To follow the thread on 2009 Bordeaux's, Jon Rimmerman (Garagiste in Washington State) has weighed in on the 2010's compared to the 2009's with a provocative perspective:
UPDATE: 2010 – This Year’s Vintage of the Century
Now What?
After 2009 was proclaimed the Vintage of the Century by pundits worldwide (a ridiculous notion), and the Bordelaise raced to charge prices that made even the most liquid investment bankers suck wind...2010 may be even better.
Yes, I’ve said it.
How can this be? I don’t even have my 2009s yet?
Take a deep breath and lets look at this scientifically.
In certain areas of the Left Bank the anthocyanins were among the highest ever recorded, far higher than 2000, 2005 or 2009 and that’s a very good thing for your cardiologist and your cellar.
Anthocyanins are the flavonoid pigments that morph into extractives noted as a carrier of color, depth, tannin (and resveratrol) – they are the basic keys to the “oomph†behind the liquid you consume and to the degree of terroir transferred to bottle. Years low in anthocyanins (such as 1997 or 2007) generally produce under-ripe and lightly colored wines with somewhat green tannins and limited ageing potential. In years such as 2000, 2005 or 2009 that number is far higher. As an example, a particularly esteemed vineyard in Margaux had anthocyanin readings in 2000 of 1765 mg/l for Merlot and 2197 mg/l for Cabernet. In 2005, a fabulously tannic and deeply gritty year, 2058mg/Merlot and 3133mg/Cabernet. In the “Vintage of the Centuryâ€Â, 2009? 1975mg/Merlot and 2117mg/Cabernet. What about 2010? In 2010, the Merlot was 2811 mg and the Cabernet 3343 mg – even higher than 2005 or even 1986. You can do the math but these are readings that don&r squo;t come around very often, not even in 1961.
In 2010, the berries themselves are not as pin-up perfect as in 2005 (there was significant millanderage with Merlot throughout the Right and Left Bank, uneven flowering from cold or inclement conditions) but the resulting nuggets are full of flavor and color, especially the Cabernet Sauvignon (which some are calling the finest in over 50 years). The fruit reminds many vintners of a cross between 1990, 1996, 1986 and 2005 – four vintages that will more than wake the collector from casual interest. Unlike 2009, which is what I call a “fun house†vintage (similar to 2007 in the Rhone), the fruit in 2010 has the potential to produce a modern take on masculine Cabernet Sauvignon that could be unrivaled.
2010 also had among the highest accumulated winter rainfall totals in a long time - far higher than 2000, 2005 or 2009. This is a principal of collecting moisture in the deepest reserves of the sub-soil during the winter so the vines are not stressed if particularly long periods of dry sunshine result in the summer (a good thing for grapes as long as the high temperatures are not extreme, such as in 2003). With high levels of moisture reserve, the vines can produce balanced and beautifully ripe grapes without any stress – the lower the stress, the deeper and more perfumed/nuanced the overall impression may be (just like humans). The ideal scenario is high accumulated moisture in the winter, with low accumulated moisture during the growing season and high levels of sunshine with moderate temperatures. If you have a low/low year (low winter/low summer rainfall) with balanced temperatures and sunshine (such as 2005), the wines will be structured and more tannic. A high/hig h year can still produce wonderful, classic wines as long as ample sunshine follows any summer rain (such as 2000). And what about the ideal scenario, the very rare high/low? That was 2010 - the highest collected rainfall in winter and the lowest accumulated rainfall during the summer of any vintage in the past decade, including 2000, 2005 and 2009 (which incidentally was what I call a medium/medium year – good winter rain and also enough summer rain to give just enough to the vines, but the temperatures in 2009 verged on being too high which produced alcohol levels out of whack with the rest of the components). Sunshine in 2010? Nearly identical to 2000 but less than 2009 so the potential alcohols are not as high (although they are not low by 1970’s standards, still in the 13.3-13.8% range).
While it is far too early and foolhardy to make any vintage proclamation based on scientific analysis and bunches of grapes (and many speculators have lost their shirt relying on formulas and charts for success), what is clear is that 2010 has the physical potential in certain areas of Bordeaux to be not only the finest vintage of the decade but it has a legitimate scientific opportunity to be among the finest vintages of the last 100.
Where its sibling 2009 was a braggart and extrovert from the start – showy and in your face, 2010 appears to have as much or even more potential stuffing but it does so in a classic Marvel comics sort of way – think 1960’s Superman or Batman. In other words, a real superhero not a joker.
