This month I want to talk about some great wines in bad vintages.
First up is the 2002 Chateau Pape Clement from the Graves region of Bordeaux. Pape Clement is one of the big expensive wines in Bordeaux, but 2002 was an “off” vintage so the price was fairly reasonable when I picked up the last two bottles at my favorite wine store. This is a tremendous wine that is elegant, complex, dense and hangs on your tongue. I only wish I had bought more. Several years ago I had purchased some of the 1997 Pape Clement (one of the worst vintages in recent memory) with a similar reaction. I knew it was not as grand as in great vintages, but nonetheless the wine was stunning.
Another bad vintage was 1994, but when I had the opportunity to purchase a couple of bottles of Chateau Mouton Rothschild at a great price I jumped at it. This is why Mouton is Mouton. The wine is silky smooth, with beautifully layered and complex flavors of berry, current, barnyard and even a hint of mineral as it opened up and breathed.
Recently, 2004 has been lumped in with the “off” vintages, but when we were in France a couple of years ago we discovered the garage wine, Tertre Roteboeuf in St. Emilion. The merlot is dominant in this wine and it needs a lot more time in the bottle before it is really ready to drink, but the fruit and terroir are in good balance with a beautiful rich finish that will be fantastic in 2014.
Lastly, 1979 is also considered a terrible year in Bordeaux, but the bottle of Chateau Palmer we had from that vintage was amazing. Palmer is an expensive, big wine from Margaux whose reputation for greatness is well-earned. This 1979 shows the staying power of great Bordeaux and while a tad thin, it had all of the terroir, spice and black fruit that make this a fabulous wine.
I am mentioning all of this to make a point. While you might not be able to pay for great wines in their peak years, great winemakers make great wine in almost every vintage, and in the lesser vintages you can find great wines at reasonable prices. Chin!
Comments