There are only a few days to go before Andrew Ray and I land in Bordeaux for the En Primeur 2018 tasting marathon. It is Andrew’s second campaign following his 2017 visit; will he still have the stamina to taste the staggering 150 wines a day? Make no mistake this week is not a holiday, nor is it for the faint hearted! Once again we have rented our usual chalet at Bordeaux Lac next to our tasting buddies, the renowned Bordeaux wine guru Bill Blatch and Steve Webb of Bordeaux Gold.
With very strong vintages in both 2015 and 2016, followed by a frost damaged 2017, the main question on the tip of everyone’s tongue is what does the 2018 vintage hold in store?
There has been an exciting buzz coming from the Medoc over the last month or so regarding the recent vintage, despite the general consensus that it was once again a complicated growing season. Simply put, there was a cool winter, followed by an extremely wet and warm spring and then a long, hot summer. Budding was late as a result of the 2017 frost however; when it did arrive it was prolific. The fluctuation in temperature and humidity throughout the growing season led to an increase in both climatic and disease pressure, where severe hailstorms and mildew presented very serious problems for producers all over the region. The impact of organic and biodynamic practices on properties such as Chateau Palmer and Pontet Canet has been well documented, as they had to keep a very close eye on their vines during key moments of the growing season and only managed yields of around 12 h/l. Martin Lasserre of the Union Regionale Agricole Bordelaise stated, “the story of 2018 was the mildew, the speed and the quantity of it”.
Gavin Quinney (Chateau Bauduc) recently released his report on the 2018 vintage where he commented that is was a “devilish year” and that “while it was a glorious year for some growers… for others the size of their crop was indeed the stuff of nightmares”.
Thankfully however, it is worth remembering that mildew can be managed properly if caught early, as it affects quantity and not quality. Frederic Engerer at Chateau Latour admitted, “mildew dries the berries and so is visible to the eye. This means it can be dealt with through sorting in the vineyard and cellar”.
On the whole it has been indicated that there has been a welcome return to good size yields in Bordeaux for the majority of producers, despite being below the 10-year average (507,000 h/l). The appellations of Pauillac, St-Estephe and St-Julien had smaller crops than the previous three vintages, whereas Margaux, Pessac-Leognan, Pomerol and St-Emilion all harvested respectable yields. Jane Anson mentions in her Bordeaux report that she thinks 2018 will not be a “Left or Right bank” vintage and that despite challenges throughout the year “it seems there is great quality fruit" across both sides of the Gironde and that we can expect wines with “high impact”.
Jane further explained that the long, hot summer suggests that wines are expected to be big and bold, with high tannic content. These conditions allowed grapes to reach maximum phenolic and physiological ripeness where the “harvest was perfect”, relaxed and spread out. There will of course be stylistic differences throughout the appellations due to long harvest period, which is why it is critical to taste the wines during the UGC week as this will become more and more apparent as the week goes on. Patrick Meynard, owner of Chateaux Lalaudey and Pomeys in Moulis-Medoc, said that 2018 will deliver the most structured wines since 2010 and expects "a vintage marked by climate more than terroir".
Although it is still too early to generalise, the consensus amongst the Bordelais about 2018 has been very positive indeed. As always, we need to err on the side of caution and it is now up to Andrew and I to fill our glasses and discover what the vintage is all about, where the value is and what we believe are the best buys of the campaign.
We arrive at Merignac airport on Sunday afternoon and therefore will miss the annual traditional meal of “Sauternes et saucissons” chez Bill Blatch, which unfortunately will take place the night before… tant pis! However, after dropping off our bags we will head out to our first appointment of the week at Chateau Guiraud for the Comtes de Niepperg (Canon Gaffeliere), Oliver Bernard (Domaine Chevalier) and Robert Peugeot (Guirard) tasting. A great way to begin En Primeur!
