2001 Bordeaux wines are clearly very good. All eight wines showed very well, albeit at different levels of maturity. At 10 years of age, we have reached a stage where some are ready to drink, some will improve and a couple are still not ready.
“The stress does not affect the quality. But it reduces the yield. This means at Chateau d’Issan, our 2011 Bordeaux harvest will be a smaller harvest than normal”.
2011 Bordeaux is not so simple to handle. For the last two Bordeaux vintages, 2010 and 2009, Mother Nature was very kind to us. This year, in 2011, it is not exactly the same thing.
“2011 Bordeaux was certainly shaped by the spring draught. But it is very different from a vintage such as 2003. Luckily we had rain during the veraison, which is the best time for the vines”.
Grüner Veltliner is not just chic at the moment. It deserves a permanent place in the Hall of Fame of important grape varieties and a leading role among the wines to pair with food!
The St. Emilion Classification will be based on tasting the wines and visits to each property seeking to have their wines classified. Chateaux desiring “Grand Cru Classé” status will provide 10 vintages of their wines. Chateaux seeking “Premier Grand Cru Classé” status must provide 15 vintages of their wines to be tasted.
2011 Bordeaux has a high level of color and tannin. We need to retain the richness to create a fleshy, well balanced wine. Along with a slow, cooler extraction, we’ll also modify our barrel ageing program to help reach this target.