Events

Bordeaux-2002
July 2005

Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux presented the 2002 vintage in Moscow.

Nearly seventy best crus of Medoc, Graves and Pessac-Leognan, Sauternes and Barsac, Saint-Emilion and Pomerol were offered for tasting to the professionals of the Russian wine market.

Vintage 2002 wasn’t easy for Bordeaux winemakers. Winter was considerably colder and drier than usual, and there was not enough warmth and sunlight in summer. Fortunately, the harvest was saved by exceptional autumn. Indian summer was the warmest and the sunniest in the past 12 years.

After en primeur the critics weren’t flattered with the vintage. Parker called it "tannic" and "backward", Wine International had difficulty to judge it "even a very good vintage". Yet, these such evaluations are unjustifiably low. Now, two years later, wines show in a nice shape. There were no outright failures, but in a few instances questions occurred about adequate ripeness of the grapes. Generally, the Left bank fared better than the Right bank. Many wines are drinking well now and have a considerable potential for aging. They have solid structure and good fruit, and with time should develop into serious, classic wines of Bordeaux.

Christian Seely, managing director of AXA Millesimes with owns several chateaux, including Pichon-Longueville, Cantenac Brown and Suduiraut, gives the following commentary about 2002, "The quality of wines varies from property to property. For Pichon-Longueville it was one of the great, classic years. On the whole, the wines have big tannic structure. They are not easy to taste at the beginning. They need time to open".

"I like the vintage very much", says Claire Villars-Lurton who is responsible for Haut-Bages-Liberal in Pauillac and Ferriere and La Gurgue in Margaux. "Cabernet Sauvignon was absolutely wonderful. It was very classic. Merlot did not fare that well. In general, it was a very classical year".

"Good year, not outstanding", shares his view Stephan von Neipperg, owner of Canon-La-Gaffeliere, La Mondotte and Clos de l’Oratoire in St Emilion. "The most important was to find balance. This year is easier to drink, than 1998".

Jean-Bernard Grenie of Chateau Angelus, St Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classe, notes, "In Angelus the year was difficult mainly for Merlot. Best quality was for Cabernet Franc so the wine has 55% of Cabernet Franc and 45% of Merlot which is completely unusual. The wine is yet not so smooth, tannins are still aggressive. You need more patience than usual".

As for sweet wines, "it was a very good vintage", says Denis Dubourdieu, professor of enology and owner of Doisy Daene in Barsac. "The grapes had a good amount of sugar and acidity. When you have them, you have fruit and ability to age".

My favourites were incredibly rich Angelus (St Emilion), silky-smooth Canon-La-Gaffeliere (St Emilion), finely structured Dufort-Vivens (Margaux), attractively perfumed Gruaud Larose (St Julien), powerful Lynch-Bages (Pauillac), solidly built Pichon-Longueville (Pauillac), clean, fruity Doisy Daene (Sauternes).