We expertly loaded the car (why are suitcases always fuller at the end of a holiday compared to when you arrive) filled the petrol tank and headed to our first appointment of the day at one of Bordeaux top Negociant. An annual event, this morning tasting provides a great opportunity to taste the last handful of wines we were unable to see throughout the week as well as re-taste a few wines that required a second viewing. After nearly 50 wines tasted  including a masterclass with Stephane Derenoncort, who very kindly talked us through a dozen or so of the Chateaux that he consulted on this year (a real treat and hugely educational), we finished with a beautiful canapé lunch and a glass of 1999 Louis Roederer which showed particularly well. We were very pleased with the new wines tasted, in particular, Les Fiefs de Lagrange and Haut Batailley which will certainly represent great value and a star find from the Pauillac appellation, Chateau Pedesclaux. At its level, for which it over performed this offered good fragrance, lovely textured fruit and excellent intensity all in a modern style. Another wine we agreed would appear on our best value list.

An excellently scheduled last day, left plenty of time for a decent lunch before our afternoon and final appointments at Chateau Climens (Barsac) and finally Chateau d’Yquem (Sauternes). What a great way to end a hectic weeks tasting.

Rolling through the picturesque Barsac countryside we arrived basked in glorious sunshine at Chateau Climens for what turned out to be one of the most educational Chateau visits of the week. With the Grand Vin not yet constructed we were led from barrel to barrel in the cellar tasting samples from various pickings of different periods. A real insight as to how different the wine tastes depending on the date of picking and the extent of the Botrytis on the grapes. A rollercoaster ride from freshness through to richness back through to freshness, the one characteristic that each of this barrels had in common was the wonderful precision and balance of the acidity and sugar levels, a truly joyful experience and despite the difference in each of the samples it was clear that the end product would be something very fine indeed. As if that wasn’t enough we were then treated to a vertical tasting of Climens from 2005-2008 to provide a reference point for the 2010. With the palate well and truly stained with botrytised fruit we headed up the countryside for our final rendezvous at the beautiful Chateau d’Yquem. Talk about going out in style. Effortless elegance, stunning freshness, balance and clarity. The essence of Sauternes, a real masterclass, nectar of the gods. We thought the 2009 was good, this might just have eclipsed it.

With the tasting trip completed we took a moment in the sunshine at d’Yquem to reflect on the successes of the campaign before heading back to the car for our final journey back to Merignac (every good wine merchant must make this journey at some point in their career) for the 8pm flight to London. With the quality of the vintage firmly established the only questions that remained were availability and pricing. Questions that we would find the answers to over the coming weeks.

Today our schedule took us to the Right Bank and our first proper look at the wines of St Emilion, Pomerol and their satellites. A mixture of Chateau visits and UGC tastings made for a busy day so we headed off nice and early to the first appointment at Jean-Pierre Moueix in Libourne. A very civilised way to start, tasting some of the most sought after and least available wines of Bordeaux. Due to the small scaled nature of the Pomerol appellation many of these wines are only made in minute quantities that make the production on the left bank look positively huge. None-the-less this was a great pleasure with a virtually complete set of knock-out wines. Devine offerings from La Providence and Hosanna, a super serious effort from Certan de May, possibly their best wine since the brilliant 1982 and then the big guns. Trotanoy and La Fleur Petrus took the tasting experience to a completely different level, the fineness and elegance of these wines was sublime, the texture hugely inviting and the finish graceful, these were clearly wines of real distinction. To say this was anything short of a masterclass in Merlot production would be simply untrue. A joyful experience and our bench mark for the Right Bank had been well and truly set.

Back in the car, we discussed the greatness of our previous tasting experience on the short ride to St Emilion and our next visit at Chateau Pavie. Fully aware that having just tasted the epitome of elegance and fineness we were about to embark on tasting the other end of the spectrum with the structured and hugely powerful wines of Gerard Perse. Well what can I say other than this year was clearly a triumph for the Perse stable from top to bottom. The Pavie Decesse and Bellevue Mondotte were exceptional, hugely powerful and masculine but with excellent harmony and integration. A wonderful pair from both the Monbousquet Rouge et Blanc. The red, beautifully aromatic with seamless texture and a depth beyond its price point. A favourite of ours that had just booked its spot on the list of must buys from the Right Bank. We finished as always with the main event, Chateau Pavie, a wine that seems to have less of a following than its quality and status deserve. Without doubt this was a monumental effort, a wine of true pedigree and breed. 1st Growth quality indeed.

The morning progressed with great haste and brilliant showings of both Chateau Angelus and its second wine, Carillon de Angelus followed. With increasing excitement about the quality we had seen so far on this bank we headed of to see the wines of Chateau Cheval Blanc. One of the easiest estates to locate on the right bank, you simply locate the big yellow cranes on the skyline and head in their general direction until you stumble upon the building sight of the new Chais. Cheval Blanc is one of the grandest and most beautiful estates on this side of the river and more often than not a joy to taste. A wonderful Petit Cheval and like many of the 2nd wines this year the quality seems to have improved greatly compared to previous vintages. Finishing with the Cheval Blanc set a new bench mark for this side of the river. A wonderfully fragrant wine of real focus and sophistication. Complex and multi-layered this showed real class. A truly aristocratic wine.

Just when we thought the calibre of wines could not improve any further we found ourselves in the cellars of Vieux Chateau Certan, with the charming and hugely unassuming Alexandre Thienpont. A lovely man who seems almost unaware of the beauty and joy his wines give to world. When asked about pricing he was very clear, “I want my wines to be enjoyed by those who love and appreciate Vieux Chateau Certan.” With this kind of quality that statement will just about encompass every oenophile the world over. Last year was a sensation at this tiny Pomerol estate….this year if you can believe it was potentially even better. A wine of real nobility and gravitas. The only problem being that with production at only 3,400 cases this year it will be extremely difficult to secure an allocation. Our advice is simple….grab some if you can.

With a short break in our schedule we headed across appellations to Chateau Barde Haut to taste the wines of Helene Garcin and enjoy a spot of lunch. As always Helene had produced a delightful collection of wines with notable performances from Chateau Branon (one of the best examples from Pessac) and Clos l’Eglise (Pomerol). Having re-fuelled in the glorious sunshine (the run of good weather seemed like it would never end) we headed off to our last Chateau visit of the Right Bank at Chateau Ausone. The high quality on display so far continued with a sublime offering of Ausone’s 2nd wine Chapelle d’Ausone followed by the monumental Grand Vin with its typically fragrant perfume and layered texture. Presence and power married perfectly with elegance and beauty. Bravo.

Two UGC tastings to go and our picture of the Right Bank would be complete. Having seen the cream of the crop and been hugely impressed, now it was the time for the contenders to show their hands. First stop La Couspaude for the St Emilion UGC. Tasting conditions by now had become increasingly difficult with temperatures outside approaching the mid 30’s and in a tasting room full of people fresh air was firmly the order of the day. Like many of the appellations we had tasted to date it was again a case of the usual suspect performing extremely well. Wines that impressed and ones to keep an eye on include, Beausejour Becot, Clos Fourtet, Canon la Gaffelliere, Larcis Decasse and the standout amongst many…..Chateau Figeac.

Happy to have escaped the rising temperatures of the tasting room we headed off to our last appointment of the day, and thankfully much more suitable tasting conditions, the UGC Pomerol tasting at Chateau la Pointe. With only 8 wines on show (such is the tiny scale of this appellation) we navigated the room (and spittoons) with relative ease. Delicious wines from Le Croix de Gay and our hosts Le Pointe, a serious effort from Gazin, but clear standouts were La Conseillante and Clinet, who appear to have continued their rivalry from last year for wine of the Pomerol UGC. A tough call as to which Chateau produced the better wine this year as both showed hugely contrasting styles. Conseillante, much more feminine with its seductive texture and superfine tannins. Clinet, more the masculine style with its dense powerful rich fruit. Both exceptional wines in their own rights.

The Right Bank now complete and with a much wider view of the vintage as a whole we headed back to Chateau Clement Pichon for the final time to prepare ourselves for the a relaxing final day in Sauterne and Barsac.

In fact for the most part it sadly happens but once a year (Primeur week) and this year the tasting was hosted at La Mission. It always amazes me how both these Chateau can produce such good wines when located directly in the middle of the city of Pessac. The view from the Chateau neighbours is one of beauty and prestige, the view from the Chateau is less good looking onto the industrial portions of the town. That aside we were greated at the entrance and led up through the church like staircases into a beautiful, tranquil tasting room that looked like something out of a Harry Potter movie and made me feel like I had returned to school to sit my final exams. Pens at the ready, the wines were poured……With moments of stunned silence the mood changed to jovial conversation as everyone was clearly in a good mood having tasted a selection of stunning wines. First rate offerings from La Mission Haut Brion and Haut Brion, another stunner in Haut Brion Blanc and a trio of 2nd wines that performed well above their station. Wonderful quality from Clarence de Haut Brion which like the Forts de Latour was touching on 1st growth quality.

We offered our congratulations, said our goodbyes and headed across town to Pape-Clement for a selection of wines from the Magres empire. The focus here would be the white and reds from Pape Clement but good showings from Ch. Fombrauge (a modern styled St Emilion) and Clementin du Pape-Clement (2nd wine of Pape-Clement) caught our eye. An excellent white and red from Pape Clement set the standard for the appellation (1st Growth estates excluded) and set us up for the rest of the appellation at the Graves UGC tasting hosted by Chateau Malartic Lagraviere.

With much more suitable tasting conditions compared to our previous UGC encounter there were standout performances in both whites and reads from the usual suspect, Smith Haut Lafitte & Domaine de Chevalier, strong efforts from De Fueizal and our hosts Malartic Lagraviere but the star of the show was this years Haut Bailly. Powerful with super texture, very classy.

After a speedy lunch in the gardens of Malartic Lagraviere, and a glass or two of 1990 Malartic Lagraviere from Magnum (I must confess to be relatively inexperienced when it comes to this Chateau, but was most impressed by this delicious glass of wine and I will certainly be paying more attention from now on.) we headed back to the Medoc for the last of our Medoc Chateau visits, both hugely popular wines in the UK, Lynch Bages and Batailley. With Batailley up first, we met Frederic Casteja in the tasting room that abutts the main Chateau to discuss his collection of Chateau from right across the Bordeaux region. This was to be our second look at Batailley, with hopeful expectation that it would live up to the quality it had shown at the UGC tasting at Branaire Ducru yesterday. No disappointments there, it showed beautifully and re-confirmed that Batailley had produced a cracker this vintage potentially better than last years super effort. This may prove to be one of the best buys of the vintage. Fingers crossed on pricing.

Next stop Lynch Bages. We made the short journey across Pauillac to meet Jean–Michel and headed off to the tasting rooms. Like Batailley this was to be our second viewing of Lynch Bages (and Ormes de Pez) but our first of the 2nd wine Echo and their popular white the aptly named Blanc de Lynch Bages. Like the Batailley the Lynch Bages showed exceptionally well the second time around. Wonderful rich structured fruit, spice and minerals. Very Lynch and will sit very well alongside the greats of recent years. High class.
With another days tasting complete and a full picture from the Left Bank we headed home with the glorious sunshine still beating down on the vines of Bordeaux.

With a busy morning schedule we headed to the first of our UGC tastings at Chateau Lascombes where the wines of Margaux awaited us.

After arriving early and completing the necessary registration process, we headed to the tasting room UGC badges and tasting glasses in hand. As we worked our way round the room it was becoming increasingly evident that whilst there were some star performers at the top end one or two Chateau struggled at the bottom to balance the high tannin and alcohol levels consistent with this vintage, meaning consumers would need to be much more selective when choosing 2010 Bordeaux compared to the previous great vintages of 2005 and 2009. That said, when the wines were great they really hit the spot and star performers in the Margaux appellation included Rauzan Segla, Malescot St Exupery, Prieure Lichine, Du Tertre & Brane Cantenac. The star of the show however and absolute standout was Chateau Giscours who having been a bit hit and miss in recent vintages produced a crackerjack wine that was wonderfully fragrant, powerful but elegant and refined with a lovely freshness that provided a bit of lift keeping everything in check. We all agreed this would appear strongly in our list of must buys for the 2010 campaign.

With the room filling up and eager tasters arriving in their droves we headed off to our 2nd UGC tasting at Chateau Branaire Ducru for the wines of Pauillac, St Julien and St Estephe. It was clear on arrival to Chateau Branaire Ducru that this would not be as peaceful a tasting experience as we had come to expect from previous years and with the car park swelling we had to settle for a parking spot down the road and a short walk to the Chateau.

An executive decision was made to taste first and then grab some lunch after (one we would live to regret) so we headed into the tasting room only to be greeted by several hundred tasters who appeared to have all made the same decision. Tasting in these conditions (it didn’t help that it was now over 30o’s outside) proved to be quite challenging and in a room full to capacity it was apparent that every wine merchant and his dog from around the world had descended upon Bordeaux for Primeur 2010. None-the-less there were some more exceptional wines on show with stunning offerings from Lynch Bages (Pauillac) & Baron Pichon (Pauillac) leading the way, along with very strong efforts from St Pierre (St Julien) & Batailley (Pauillac) both of which appeared to have improved on their excellent 2009’s.

With little time for the Chateau lunch (queuing time had now exceeded 45 minutes) we decided to grab something ‘on the run’ on the way up to our appointment at Chateau Lafite. We had been warned vehemently that tardiness would not be tolerated from our 1st Growth hosts. Freshly made boulangerie sandwiches with boisson fraiche on the Quay de Pauillac provided us all with some much needed sustenance for the afternoon’s tastings.

Off to Lafite and despite arriving perfectly on time we were informed that due to excessive tasting demand they were running with a short delay so we would have to wait a little longer before we could sample the wines from this great Chateaux. There was talk from critics who had already released their tasting notes for the 2010’s and wine merchant colleagues who has tasted the previous day that Lafite had absolutely nailed it which only added to the anticipation building. Finally we were led into the tasting room immaculately laid out with all sorts of Latite regalia, it was clear that as much attention had been bestowed into the design of the tasting rooms as with the vineyards and winery, a hallmark of the attention to detail that we have come to expect from Chateau Lafite.

We took our places like athletes in the blocks….3 wines to taste, Carruades, Duhart and the Grands Vin itself. Where to start?? A strong effort from Carruades, producing arguably their finest wine to date. Duhart was a cracker, performing well above previous years and its lower than deserved classification and then there was Lafite, an absolute beauty. This was clearly a notch above anything we had tasted so far in the week. So many layers and such depth with a clarity and precision to simply admire. This was approaching something very special indeed with a texture only to behold…this was one wine that certainly lived up to the hype, it was true, Lafite had nailed it. The gauntlet was well and truly laid to Chateau Latour in the battle for the wine of the vintage and we headed there knowing that something magical would have to pass our lips to usurp Lafite from it current claim. Tasting in familiar surroundings at Chateau Latour we were lead in to face the 3 wines on show. Pauillac de Latour was lovely and clearly a well made wine, Les Forts de Latour outstanding and fast approaching the quality we have come to expect from 1st Growths, let alone the 2nd wines of 1st Growth and then it happened. That magic that needed to happen simply did. Latour 2010!! Such density, such purity, such incredible concentrated minerality, you could literally taste the soil, remarkable. This was a masculine Kingly wine to Lafite’s feminine Queen, the perfect juxtaposition, it was simply unfair to place these wines in direct comparison such was their individual quality in such a different style. This Latour was terroir personified and as the woman assisting our tasting yelled with a big grin on her face…”This is Latour, this is our terroir!!” All in all a very happy set of tasters who were more than aware that they had just tasted a couple of legends in the making. A moment in time.

We left Pauillac and headed south for our final rendezvous of the day, the Haut Medoc & Medoc UGC tasting at Chateau Citran.  A tough call to ask these wines to follow the majesty of the 1st Growth giants, but tasting in context there were some delightful wines on show. Poujeaux led the pack and having had such a good experience with it earlier in the week it was good to re-affirm its performance. A real suggestion that this estate had re-discovered some of its magic of yesteryear. Other estates to watch out for are La Lagune, La Tour Carnet (who amazingly seem to have toned this wine down from previous vintages) and Tour de By who may well be a front running contender for best value wine of the vintage. A must buy for every claret lover. With the sun still shining and Day 3 coming to an end we took a moments reflection in the beautiful gardens of Chateau Citran before heading back to our Chateau for some well earned dinner in preparation for our day’s tasting in the Graves tomorrow.

After a traditional French breakfast of coffee and croissants we headed for our first appointment Chateau Leoville Las Cases to see the full range including the Chateaux wines from St Julien,  Potensac in the Haut Medoc and their Pomerol estate Chateau Nenin. Its not often you start the week with a glass of Leoville Las Cases at 08:45 in the morning!! This is where our first impressions of the vintage would be confirmed and a first glance at the quality to be expected from the top end of the appellations. 

Monsieur Delon and his wine making team performed exceptionally well, setting a tough benchmark at the various levels within the range, Clos du Marquis was delicious, a real classy wine, arguably their best yet, the Petit Lion, 2nd wine of Leoville Las Cases, was wonderful performing way above its station and the Leoville Las Cases, whilst keeping its cards close to its chest was a belter. Really serious quality here.

A short walk over the road and into Las Cases sister estate Leoville Poyferre. Having produced a stunner in 2009 the question that needed to be answered was ‘could that level of quality be repeated again in 2010’.  The simple answer is yes and whilst stylistically different the Grands Vin was very very good indeed. Beautiful aromatics, poise and balance, a graceful Poyferre. A seriously strong effort from Moulin Riche which could turn out to be one of the 2nd wine purchases of the vintage.

After a quick trot back to the car and a brisk journey up to St Estephe, we opened the traditional debate about who would reign as the King of St Estephe in 2010. Having tasted the wines it was clear that we would need a little more time to settle this frequently unanswered question as both Chateaux produced wonderful wines. Montrose was a traditional and classic Montrose that we have grown to love in top vintages and Cos d’Estournel appeared to rein in the modern style that they touched in the last vintage. This was much more classic Cos a classic in the making. Worth mentioning the estates second wines here as the quality is noticeably increasing year on year.

A smart Dame de Montrose and a quality Pagodes that Jean Guillaume Prats described as “better than any Cos d’Estournel made in the 1990”, some statement given the quality of the 1995 and 1996. It was clear at this point having tasted a handful of top estates on the Left Bank that many of these wines were living up to the hype that surrounded the vintage over the past months and that many were nudging the boundries of the much used cliché “Best vintage ever”.

Leaving St Estephe we headed south to Pauillac for our first 1st Growth of the campaign.  Having seen the quality levels achieved by the handful of 2nd Growths we had seen this morning we were all excited to have our first taste of the 1st Growths who would certainly set the benchmark for the vintage. No disappointments at Mouton and a very successful set of wines across the board. Clerc and D’Armailhac were very good and potentially the best ever made and Mouton showed a depth and power above and beyond what we had seen earlier in the day…the campaign was really starting to hotten up as were the Bordeaux skies with not a cloud in sight and late 20oC heat.

With five Chateaux behind us it was time for a spot of lunch and where better than Chateau Pontet- Canet, who were fast developing a strong reputation not only for their high quality wines but also their Primeur week lunches. A civilised beef casserole followed by a decent spread of cheese was all washed down with a few glasses of their delicious and highly rated 2000 vintage. With our hunger satiated and finding it difficult to drag ourselves away from the 2000 we headed upstairs to join Alfred Tesseron to taste his latest release. A great success and a continuation on the Chateau amazing rise in quality over the last decade. Another beauty from Pontet-Canet and a clear statement that this lowly classified estate firmly belongs to the “Super Second” category of Chateau.

Next stop, and our last Pauillac estate of the day, we headed off to Pichon Comtesse de Lalande to open one half of a much often debated question….Pichon Comtesse v Pichon Baron. The great Lady of Pauillac stated her case with elegance and charm but we would have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to hear the response from her sister Chateau, Pichon Baron. A strong effort also from the ever popular 2nd wine, La Reserve de la Comtesse, one to watch in this vintage.

Back in the car and off to Ducru Beaucaillou for our rendezvous with proprietor Bruno Borie. The sun continued to shine on Bordeaux and clearly the wines at this level were showing exceptional potential. As a favourite Chateau of ours and a beautiful one to visit we headed there expecting another great wine and of course the ever present Ducru Beaucaillou ‘Primeur Girls’. It wasn’t just the stunning wines at Ducru that were attracting people’s attention. Bruno Borie really does know how to grab the attention of the wine world.

A quick stop in at Leoville Barton for a catch up with Anthony and Lillian Barton and to taste the ever popular Langoa and Leoville Barton. A solid effort from Langoa, who appear to be improving the quality of the wine year in year out, followed by a stunning effort from Leoville who achieved new levels of depth and concentration. Bravo Anthony, a wine of true pedigree.

After a busy morning and afternoon, we continued our homeward bound journey ever south into the Medoc with our final 2 visits of the day, our second 1st Growth of the campaign and AC Margaux pretender to the crown Chateau Palmer. Striding past a slothenly Zorba the dog who looked somewhat depressed (we later found out that Zorba was sulking following the introduction of a new puppy to the estate who was stealing all the attention) we headed to the tasting room where we were joined by Thibault Pontallier (son of Chateau Margaux General Director Paul Pontallier).  A complete reflection of his father in his clean cut suit and fashionable scarf, Thibault was back momentarily from his stint in Hong Kong to help with the busy Primeur schedule. He talked with total confidence and charm belying his youth, but then you could expect nothing less from a young man who has been surrounded by such wine heritage for much of his life. A wonderful set from Chateau Margaux, both Pavillon Blanc and Pavillon Rouge have achieved exceptional heights and the Grand Vin itself charmed every taster with its perfume, elegance and charm, wonderful mouth coating texture stunning balance and freshness and just all round control of its components. Could this be better than last year?

A little light hearted chat with Thibault Pontaillier about the 2010 vintage and some taxing questions about vintage comparisons he likened the 2010 to 1986. “Of course 1986 was a great vintage….it was the year I was born” he joked and when asked if he has tasted any other wines in the vintage to gauge the performance of Chateau Margaux, he responded with a wide grin. ”Of course…..I tasted the Pavillon Rouge”.

Our final meet of the day at Chateau Palmer allowed us to see if they could follow the monumental effort in 2009 with both the Grand Vin and the Alter Ego. All agreed these wines were of a different style to last year (a common trait of the vintage) but there were certainly no disappointed looks as we debated the wines heading back to car after a long and thorough days tasting.

What better way to end a phenomenal day than with fellow merchants from around the world at a soiree hosted by one of our favourite Negociants. 1996 Leoville Las Cases, 1982 Haut Brion and 1982 d’Yquem…..last year must have been tough for the Bordelais!!

 This early tasting provides a good opportunity to gauge the style of the vintage and a platform from which to judge the wines we would taste at our Chateau visits and UGC tastings later in the week.

It was clear from what we tasted here that 2010 has provided a different style to the sexy voluptuous wines we saw last year at 09 Primeur. In general the wines showed higher tannin levels, greater acidity and increased alcohol, all building blocks for high quality wines with structure and backbone for the long haul. Those Chateaux who were able to provide these components in proportion and with balance would certainly produce excellent wines.

Early successes from the reds and all round favourites included Tour De By, Haut Marbuzet, and Poujeaux (definitely all ones to keep an eye on) and we were certainly very keen to taste these again later in the week.

Following a delicious lunch on the terrace and some back vintages of Bahans Haut Brion the afternoons tasting finished as always with a wonderful selection of Sauternes & Barsacs. No surprises there as these appellations are the love of our host Bill Blatch. Having read some very positive reports on these appellations leading up to Primeur we were keen to see for ourselves just how good the sweet wines of Bordeaux would show this year. Standouts included Rieussec (no surprises), De Fargues and Suduiraut…..The value for money winner and not far behind the big names Doisy Verdrines.

Having just sampled this wonderful selection we were excited to taste Climens and d’Yquem later in the week.

With Vintex done and a definite understanding for the style of the vintage it was back to our Chateau (Clement Pichon) for a spot of dinner and an early night ready for a hectic day of Chateau visits on Monday….Leoville Las Cases first up for breakfast.