Our En Primeur up-date contains a plethora of exciting wines; some iconic, some eccentric, but all worthy of your consideration. Not one of these wines would feature if they were anything less than excitingly excellent.

There are several very good reasons to buy your ‘cellaring’ wines en primeur. First of all, it ensures you get what you want before it runs out; secondly that you purchase them at an opening and therefore advantageous price, thirdly you know precisely their provenance, and finally, the funding of en primeur tends to come out of a different, and ‘Very Important’ account which has nothing to do with the house keeping purse…

Rob Chase
Fine Wine Manager

2010 Bordeaux

Overview of 2010 Bordeaux

Like many of the great, historic back-to-back vintages - ’82 and ’83, ’85 and ’86,  and ‘89 and 1990, the second of each of these pairings rather dropped below the radar, yet frequently received greater plaudits in the years that followed. I loved the ‘09s right across the board, and those of us who bought into the juniors and seniors will be richly rewarded.  A joyous vintage which, as we have said all along, will provide outstanding drinking in the medium to long term. But the 2010 vintage has thrown up some equally spectacular wines, which will, like the Château Angludet of 1979, make venerable, old bones. The 2010s with their fresh acidity and big tannins, both challenged and flattered the palate simultaneously. Although they are not as obvious or as homogenous as the 2009s, there are undoubtedly some very impressive and exciting wines out there, with great futures laying ahead of them.

One has to go back to the winter of 2009/2010 to see where it all started. A very wet winter provided more than adequate ground moisture for the vines during the hot and arid summer that followed.  A heat spike at the end of June was followed by two months of drought, but it was the unusually cool night-time temperatures in mid- August that locked-in the critical acidity. These so-important acids, along with the high natural tannins, were further exaggerated as the drought conditions caused the berries to shrivel. Perfect harvest conditions subsequently produced wines which were not for the faint-hearted taster, but the concentration and elegance of the best wines was inspirational, and will undoubtedly suit the longer-term collector.     

We make this small, but highly relevant-to-the-vintage offering of 2010s. We do not feel the need to be encyclopaedic – but we do feel the need to buy and offer our favourites of the vintage.

2010 Château Le Doyenné, 1er Côtes de Bordeaux
The phenomenal value of this junior Right Bank estate caught our eye in 2000 and again in 2009. Marie-Dominique Watrin has produced a  wine of great elegance and smoothness, with ripe, red and plumy fruits and beautifully poised acidity. Planted to 70% Merlot with 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. 40% is now spending 12 months in new oak, and the balance in 1 and 2 year-old oak, which will enhance the fruit, and soften the signature tannins of 2010. Drinking from 2015 – 2020.

 
2010 Château Angludet, Margaux
Ripe, concentrated plumy fruits on the nose, with easy, juicy cassis, liquorice and summer fruits on the palate. Described by Robert Parker as a sleeper of the vintage, it follows in the footsteps of Ben Sichel’s excellent recent releases. This has a lot to say for itself, and represents, very elegantly, what I felt was one of the best Margaux commune’s  performances of the past ten years.  Drinking from 2020 – 2025.

    
2010 Château Les Ormes de Pez, St Estèphe
Energised, juicy black fruit on the nose, with lovely blalnce on the palate. The lively acidity lifts the aromas and underscores the ripe tannins. St Estèphe, so often the problem child, just got a whole lot more acceptable, and the tannins which are frequently rather angular in this northern-most commune, have been tamed. It would seem that a spot of ‘climate change’ here has made the difference.  Drinking from 2022 – 2030.

2010 Château Beychevelle, St Julien 4ème Cru  Classé
In the past, Beychevelle has failed to inspire. Excitingly, in 2010, it would appear that they have been able to maximise on the ripeness of the vintage. A wholesome mix of primary red and black fruit have combined with more earthy / tertial truffle and cedar tones. Drinking from 2020 – 2035.

2010 Château Langoa Barton, St Julien 3ème Cru Classé
Instantly more accessible than its bolder sibling, this has ample black fruit, supple juiciness and seductive chocolate and blackcurrant on the palate. Great charm and poise. 2015 – 2035.  

2010 Château Léoville Barton, St Julien 2ème Cru Classé
The quality of the wines from the ‘Barton stable’ is remarkably consistent, and despite the price hike in 2005 which brought their wines in line with the other ‘super-seconds’, five vintages on, they seem cheap compared. The 2010 was sinewy and feisty, with succulent black fruit and mocha on the nose, with immense structure and weight – all kept in check by defining acidity. Drinking from 2020 – 2040.

2010 Château Pichon Lalande, Pauillac 2ème Cru Classé
This was very closed when I tasted it, but the sheer volume was unexpected – a classic 2010, with stacks of tannin and acidity, with weight of fruit just waiting to emerge. Despite the excesses of the vintage, Pichon Lalande has great elegance and poise, all at a fraction of the price of a First Growth – yet with enormous potential.  Drinking from 2020 – 2040.

First Growths

Please contact our customer services department on 01502 727222 to reserve your allocation.

2010 Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac 1er Grand Cru Classé
Intense shade of purple verging on black. Fine black-fruit / cassis with just the earliest suggestion of new oak on the nose. Supreme structure with defining tannins and acidity, with grand mouth-feel, finely balanced juicy black fruits, patisserie and vanilla. Great charm of power yet constrained elegance. The tannins are pretty big, but manageable over a drinking period of 2030 – 2050.

2010 Château Margaux, Margaux 1er Grand Cru Classé
This was the best Margaux I can recall tasting in many years, and the purist expression of Margaux. Incredible elegance, with a layer of very expensive new oak adding dimension to the intensity of grainy, black-fruit flavours. This has all the structure and weight that only First Growths can conjure, yet with the freshness of the 2010 vintage.  My wine of the vintage.  Drinking from 2030 – 2050.

 

2009 Port
The Classic Vintage Collection

There are undoubtedly many good reasons to buy this three bottle, presentation wooden box of Taylor’s, Fonseca and Croft, but the obvious ones are that it makes a great and affordable present as a christening present etc, and the other is that it makes a decidedly handy snapshot of an excellent vintage, which can be squirreled away unnoticed and untouched for certainly two decades. Some of the wine-maker’s tasting notes follow, to which I would only add that when we tasted them in May, we were left with an over-whelming impression of vigour, concentration - and quality.

2009  Croft  “Deep purple black. The nose combines an opulent and seductive fruitiness with an intricate kaleidoscope of complex, multidimensional aromas. Pungent, resiny scents of eucalyptus and rock rose, notes of lychee and passion-fruit combine with exotic hints of leather, musk and cedar”.

2009 Fonseca  “Impenetrable black colour. A classic Fonseca nose dominated by an exuberant, hedonisticfruitness, a powerful redolence of dark, dense blackberry and blackcurrant which slowly releases a heady mix of spicy and herbal aromas, seductive notes of coffee and cocoa, hints of prune and wild scents of gum cistus”.

2009 Taylor’s “Inky black with purple rim. A nose of great purity, openingon a vigourous note of concentratedblack woodland fruit, laced with raspberry and plum. Around this dense fruity core, with its attractivevibrancy and minerality is a fragrant and complex aura of citrus fruit blossom and wild herbal scents of mint and lavender”.

The Classic Vintage Collection

 
 

2009 Burgundy  - An En Primeur Offer

Please email or telephone if you would like to place your order or discuss your requirements on adnams.co.uk or 01502 727 222.

Domaine de la Bongran, Mâcon

From his 15 hectares of chalky, Jurassic soils in the foothills of the Quintaine hills, Jean Thévenet has produced yet another fine vintage. Jean’s aim is to leave his Chardonnay on the vine as late as possible in order to achieve maximum ripeness and possible nuances of Botrytis. The vineyards get natural composts, and are mechanically weeded and cultivated. Bongran achieved organic certification in 2007, but to the best of our knowledge, little or no chemical intervention has ever been used here anyway. The super-ripe grapes are gently pressed in the pneumatic press, then left to ferment, using their own yeasts, in stainless steel or large, old oak foudres – for anything from 6 to 24 months; a time scale unheard of in modern wineries, where three weeks would be the norm. This estate has long since earned iconic status at Adnams, and remains a very firm favourite with customers and staff alike.

2009 Domaine de la Bongran, Mâcon     £135.00
Old vine, super-ripe concentration and minerality. White flowers, jasmine and violet aromas follow through to the palate. Another great effort for fine, medium-term drinking from 2012 to 2017.

 

Plus, from the New World:

2010 Ridge Monte Bello - Futures

Monte Bello is truly America’s answer to Bordeaux’s First Growths, and more than lives up to this mantle; shipping 2013. The Zinfandel-dominant Lytton Springs and Geyserville are unquestionably the best-in-class and wines for hedonistic indulgence. These will be shipped in Autumn 2011.


2010 Monte Bello, Ridge Vineyards
Although the assemblage has yet to be completed, cask samples suggest a dark, purple dense coloured Monte Bello with cassis and bay leaf aromas, and sweet fruit and solid ripe tannins on the palate. The winemaking mantle is now worn by Eric Baugher, who believes this to be one of the greatest vintages of Monte Bello. Drinking 2020 – 2030

 

2009 Cornerstone, Newton-Forrest Estate,
New Zealand - Opening offer

The ’09 vintage in Hawkes Bay mirrors the greatness of the pan-Europe vintage, where Bordeaux stole the headlines – not just for quality, but also for creative pricing. Joint owners John Forrest and Bob Newton, agree to make Cornerstone only in the best vintages, so any bottling is regarded as special. A long and slow ‘hang time’ of the bunches on the vines is the all important factor here – not just high temperatures, and with the advantage of warmer soil temperatures than its neighbours, the Cabernet component invariably achieves full, physiologically ripeness.  I remember how successfully the 2005 Cornerstone accounted for it-self when it challenged its Crus Classés counterparts from Bordeaux. At this price, every cellar should have a case or two of this excellent 2009 edition. Drink from 2015 – 2020.

2009 Cornerstone, Cabernet/Malbec/Merlot, Gimblett Gravels
The 2009 Cornerstone is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25 % Malbec and 10% Merlot and is a blend that reflects the season and its ability to ripen Cabernet.  It is the first Cornerstone to have more Malbec than Merlot.  The wine has deep garnet purple flush and has aromas of mulberry, ripe plum and cassis with grilled chestnut notes.  On the palate it is medium to full-bodied with an abundance of sweet fruit.  Black currant and mulberry flavours predominate and well integrated, savoury oak provides a background. It has firm tannins and crisp acidy. Drinking from 2015 to 2025.