2009 Bargain Bordeaux Best Bets

The annual BCLDB Bordeaux release launches tomorrow morning at their Signature Store locations throughout the province. On offer are the terrific wines of what Robert Parker has called the best vintage he's tasted in the 40 years he's been covering France's most famous wine region.

2009 is a Cabernet-friendly vintage with the best examples delivering exquisite fruit and finesse with the structure to age well for a generation. Unfortunately, due to a frenzied en-primeur campaign in early 2010, most of the high-scoring, Cabernet-heavy wines have been priced out of the market for the average consumer and budget conscious collectors. IconWines.ca favourites like Pontet-Canet and Montrose received the coveted 100pts score from Parker and skyrocketed in price keeping with the trend of all the classified growth wines. Folks will have to pay a fortune to get their hands on a Bordeaux Cabernet from 2009. However, there are always deals to be found in each vintage.

In a general sense, Merlot-heavy blends offer the best value for 2009. Though thought of as a "Cabernet vintage", the weather in 2009 was also favourable to the Merlot vines with many of the smaller Château producing their best wines to date. Look to lesser-known AOCs like the ever improving Côtes de Castillon and the satellite communes of the Right Bank (Montagne St Émilion and Lalande de Pomerol) for Merlot based blends offering excellent fruit, depth and mid-range ageability. Below are our recommendations for 2009:

Château Cap de Faugères, Côtes de Castillon - $28
Château Clos des Lunelles, Côtes de Castillon - $58
Château Croix Mouton, Bordeaux Supérieur - $28
Château Côte Montpezat, Côtes de Castillon - $25
Chateau Doisy Daëne, Barsac - $50 (375ml)
Château Faizeau Vieilles Vignes, Montagne St Émilion - $28
Château La Fleur de Boüard, Lalande de Pomerol - $55
Château Fombrauge, St Émilion - $55
Château Fontenil, Fronsac - $49
Château La Garde, Pessac Léognan - $39
Château du Glana, St Julien - $39
Château Joanin Bécot, Côtes de Castillon - $39
Château Lilian Ladouys, St Estèphe - $38
Château Plince, Pomerol - $39
Château Poujeaux, Moulis - $60
Chateau Rayne Vigneau, Sauternes - $38
Sarget de Gruaud Larose, St Julien - $29

 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2012 IconWines.ca

Bargain Bordeaux

The 2009 Bordeaux vintage has been lauded by some wine writers as the best in 50 years. When they write statements like this they are generally discussing the high-end wines to which, fairly or unfairly, all of Bordeaux is measured upon. The positive reviews have caused the prices of the top wines to skyrocket making them unattainable to most of the wine drinking public. Of course, there is much more to Bordeaux than the 1855 classified Medoc wines and the equally expensive top-end Left Bank wines. The "lesser" wines make-up more than 80% of the wines produced and exported from Bordeaux. So, how did the more affordable Cru Bourgeois and non-classified wines fair? Well, pretty darn good, actually, and their prices have remained within reach. Below is a few of our selections for "Bargain Bordeaux" wines that over-deliver and will fit into your budget.

Maison Calvet 2009 Reserve - $16
Ripe, dark fruits and black licorice candy aromas dominate the juicy and concentrated nose. The dry palate follows with lighter than expected weight, easy-drinking tannins, a touch of spice and ripe plum and blackberry flavours.
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Chateau Pey La Tour 2009 Grand Vin - $17
The Chateau Pey La Tour is a blend of 77% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot and offers good value for money with juicy, dark berries and savoury, leather and coffee bean characters.
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Chateau Bellevue La Randee 2009 Grand Vin - $25
Far from a wallflower, this intense blend from Bordeaux offers a big nose full of earthy characters and complex aromas of blueberry, cassis, plum, cedar, hazelnut, vanilla, oak and smoke with floral notes and Cabernet Franc funk.
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L'Etoile de Bergey 2009 Grand Vin - $20-30
Elegant and polished from the refined, cherry, field berry, cassis and savoury oak infused nose through to the dry, blackberry puree, poppy seed, licorice and rhubarb influenced palate.
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