Bordeaux 06 – everything’s coming up…mushrooms
Jancis Robinson weighs in on the not-yet-priced, most recent vintage from Bordeaux. First, she damns it with faint praise. Then she throws it out the window. Roll the tape:
I would say that, with a handful of exceptions, this is a vintage to be bought by wine lovers only if they have an empty cellar that they are dying to fill…Most years there is a common theme to the primeurs sales pitch. This year it has been that many vintages have in the past been erroneously overshadowed by the one that preceded it: 2004 by 2003, 1996 by 1995, 1990 by 1989, 1986 by 1985, for example. We are meant to believe that by association 2006 is in danger of being overlooked because we are dazzled by the greatness of 2005. Do not fall for this.
Then she goes on about the weather:
By the end of August the mood of vine growers had changed from July’s euphoria to gloom. Would the grapes be healthy and ripe enough to produce even a halfway decent vintage?…But then rain, sometimes heavy, fell virtually every day from September 11 to 18, and on both 21 and 24 – different intensities in different districts but generally picking had to stop and growers had to cross their fingers that rot and mildew would be kept at bay – not least because the nights were often warm and damp too, making 2006 a great vintage for mushrooms and truffles, but less great for wine. Meticulous preparatory work in the vineyard started to pay off for those who had ensured their grapes were well aired and not too tightly packed.
Next week she promises to be back with her picks–hmm, sounds like it will be a short list!
“Bordeaux 2006 – how the weather screwed it all up” [JancisRobinson.com]
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On April 16th, 2007 at 11:13 am ,Lisa Roskam wrote:
Oh my goodness! What’s up with the doom and gloom? The negative comments I have heard recently about the 2006 vintage in Bordeaux seem way out of proportion (except Decanter magazine) with the meteorological facts and the primeur products that I was able to taste last week. 2006 is not 2005, but it certainly isn’t 1997 either. The end of September was certainly difficult in Bordeaux but for those wineries with vineyards located in more precocious “terroirs”, the harvest came before those heavy rains.
From talking to producers and buyers in Bordeaux it seems the biggest problem is going to be uneven quality from one producer to the next. The quality of the finished wine will depend on how much work they put into their vineyards, when they were able to harvest and whether they picked unripe grapes in a rush to beat the rains.
my 2 cents,
Lisa
On April 16th, 2007 at 7:12 pm ,Terry Hughes wrote:
Dr. Vino, I thought you didn’t want to pony up the money to subscribe to JR’s site.
I did — couldn’t resist her any longer — nice to be back there, I must say, as Ed Grimley would have said.
BTW, when is the next Dr. Vino wine meetup??
On April 16th, 2007 at 7:15 pm ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Lisa,
Thanks for your observations. Yes, it seems like after being able to buy 05 Bdx blind, the 06s will be very much pick and choose.
Terry,
Ha! This was her article from the Weekend Financial Times, reproduced in the free portion of her web site.
We’re overdue for a meet-up! Some time soon!
Cheers,
Tyler
On April 23rd, 2007 at 6:20 am ,Dr Vino’s wine blog » Blog Archive » Bordeaux 2006: Comment dit-on “big problems” en francais? wrote:
[…] slamming the 2006 vintage last week saying it was “a great vintage for mushrooms and truffles, but […]
On May 4th, 2007 at 9:22 am ,Dr Vino’s wine blog » Blog Archive » Vega Sicilia and hot dogs, Bordeaux 2006 lives, bottle frisking — tasting sized pours wrote:
[…] sighs in relief After getting damned and slammed by Jancis Robinson, Bordeaux catches a break from Robert Parker for the 2006 vintage who hails it as “superior […]