I have been tasting and buying wine professionally for a while now and a couple of questions have recently popped into my mind that have probably been lurking there for a while: 1) Why do Bordeaux wines take so long to reach maturity? And 2) Why do Bordeaux winemakers sell their wines long before they reach their potential?
For the sake of brevity I think the answer to the first question is: Grape varieties and climate.
And the answer to the second question is: Because they can, and it's expensive to store unsold wines.
However, I remain intrigued. I guess what brought these questions to the fore was tasting a glass of my 2005 Chateau de Lescaneaut from Castillon in Bordeaux. 2005 was a spectacular vintage in Bordeaux, but one which only now has reached maturity. By contrast, the 'reserva' wines I buy from Italy and Spain are smooth and balanced from the day I buy them.
So why is this? They are made from different grapes and come from slightly warmer climates which makes them more approachable. But the other reason is that Italian and Spanish winemakers age their best wines for a number of years both in barrels and in bottles before release. The result is that all of their promise is available immediately and doesn't disappoint.
So you might think the conclusion is to buy Italian and Spanish wines and forget about Bordeaux. I wish it were that simple. The problem is, when you taste a well made claret from a good vintage that has been given time to mature - you have to set your taste buds to stun. It can reveal layers of complexity and subtle delights that I am yet to discover in other wines. As some people would say, "proper wine".
But also beware of assuming older is always better. The French think we British are absurd in our obsession with old wines - and to some extent I agree. As red wine ages its tanins soften to reveal a more rounded wine, but the delicious fruit flavours are also slowly dying year on year. So very old wines (apart from the absolute best) tend to lose their vivacity - and for me the pleasure is gone.
Not easy then to get your claret buying right. I am doing my best to store and release a small selection of nicely aged clarets. It requires careful stock planning and lots of patience, but I'm not likely to give up on claret any time soon.
Bordeaux wines from 2004, 2005, and 2006 available from Hedonist Wines.
