Bordeaux Wine Region ‘Portes Ouvertes’ 2009

5 et 6 février Blaye au comptoir 50aine de restaurants de Bordeaux Syndicat Viticole des Côtes de Blaye 05 56 42 91 19

31 mars au 2 avril SEMAINE DES PRIMEURS Gironde

4 et 5 avril Printemps des Vins de Blaye Premières Côtes de Blaye Syndicat Viticole des Côtes de Blaye 05 56 42 91 19

4 et 5 avril Portes Ouvertes en Médoc Médoc, Haut Médoc et Communales Maison du Tourisme et du Vin de Pauillac 05 56 59 03 08

19 avril Portes Ouvertes à Pomerol Pomerol Syndicat Viticole de Pomerol 05 57 25 06 88

25 et 26 avril Portes Ouvertes à Lalande-de-Pomerol Lalande de Pomerol Syndicat Viticole de Lalande-de-Pomerol 05 57 25 21 60

Mai 1er, 2 et 3 mai Saint-Emilion – Les Châteaux ouvrent leurs portes Saint-Emilion, Lussac et Puisseguin Conseil des Vins de Saint-Emilion 05 57 55 50 50 9

mai Marathon des 1eres Côtes de Blaye Premières Côtes de Blaye Syndicat Viticole des Côtes de Blaye 05 56 42 91 19 9

10 mai Portes Ouvertes en Côtes de Bourg Côtes de Bourg Syndicat Viticole des Côtes de Bourg 05 57 94 80 20 16 et 17 mai Vayres la Vie ! Vayres le Vin ! Château de Vayres Syndicat Viticole des Graves de Vayres 05 57 74 86 42

16 et 17 mai Portes Ouvertes en Côtes de St Macaire Côtes de St Macaire Syndicat Viticole des Côtes de St Macaire 05 56 46 40 20

16 et 17 mai 4e Week-End des Grand Amateurs Bordeaux Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 05 56 51 91 91

 30 et 31 mai Portes Ouvertes en 1eres Côtes de Bordeaux et Cadillac Premières Côtes de Bordeaux et Cadillac Syndicat Viticole des Premières Côtes de Bordeaux 05 57 98 19 20

Juin 13 et 14 juin Sainte-Croix-du-Mont en 4 saisons Sainte-Croix-du-Mont Sophie Guéant, Lucile Aigron 06 61 82 26 22

du 21 au 25 juin VINEXPO Bordeaux Lac – Parc des Expositions Vinexpo 05 56 56 00 22 19,

20 et 21 juin Fêtons Saint-Emilion ! Saint-Emilion, Lussac et Puisseguin Conseil des Vins de Saint-Emilion 05 57 55 50 50

Juillet non déterminé Portes Ouvertes crus artisans du Médoc Médoc Syndicat des crus artisans du Médoc 05 56 59 00 85

14 juillet Trail en Côtes de Bourg Côtes de Bourg Syndicat Viticole des Côtes de Bourg 05 57 94 80 20

12 et 13 septembre Ban des Vendanges de la Jurade de Saint-Emilion Saint-Emilion, Lussac et Puisseguin Conseil des Vins de Saint-Emilion 05 57 55 50 50

11 octobre Portes Ouvertes dans les Graves de Vayres Graves de Vayres Syndicat Viticole des Graves de Vayres 05 57 74 86 42

17 et 18 octobre Portes Ouvertes dans les Graves Graves Syndicat Viticole des Graves 05 56 27 09 25

24 et 25 octobre Portes ouvertes à Fronsac Fronsac Conseil des Vins de Fronsac 05 57 51 80 51

7, 8 et 11 novembre Portes Ouvertes de Sauternes et Barsac Sauternes et Barsac ODG de Sauternes & Barsac 05 56 76 60 37

28 et 29 novembre Portes Ouvertes de Loupiac, “Loupiac & Foie Gras” Loupiac Syndicat Viticole de Loupiac 05 56 62 67 18

Décembre 5 et 6 décembre Portes Ouvertes de Pessac-Léognan Pessac-Léognan Syndicat viticole de Pessac-Léognan 05 56 00 21 90 5,

12 et 19 décembre Samedis gourmands à Planète Bordeaux Planète Bordeaux, à Beychac Maison des Bx et Bx Supérieur 05 57 97 19 38

Hail hits vineyards in Bordeaux

Some  hot and humid weather was followed by electric storms on Tuesday 12th May at about four in the morning in Bordeaux and environs. Hail stones as large as golf stones ravaged the vineyards in St Emilion, Graves, Blaye  and Margaux. The young buds, just becoming well established and in the areas worst hit the vines have been sliced off as  if by a knife leaving in some cases only a stump of new growth on the old wood. Any leaves remaining have been slashed and lacerated which, if they recover, will have reduced potential to make sugar for the plant and eventual grapes. No-one knows what the effect will be on the ultimate yields. Conditions like this have not been seen for over twenty years.

With the continuing rain and inclement weather, sulphiting the vineyards to help heal the wounded vines is difficult. Buds that have been destroyed will not flower or bear fruit so yields will be reduced again this year in these areas. Not only will it affect this next harvest but possibly the next year too if the ‘cot’ bud that is left for the following year has been damaged too. Some producers have assurance protection against hail as it can strike at any time but not all. Producers were relieved that the frost prone period seemed to be behind them and 2009 yields would not be reduced due to frost. Little did they know what nature had up her sleeve. Fombrauge in St Christophe des Bardes is said to have lost a large part of their future yield being at the epicenter of the storms which swept across the eastern parts of St Emilion appellation.

2008 the year to change Bordeaux?

2008 is deemed by all to be better than 2007 and 2006 and yet prices are being reduced by half. Why? Because of the financial climate and because of the run of ‘average’ cooler vintages since 2005. That was the vintage of the century with wonderful wines being produced throughout the region, Grand Cru Classe and Petits chateaux alike. The price for 2005 went up, understandably. Prices did not really come down that much for the next two vintages. That is where the problem started. Merchants continued to buy and now with the new reduced 2008 the 2006 and particularly 2007s are unsellable at their high prices. Don’t forget that the 2007 are still sleeping soundly in barrel in the producer’s cellars unaware of their high price tag that no-one feels is worth it. They will be bottled and shipped later this year. Many merchants are looking at a good 2008 price and a re-look at the prices paid for 2007 – buy one get one free idea! Are these conditions that special to change the Bordeaux Market Place? Or have we seen them before in 1997 for example. Is is history repeating itself or will the closed system of the Grand Cru Classe selling only through merchants (take 30%) and firstly through courtiers (take 2%) crack this year?

Negociants in Bordeaux have massive stocks that have not been sold bought at high prices. One merchant told me he had 14 million euro worth of stocks particularly 2006 and 2007. They are having to devalue their inventories and sell whereever possible to release some cash to make purchases of the 2008s!

Smaller chateaux have different problems. The same negociants are taking lower quantities to sell of Cru Bourgeois or other petits chateaux properties. France is not the market is once was and so suddenly producers in their thusands are looking at developing export markets themselves. Urgently. Many without good English, many with thousands of cases of stocks from the vintage of 2000.

Then we have the ‘Parker Effect’ which has just come into play. Many producers had already released prices and not accounted for Parker heralding 2008 as good as 2000 or 2005 in some instances. Here are some of his favorite wines in 2008; Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Cos d’Estournel, Haut Brion, Lafite, Latour, Leoville Barton, Montrose, Margaux, Palmer, Mouton, Pape Clement, Petrus, Troplong Mondot…………Those who had already released prices had their prices soar. Who benefits but the negociant who has not sold or the next in line if they have! Not the producer.

According to Simon Staples of Berry Bros (ww.bbr.com) Parker was the only one to rave about the 2003 vintage and was lukewarm about the 2005 vintage. So perhaps it is not such a good omen for 2008.

We’ll see.