Vintage visits to Margaux and Pichon Comtesse

I visited these 2 châteaux yesterday with Danish wine writer Izak Litwar.

Paul Pontalier of Château Margaux (who speaks just about the best English I have ever heard from a Frenchman) was genuinely delighted with the crop. They should be winding up the harvest by next Wednesday. Pontalier thinks 2009 is quite similar to 2005, simple as that. It is too early to be any more specific, and he feels that having an existential crisis about 2000 vs. 2005 vs. 2009 is a bit like arguing about how many angels you can fit on the head of a pin…
No problems with drought or thick skins according to him. Sugar levels? One vat of Merlot did come in at… 16°, but this was hardly representative and will probably be blended in the second wine.
Monsieur Pontalier explained that the evenness of the weather was a great boon. The night time temperatures were also relatively low.

I discovered the château's new vat room on this visit, and they have also installed a system for using gravity control at every step of the way, with baby "cuvons" (sort of metallic baskets) sent to whiz along rails to delicately drop the crushed grapes into vats without pumping (a bit like what they have at La Lagune).

I was interested to see that almost all the grape sorting is done in the vineyard. There's one final check at the end, but no question of one of those fancy electronic sorting tables all the rage now.

We tasted the 2008, 2007, and 2006 vintages. The 2008 is going through an awkward stage, and my favorite was the 2006, soft and seductive.

Pichon Comtesse had just finished picking. Gildas d'Olonne sees 2009 as a classic "oceanic" vintage with alternating temperatures typical of an Atlantic climate. M. d'Olonne also commented on the success of Petit Verdot in 2009. Pichon Comtesse has a high proportion of this variety, for instance 14% in the 2001 vintage.

We tasted through the 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005 vintages. My favorite of all was 2008 since I found the 2005 almost too full-bodied and too little like the more classic style of claret I prefer.

At the end, discussion turned to Parker, and M. d'Olonne lamented the very poor score (79) given by the world's leading wine critic to the 1990 vintage. To prove his point, he went and fetched a bottle which seemed at its peak to us: quite delicious, and by no means deserving of the poor rating it had received.

Before we left, we were offered a taste from a vat of 2009 Merlot. This was somewhat lost on me after the 1990, and I'm not really qualified to taste wine at that stage anyway…

Anyway, the Bordelais are conscious that there's a huge buzz around the world for the new vintage. They are prepared for the ritual accusations of avarice, and quite serene. After all, so many people avoid their wines in what are condemned as "off years" that it is only fair for them to charge what the market will bear in good years.

N'est-ce pas ? .

Best regards,
Alex R.

Thank you, Alex. I always enjoy reading about Ch. Margaux as it is my favorite.

Thanks for sharing Alex. I think getting the chance to experience wine at various stages of its evolution (juice, fermenting juice, fermenting wine, wine to finished product) is a great experience.
Was that 16 given as degree Brix or degree Baume?

Salute

Thanks for the report, Alex. I have always liked everything about Pichon Comtesse except its recent prices.

I still have a bottle or two of the astounding 1982 in my cellar.

-Paul W.

16° alc/vol.
(in fact "potental alcohol, but since the wine is dry...)

Alex R.

Thanks Alex. The 16-degree was given in Baume. If we convert the units of Baume into Brix units we’re looking at 28 to 29 degree Brix (1 degree Baume = 1.8 degree Brix). The degree Baume of juice or must is equivalent to the potential alcohol content.

Salute