Bordeaux 2014

We are now back from the annual Bordeaux tasting trip, and tasting notes are being added to our website along with those from the major critics.  All eyes are on Bordeaux now in the hopes that Chateaux owners will release at the right price to make En Primeur a success.

• The Market:  After the heights of the superb 2009 and 2010 vintages, prices and volumes of 2011 and 2012 brought the market back down to earth with a bump, followed by a tiny crop of insubstantial, too-expensive 2013s.  Now with the advent of 2014, a good to very good vintage, hopes are high that Bordeaux can entice the market back.  With the Euro about 10% weaker against Sterling than it was a year ago, the vintage offers the Chateaux an opportunity to win back the goodwill of buyers and the chance for consumers to purchase fine Bordeaux for the medium term at rewarding prices.

• Quality & Quantity:  Volumes produced are usually a return to the average with a few exceptions.  In quality terms, whilst a few Chateaux cite 2010 for comparison due to its freshness, more usually it is 2001, 2006 or 2008 that the wines most closely resemble, but with more charm.  There are plenty of rich and elegant wines with good deep colour, smooth, supple tannins and refreshing acidity.  The key to success was careful gentle extraction to avoid harsh tannins and over-dry finishes.  The Cabernets, which thrive on slow ripening, are particularly successful this year.  Merlot was exceptionally good in some areas, but it is the Cabernet Franc on the Right Bank which stands out for its freshness and complexity.  The wines will be approachable young but should have the underlying structure to age well.

• Bottling Formats:  Buying En Primeur allows you to choose the bottling format for your wines, so you can opt to have magnums, half-bottles, double magnums or even bigger.  Prices shown will be per standard case size (12x75cl) with a small supplement for different equivalent case sizes.  Please do let us know if you are interested in other formats.