If you have not already heard, Mr. Parker has finalized, a few months early, his scores for the 2009 Bordeaux. As expected, he gives this vintage very, very high marks, with nearly twenty wines scoring the magic 100 points!

Needless to say, my phone is ringing at all hours, mostly for the same dozen or so wines that have his highest score. Sadly, most have sold out at this point, but that should not stop anyone from looking again at this vintage.

 In addition to an unusually high number of ‘perfect’ wines, Robert Parker and Wine Spectator both have highlighted in this vintage a number of ‘sleepers’ or ‘value’ wines worth seeking out. They mostly should not surprise anyone, with wines like Croix-Mouton, Lilian Ladouys and others seeming to offer excellent value in nearly every vintage. And they are affordable! And they are available!!! And, if you needed yet another reason to buy, these wines always mature much faster than their big brothers, at a fraction of the price. Check out the scores on the likes of Croix-Figeac, Tours de Mons, St. Paul among others. Hard to find many reds from too many other regions in the world at 90 points and under $20….Bordeaux is it, at least in 2009….and 2008 if you remember.

Now the wait to see how the 2010 vintage does: probably about this time next year, when the critics final out the vintage. There is lots of chatter in Bordeaux circles even now that as good as 2009 turned out, 2010 may prove to be a more firm, structured for the long haul vintage than either 2009 or even 2005……2000 maybe? Time will tell, if you are the patient type!

You can order 2009 Bordeaux futures on our website: www.abcfws.com -- click on the "shop online" link (top right on the home page), then on "Featured Promotions."

 

Shayne Hebert, Central Florida Wine Supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwineshayne