2006 Bordeaux wine vintage report with harvest information, vintage characteristics, list of the top wines, buying tips and links. If you are seeking more in-depth information on anything and everything related to the Bordeaux wine region please see the: All About Bordeaux Wine Guide
2006 Bordeaux wine is the product of an interesting vintage. After the cold, wet winter, the growing season got off to a good start with the summer months of June and July. Both months were hot, dry and sunny. Things slipped back in August, as the month was cool and wet. September got off to a hot start. But what happened next, changed everything. By the time the grapes were ready to harvest in September, it started raining and never stopped. It rained in every appellation in both the Left Bank and the Right Bank. Because Pomerol is always the first region to pick, they avoided most of the rain.
Perhaps the best 2006 Bordeaux wine was produced in the Medoc. Mouton Rothschild made a breath-taking wine. It is the 2006 Bordeaux wine of the vintage! Pontet Canet, located next door is also strong. Due to the willingness of the top estates to make draconian selections and reduce their effective yields to less than 50% in many cases, there are chateaux that made strong 2006 Bordeaux wine.
2006 Bordeaux wine in Pomerol is highly regarded. Pomerol was much more successful than St. Emilion in the 2006 Bordeaux vintage. While the Merlot ripened under good conditions, the Cabernet Franc was not picked with the same degree of ripeness. The wines are concentrated, but the style is masculine and broad shouldered. 2006 Pomerol at its best can display the hedonistic, opulent qualities that Pomerol can produce. St. Emilion is up and down. Chateau Angelus and Chateau Pavie both turned out great wine.
In the Medoc, Pauillac is perhaps the most consistent appellation for 2006 Bordeaux wine. Not only did the First Growths perform well, Pichon Lalande, Lynch Bages, Pichon Baron, Clerc Milon, Grand Puy Lacoste did well. And as I mentioned earlier, 2006 Pontet Canet is superb. Ducru Beaucaillou and Chateau Cos d’Estournel turned out very fine wine. 2006 Bordeaux wine was also very successful for the dry white wines from Pessac Leognan.
2006 Bordeaux wine is generally speaking, tannic, broad shouldered and needs time to age. However, coming on the back of the legendary 2005 Bordeaux vintage, due to the very high prices asked, when the wines were first offered as a future, they were met with tepid demand. In part, that was because the wines were priced above what consumers were willing to pay. Having tasted most more than 100 of the top 2006 wines on their 10th anniversary, it is obvious that many of the best wines remain stubbornly tannic and several wines, especially in the Medoc have taken on strict personalities. Most will not be ready to drink until they are at least 15-20 years of age. And even then, they will remain strict in character.
The following represents a list of the best buys from the vintage. These are not always the highest scoring wines, but they offer the best price to quality ratio. 2006 Best Bordeaux wine for the money today
To read about other Bordeaux vintages from 1945 to today: Bordeaux Year to Year Detailed Vintage Reports & Guide 1945 to Today
