providence. We found some of the St Émilions overextracted and far too tannic, even though bursting with fruit. I preferred those with a lighter touch, such as La Tour Figeac, Berliquet and Troplong Mondot.
The massively concentrated Angelus was a stunner. The surprise was Pontet-Canet which has taken on a new life. Other winners were Pichon Baron, d'Armailhac, Haut-Bages Libéral and, especially, Monbrison in Margaux. But St Julien was where my heart lay. The Bartons came in with two smashers; the Langoa Barton was almost as perfect as the Léoville Barton. Léoville Poyferré was also keeping up its excellent run. In St Estèphe, Phélan Ségur and Lafon-Rochet impressed. In Graves/Pessac-Leognan, apart from the stellar Haut Brion and La Mission, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, de Fieuzal and Smith Haut Lafitte all shone.
JAMES O'CONNOR AND DONAL MORRIS GREENACRES We thought 2005 was a classic year, the finest we have tasted since we started going to Bordeaux, in 1996. We will be telling our customers that they should purchase some Pomerols this year. We were amazed by the softness and silkiness of these wines. One thing we noticed a lot thisyear was the confidence of the winemakers and chateau owners. They all knew they had produced some of the finest wines for decades. It was great to taste some of the wines of the vintage - Pétrus, La Fleur-Pétrus, Vieux Château Certan, Margaux, Latour, Lafite, Haut Brion, Montrose, Cos d'Estournel - but the wines at the other end of the scale are superb also, and we think these are very good value for money: Calon-Ségur, Léoville Barton, Langoa Barton, Lynch-Bages, Clerc Milon, d'Armailhac, Du Tertre, Gloria, Malescot St Exupéry, Léoville Poyferré, Duhart-Milon, Chasse-Spleen, Cantemerle, Pontet Canet and many more.
JOACHIM LEFAURE MITCHELL & SON WINE MERCHANTS Throughout the seven years I spent working in the wineries in Bordeaux, I never smelled such ripe, fresh berries as these in the cellars. Though 2005 was another dry year, it did not endure the excessive heat of 2003, so the berries ripened slowly, which was ideal for producing fine, pure and elegant wines, with fresh fruit and complexity. The fantastic 2005 vintage will offer many different kinds of wines, from smooth and fresh to full-bodied with firm tannin. The consumers have just to choose their style and their price. Take care, though: some wines from limestone soils have overly dry tannin. If you are focused on value, then the top wines include d'Angludet, Clarke, Alter Ego and La Tour Carnet, which are as gorgeous as any wines ever made and are less speculative than the icon wines from Pomerol and the Medoc.