Always Great Value,
Always Great Selection

If I counted all the times I've heard the phrase "vintage of a lifetime" for the wines of Bordeaux, I'd need as many lives as a cat to keep up. The release of the 2009 Bordeaux is the most recent vintage declared as such. Still, I for one am very excited about this release despite the all but certain dent it will put in my wallet.

What sets this vintage apart from the others is that a few years ago when the wines were first offered, the prices rose to an unprecedented level. The wines were offered "en primeur" - aka, as futures - a few years back and I know I'm not the only one who was bowled over by the skyrocketed prices. Retailers across America were very nervous to commit to the kind of prices that were being demanded for a vintage that was not even (at the time) in the bottle. When you buy "en primeur," you don't actually get the wines until release some three years later, so it's a substantial risk for merchants. As a buyer for the New Hampshire State Liquor Commission, I can tell you this was a tense time, to say the least. Each Friday a batch of future prices was released beginning with the least noteworthy and ending with the most sought after and rare. In some cases, prices were marked up as much as 300% from previous vintages! As crazy as it sounds, these unprecedented prices immediately increased the consumer demand for trophy wines among those with the means to buy them - and would leave many of us out of the game for wines we used to be able to splurge on.

Though it's always hard to compare one great vintage to another, one thing can be said for sure: technology advances in winemaking just as it does in virtually all industries. Therefore, with all the new equipment, processes and amassed knowledge, it's possible to make a good vintage better or a great vintage even greater. The 2009s are thought to be fleshy, ripe, open and pure with perfect balance right now, which is rare for even a great vintage of Bordeaux.

The wines that led the price crusade were by and large the most famous - the First Growths (Château Latour, Chateau Laftite Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Haut-Brion and Château Mouton Rothschild) and a few of the famous "Right Bank" wines such as the coveted Château Pêtrus, Château Le Pin and Château Chevel Blanc, to name a few.

With the First Growths costing an arm and a leg (and maybe a few teeth), most of us will be looking to less famous wines to purchase. An incredible amount of these wines have been rated extraordinarily high by wine critics such as Robert Parker and James Suckling of The Wine Spectator.  An old wine trade joke goes something like this: A man walks into a wine shop and asks, "What's new and exciting for wines?" The clerk answers, "I have a case of really good Merlot," to which the customer replies, "I hate Merlot" and the clerk responds, "Well, it just got 90 points from Robert Parker." "I'll take the whole case!" exclaims the customer. Though humorous, this scenario is often true! But in truth, it will not be hard to find a wine under $30 or even under $20 with a 90+ rating for the 2009 Bordeaux wines; and we have a great many to choose from. These ratings can be very helpful for those who don't have the time to research the wines but still want to stock up on this great vintage or for those with capricious tendencies as in the example above!

For me, it's always an exciting time when Bordeaux is released, especially so in a banner vintage such as 2009s. I consider the Bordeaux wines in my own collection to be some of my most special and, therefore, perhaps - not as share-worthy. It also means my savings account will likely take a big hit very soon but....c'est la vie.

The release of these wines in our New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet stores will be posted on our website www.liquorandwineoutlets.com as soon as the information is available. Only selected stores will carry the bulk of these wines and inventories will vary.

Be part of something special and join us in the release of these extra-ordinary wines. 

Your 2009 Bordeaux Information Source

 

Visit our website at www.liquorandwineoutlets.com for any and all information and updates regarding our 2009 Bordeaux release dates and the select stores that will carry these wines. Be the first to hear by signing up here to receive our monthly Email Extras. Please do not contact any or our stores about this release. Our website will be your source for the most up-to-date information.

 
Say Cheese - March/April 2012 (PDF)

Time to Take (or make) Stock - January/February 2012 (PDF)