Bordeaux 2014: The Indian Summer in Bordeaux
The Weather of the 2014 Vintage in Bordeaux
In terms of temperatures, the winter of 2013-2014 was rather mild, with no frosts in February. Rainfall was higher than average. These mild winter temperatures, combined with a rather spring-like March, allowed the vine to bud very early, nearly two weeks ahead of schedule. The spring of 2014 was rather cool, with conditions favorable to vine flowering. June was hotter and drier than usual. All the conditions seemed to be in place for a superb vintage. However, things deteriorated in July and especially in August, with heavy rains and storms. The two-week head start was quickly lost, and pessimism spread among the various estates in Bordeaux.
From September through October, a small miracle occurred: the longest, hottest, and driest Indian summer in 100 years! These two months allowed for a long and balanced ripening of the grapes, literally saving the vintage. These exceptional weather conditions gave the various Châteaux the opportunity to wait calmly for the perfect ripeness of the grapes, in order to decide on the optimal harvest date.
The Wines of Bordeaux in 2014
As every year, I went to Bordeaux for the traditional week of tasting the Bordeaux en primeur wines, to get a clearer idea of this 2014 vintage. After tasting several hundred samples, it is clear that 2014 is the best Bordeaux vintage since the exceptional 2010, which is saying a lot. The Bordeaux wines offer great precision, with a lot of freshness on the palate, often a creamy touch in the middle of the palate, and very fine and silky tannins. We are far from the exuberance of 2009 and 2010, with a beautiful, classic vintage meant for long aging.
Generally speaking, the Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet Francs benefited more from the long Indian summer than the Merlots, whose ripening is earlier. The Châteaux on the left bank, having a higher percentage of Cabernet than their right-bank neighbors, offer greater qualitative homogeneity. Of course, there are exceptions, with some very beautiful successes in St-Emilion and Pomerol for the properties located on the best terroirs. The greatest wines are found in the communes of St-Julien, Pauillac, St-Estèphe, but also in Pessac-Léognan. The dry whites are crunchy and lively.
The En Primeur Market
It is obviously difficult to have an opinion until the prices of the Châteaux are published. During all my meetings with various Château owners, I emphasized how important it was to remain realistic with reasonable release prices. Indeed, even though the quality of the 2014 vintage is undoubtedly there, it is important to take into account economic uncertainties and offer Bordeaux en primeur 2014 at consumption prices, not speculative ones. If this is the case, purchasing these promising 2014 Bordeaux en primeur would be fully justified for our clients.
