We will be in Bordeaux for six days of intense tastings kicking off on Sunday 2nd April at Chateau Guiraud. Accompanied by a few familiar faces from the wine world, many from different countries; now an international market it is fascinating to listen and debate the variations of the vintage and differences between each wine. Despite having many year’s under my belt I am still learning, as winemakers continue to experiment, introduce new techniques in the vineyard or simply stop doing something, it is always a journey of discovery and one which I am completely passionate about.
So how will the 2016 vintage perform? For now, I will reserve my judgement until I have tasted. However one thing is certain, mother nature has always played a big part, 2016 was no deckchair vintage and was not without its challenges. Reports from the vineyard throughout the year have given us a snapshot of the vines performance. Crucially in spring Bordeaux escaped the frosts that devastated other renowned wine growing regions of France, bringing good levels of rain, which was fortunate, as the summer months were dry. In fact, one of the most driest intense summers of late, where some of the younger vines experienced much stress and struggled. Autumn and in particular late September gifted some much needed bursts of rain and the vines breathed a sigh of relief as harvest drew close. The vendage was quite late for some, with yields down at the top end, others lower down the pecking order have reported good, encouraging yields; the majority reporting good condition of fruit.
I am greatly looking forward to our week of intense tastings. Despite the recent increase of trading and values on fine wines in particular Bordeaux, mainly due to sterling’s fall from grace, price is always going to be a major issue if the vintage is to be a success. Any Chateau owners reading this report can I recommend that you offer margin and value for the customer. I truly believe that great wines should be enjoyed, shared and drunk with family and friends.
You can follow the highs and lows of our Bordeaux trip and our initial thoughts on the vintage. We will be posting our daily reports on our wine blog. Do follow us on Twitter and Instagram for further commentary. Send your comments and tweet us back, we do love a little wine banter! So for now sit back, enjoy the ride and join us for what promises to be an exciting Bordeaux 2016 En Primeur Campaign.
