Bordeaux 09: what a week ... what a year!

Get the full scoop on Bordeaux 2009 � click here to read Clare Tooley�s Vintage Report

Expectations could not have been higher going into the annual En Primeur tasting week. The Bordelaise have spent the last few months telling anyone who'd care to listen just what a perfect vintage 09 had been, it could so easily have all been a bit of a let down.

Thankfully the wines themselves most definitely stood up to the billing, the mood amongst the massed ranks of world's wine trade was a mixture of relief and growing excitement, the consensus is that 09 will go down as one of the greats.

It is hard not to sound like a cliché as these wines are simply sublime, richly textured with generous fruit, beautifully balanced acid and tannin, intense and concentrated yet elegant.

The really great news for us claret lovers is that the quality of the vintage shone through across the region with many of the 'lesser' wines really singing, there is real quality to be had whatever the budget.

To give you a taste here are just a few of the highlights from Bordeaux specialist, Clare Tooley's notes from the Bordeaux 2009 tastings

Tuesday 30th March 2010 - Left Bank UGC Tastings

'Seriously classy claret, great definition of individual appellations and Chateaux themselves, worth the hype.'

Wednesday 31st March - First Growths, Super Seconds

“ ... probably the most enjoyable and fascinating Primeurs tastings I have ever done”

“We were particularly struck by the second wines of the great Chateaux this year - Carruades, Fort de Latour, Dame de Montrose, Pagodes de Cos - we loved them, they stood on their own and sang beautifully”

Thursday 1st April - The Right Bank

“I could have stayed at the Moueix tasting all day to be honest....Look out for their Chantallouette Pomerol and Puy Blanquet Saint Emilion - we'll offer these very soon; they're cracking and should offer good value”

“Continuing our belief in the second wines of the Grands Chateau this year, Petit Cheval, little brother of Cheval Blanc, is beautiful - all bouquet and sweet Cabernet Franc - delicious.”

For the full scoop on the Bordeaux 2009 En Primeur tastings, read Clare's Bordeaux Blog