I’ve noticed there is more than one thread relating to various goings on in Bordeaux right now and was just thinking how they may be related to the bigger picture.
When I first started drinking fine wine in the '70s I remember how different the wines were and attitudes towards them; people bought with the implicit understanding that the wines would be, generally, unapproachable, powerfully tannic, green, austere, almost harsh on the palate. These wines would be laid down for at least 20 years, if not more, before even a thought of opening a bottle occured to the owner. When, through trial and error sometimes, the time came for announcing a certain wine was ready for drinking, from thenceforth, was a cause for great celebration. I remember drinking great claret from the '50s, '60s and latter the '70s, all memorable, impressive, powerful, sometimes monumentally structured and usually wonderous.
Then came the '80s and two huge changes; modern wine making and Parker. Now don’t get me wrong, neither of these changes are bad in themselves but, wow, the differences they bought to the wine world were huge. Suddenly the Bordelais said, “Who is this person Robert Parker”? While the consumer said two things; “Who does this guy Parker thinks he is”!? “What is happening to our beloved claret”?
Almost overnight claret started to change in style and the way it was drunk/tasted also changed. New wine making techniques, from the use of all stainless steel wineries to strict hygene rules from vineyard to finished bottle, saw a massive sea change in the style and therefore taste of Bordeaux wines. Parker added to the new mix with definitive observations, even proclamations, on tasting these new style wines - buyers, old and new, started to take note of new and old Chateaux like never before especially when wines were scored on the 100 point system. Wines that were usually expected to score highly often didn’t and the reverse was true of the lesser growths and even cru bourgeois wines. As a result of all this Bordeaux saw an opportunity to revive flagging sales combined with virtually non-existent marketing strategy and now positively courted the young gun from America. To say things got shaken up was an understatement, including many irrate Chateau owners and equally happy one’s!
Surely the biggest event of the '80s, when it comes to Bordeaux, would’ve been the 1982 vintage; Parker was now in his element and flying at supersonic speed throughout Bordeaux, his sonic boom shattering as many dreams of greatness as making them come true! Luckily for most it was fairly hard to make a less than good wine that year but before long some noticed that was not the entire picture. 1980 and 1981 had hardly been good vintages, barely even average and then came this vintage of the century apparently.
I laid down some wines from that vintage, not necessarily on Parker’s advice but from tastings and discussion with other drinkers of claret. I do remember some big numbers Parker was throwing about and wondering if it could get messy when differing palates were taken into account. However, I could see the value in Parker for those that might be less sure and even those happily buying regardless; also, no doubt, he was single handedly sending prices all over the place. For investment for future purchases I went on his advice for PLL and D-B; in the end the PLL price went so silly I’d have been mad not to sell and hoped I might hang onto the D-B therefore. As it was, when I finally opened a bottle of D-B in the early '90s I was very disappointed; it had none of the power, depth or structure I expected and put it down to at a certain stage initially. In the back of my mind I could never get over the fact that, where structure is concerned, I’ve never come across a claret that can magically reverse the situation. For monumental structure and power to be there throughout the life of a wine it must be there in it’s relative infancy. I tried another bottle at 20 years and still no joy - oh dear this wasn’t looking good. Compared to the wines of '61, '66 and '70 it didn’t even come close; it was medium bodied, the tannins had lessoned their balancing grip and the fruit, well, where was that going/gone? A decision was made and the remaining 10 bottles were sold for a huge price.
In comparison, I bought a case of Latour a Pomerol 1970 at around the same time at a local auction house; this was to prove a very wise purchase. For 20 years this blockbuster sat hugely tannic, massively structured and fruit straining to get out, in my cellar. On tasting the 3rd bottle I realised it had turned the corner and oh what a beauty it had become! Gone was any harshness to be replaced by exquisite perfume, complex fruit, balancing acidity and ever present but softened tannins; the massive structure was still there but now it was harmonious, glorious. I really miss that magnificent wine and wish I had some more plus some '61 in my cellar!
In summary, I’m not against the new style Bordeaux but neither am I enamoured with it. I don’t believe my palate has changed so much over the years that the differences between old and newer wines is just a natural progression in my tastebuds. No, this is deeper a more profound change that has occured in Bordeaux over the last 30+ years. In fact, perhaps the same could be said of Burgundy and virtually every other historical wine region in the world?