Bordeaux 2010 Vintage - Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting 2013, San Francisco

This is the top Bordeaux tasting of the year in the Bay Area, IMO, with tremendous number of top-growth Bordeaux on hand, with owners rather than importers/distributors, presenting their famed wines. Missing were the 1st growths and many 2nd growths, but what was there was highly pedigreed nonetheless. This year's tasting in San Francisco was perhaps the highest anticipated ever. Completely packed, the first looks at the much anticipated, highly hyped 2010 vintage drew a large crowd. On the heels of the 2009 -- the 100-point Parker "vintage of the century", the 2010 was one of those rare back-to-backs that could be even better. While the 2009 is considered riper, lusher, warmer, more "new worldly" and more "hedonistic", the 2010 was expected to impress with monumental depth of everything but in a more classic (non-jammy) and impeccably balanced style.

And boy, did the 2010 deliver! To my palate, this was the greatest Bordeaux vintage I've tasted. Here, I said it! Across the board, almost every single wine was satisfying, and overall more dependable than the 2009's. This is a vintage where you can pretty much close your eyes and shoot darts at any classified growth on the Left or Right Bank, and hit the bull's eye. And yes, unfortunately the prices are the highest ever too.

I was particularly impressed with Margaux and St. Emilion appellations, but as I said, I loved wines across the board -- deep, dark, ripe (but not over-ripe), full of graphite, balancing acidity, and already quite delicious.

Yes, these wines are expensive, but let me tell you -- if you are into Bordeaux, this IMO is the vintage to spend your money on. Immediately today I put my money where my mouth is, and ordered the following:

My favorites:

2010 Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron (over $200 - my wine of the tasting)
2010 Chateau Lynch Bages (over $150, spectacular)
2010 Chateau Troplong Mondot (really good, as were most other St. Emilions)
2010 Chateau d'Armailhac (solid wine, and relative bargain)
2010 Chateau Angludet (non-classed growth, but probably best ever from them)
2010 Chateau Pavie-Macquin (another lovely St. Emilion)


As I said, most wines were really good. I didn't feel the need to take detailed notes (given that there plenty of critics' reviews and will be even more from my fellow bloggers after this event).

I think pretty much anything in Margaux and St. Emilion was fabulous Bordeaux.
But Pessac Leognan, St Julien, Pauillac, St Estephe, and Pomerol were all very very good.

From checking the "temperature" in the room and triangulating from some of the reviews I've been reading, it's pretty clear that it will be a while before there is another vintage like this.

So stock up, friends!
Cheers!

P.S. The 2010 vintage continues to rock throughout Europe, across all important regions I can think of. (We'll see what happens in Italy once Piedmont and Tuscany release their top wines). But so far, from Germany to Loire to Bordeaux to Burgundy to Rhone -- simply incredible!

For reference. Here are all the wines poured:

Château de Chantegrive | Château Rahoul | Château Bouscaut | Château Carbonnieux | Domaine de Chevalier Château de Fieuzal | Château de France | Château Haut-Bailly | Château Haut-Bergey | Château La LouvièreChâteau Larrivet Haut-Brion | Château Latour-Martillac | Château Malartic-Lagravière | Château Olivier | Château Pape Clément | Château Picque Caillou | Château Smith Haut Lafitte | Château Berliquet | Château Canon | Château Canon La Gaffelière | Château Dassault | Château-Figeac | Clos Fourtet | Château Franc Mayne | Château Grand MayneChâteau La Couspaude | Château La Dominique | Château La Gaffelière | Château Larcis Ducasse | Château Pavie Macquin | Château Troplong Mondot | Château Trottevieille | Château Villemaurine | Château Beauregard | Château Clinet | Château Gazin | Château La Cabanne | Château La Conseillante | Château La Pointe | Château Le Bon Pasteur Château Clarke | Château Fonréaud | Château Fourcas Hosten | Château Chasse-Spleen | Château MaucaillouChâteau Poujeaux | Château Beaumont | Château Belgrave | Château Cantemerle | Château Citran | Château Coufran Château de Camensac | Château de Lamarque | Château La Lagune | Château La Tour Carnet | Château Greysac Château La Tour de By | Château Angludet | Château Brane-Cantenac | Château Cantenac Brown | Château Dauzac Château Desmirail | Château du Tertre | Château Durfort-Vivens | Château Ferrière | Château Giscours | Château Kirwan | Château Labégorce | Château Lascombes | Château Malescot Saint-Exupéry | Château Marquis de Terme Château Prieuré-Lichine | Château Rauzan-Gassies | Château Rauzan-Ségla | Château Siran | Château Beychevelle | Château Branaire-Ducru | Château Gloria | Château Gruaud Larose | Château Lagrange | Château Langoa Barton | Château Léoville Barton | Château Léoville Poyferré | Château Saint-Pierre | Château Talbot | Château Batailley | Château Clerc Milon | Château Croizet-Bages | Château d’ Armailhac | Château Grand-Puy DucasseChâteau Grand-Puy-Lacoste | Château Haut-Bages Libéral | Château Lynch-Bages | Château Lynch-Moussas Château Pichon-Longueville | Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande | Château Cos Labory | Château de Pez | Château Lafon-Rochet | Château Ormes De Pez | Château Phélan Ségur | Château Bastor-Lamontagne | Château Climens | Château Coutet | Château de Fargues | Château de Rayne Vigneau | Château Doisy Daën | Château Guiraud | Château La Tour Blanche | Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey | Château Suduiraut

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi,
I do not know much abt wines (simply dont like it), but sure you have to taste those which are produced in " your " first Brezhnev city - Odessa, or Odessa region, The best city in the world ;)
Best regards
DZ

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