As Chinese New Year approaches (12 February) we thought a look back on the coverage of the last Year of an Ox vintage – 2009 – might be of interest.
The 2009 vintage released amidst the rising tide of demand from Asia and a global finanicial system awash with cheap money. The market was riding a raging bull. In the year up to the release, the Bordeaux 500 was rising at an average rate of 1.8% a month.
Bordeaux’s top critic of the time, Robert Parker, was effusive. After his initial tasting from barrel, he said this about the 2009s:
“First, and most importantly, for some Médocs and Graves, 2009 may turn out to be the finest vintage I have tasted in 32 years of covering Bordeaux. From top to bottom, 2009 is not as consistent as 2005, but the peaks of quality in 2009 may turn out to be historic.”
When Parker posted his in-bottle scores just two years later, he went further.
“2009 is the greatest vintage I have tasted in Bordeaux since 1982, of which it is a modern-day version, but greatly improved.”
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, the current Editor-in-Chief of the Wine Advocate revisited the vintage 10 years on and found 11 wines of perfection, with many of her notes suggesting the wines have entered their (long) drinking windows.
Those LPB 100 point wines can be seen below with a link to all LIVE offers of 2009 Bordeaux below that:
