I must confess, I decided the 2010 Wine of the Year the moment I tasted it. It was late March and I was visiting Chateau Palmer in Margaux during the Bordeaux Primeurs. Barrel samples from the much-anticipated 2009 vintage were being evaluated throughout the region, and there was an air of excitement at every stop.
I was trying my best to ignore the inevitable hype. But I succumbed there on the sedate grounds of one of the greatest chateaux of Bordeaux. The 2009 Chateau Palmer Margaux was the finest Palmer I had ever tasted. The fruit was opulent. The structure was rich in tannin and powerful; the balance exquisite. I had the perfect Palmer in my glass.
This was no small concession from me, for I have followed this outstanding Bordeaux Third Growth for nearly four decades. The first Palmer I purchased was from the superb 1966 vintage. Over the years, Chateau Palmer has consistently outperformed its pedigree. There is little doubt that if the 1855 Bordeaux classification were redrawn, Palmer would move up, possibly to First Growth.
The 2009 Palmer will not be inexpensive when it is released for sale in the United States in approximately 15 months. The 2008 Chateau Palmer retails for about $150, but prices have soared on the quality of the ’09 vintage. I expect the 2009 Palmer to come in at slightly under $200 a bottle, although the exchange rate could soften that price if the euro weakens over the next year or so.
Collectors are fond of Palmer because it improves with age for up to two decades or more. Cellared properly it can be a 50-year wine, a factor that enhances its attractiveness at auction.
Chateau Palmer was not without stiff competition. Any number of other 2009 Bordeaux could give it a run, as well as a number of other exceptional wines released over the course of 2010.
The best of the other contenders include the 2007 Phelps Insignia ($200), the 2008 Joseph Drouhin Chablis Grand Cru ‘Les Clos’ ($80), Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco Camp Gros Martinenga ($85), Patz & Hall 2007 Hyde Vineyard Pinot Noir ($60) and 2006 Twomey Merlot, Napa Valley ($50).
Producer of the Year
Joseph Drouhin, the Burgundy negociant, has taken a strong position in the Chablis district, investing heavily in Premier and Grand Cru vineyards and a winemaking facility.
The upshot is that while Drouhin remains best known for its wines from the Cotes de Nuits and Cotes de Beaune, it is quietly making a name for itself in Chablis. The 2008 vintage was spectacular in Chablis; and Drouhin rode the wave with a superb range of wines from Villages to Grand Cru, crowned of course by the stunning 2008 Les Clos.
Other contenders include Twomey Vineyards, with perhaps the most elegant Pinot Noirs and ageworthy Merlots in all of the United States; Nickel & Nickel for its superb range of single-vineyard wines from the Napa Valley and parts of Sonoma County; Joseph Phelps Vineyards for its sensational 2007 Insignia and Backus Cabernet Sauvignon; and Gloria Ferrer of Sonoma County for upping its game in the world of sparkling wine.
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