How's the 2008 Bordeaux vintage shaping up so far?

Hello All,

I've seen some updates, but none completely up to date. It sounds like spring was very wet, but that the summer has been a bit kinder so far. I must confess that the reason I'm interested is because I'm hoping for a truly bad vintage in Bordeaux, or at least one worse than 2007. And I don't think I need to explain why . . . .

But whatever may be the case for the reds, I want nothing but the best for the whites.

Thanks,
Ryan

[David M. Bueker]

There's grapes on the vines so...vintage of the century!!!

There's grapes on the vines so...vintage of the century!!!

To heck with that... vintage of the millenium!!!

No cigar.

It is a public holiday today (feast of the Assumption) and actually *chilly* this morning - extremely atypical weather!

It has been a mediocre summer, and the month of August has been unseasonably cool (6°C less than average) and pretty wet.

People have been spraying twice as much as usual.

Estimations are that the crop will be down 8% compared to the recent average.

Quality? Wait and see...

Best regards,
Alex R.

It has been a mediocre summer, and the month of August has been unseasonably cool (6°C less than average) and pretty wet.

Alex, speaking of weather, do you know anything about the report relayed earlier on this forum by Robin, that there had been devastating hail storms in parts of Mâconnais and Beaujolais on August 7th?

Bob,

Having seen Robin's post within a few hours, I went to the Web site of the local Burgundy newspaper, Le Bien Public, and there was no mention of it.

So, I'm in the dark about this.

Best regards,
Alex R.

Thanks for checking Alex. Anything you could dig up would be appreciated I'm sure.

No cigar.

It is a public holiday today (feast of the Assumption) and actually *chilly* this morning - extremely atypical weather!

It has been a mediocre summer, and the month of August has been unseasonably cool (6°C less than average) and pretty wet.

People have been spraying twice as much as usual.

Estimations are that the crop will be down 8% compared to the recent average.

Quality? Wait and see...

Best regards,
Alex R.

Wow, right from the source - thanks! I hope my comment about hoping for a bad vintage in Bordeaux doesn't offend you - I don't want the Bordelais punished, I just want them to have to bring prices down. And, as Michael Broadbent has observed, Bordeaux's maritime climate is actually what makes Bordeaux exciting. You get vintages of varying characters, you get wines for drinking, and wines for aging. Bordeaux would loose some of its magic if every vintage was the same - in fact, as Broadbent has said, it would be somewhat boring.

I just wish drinking vintages like 2007 would be cheap enough to actually drink.