Petits châteaux big winners of 2011 vintage

The high performing petits châteaux in Bordeaux could be the biggest winners of the 2011 en primeurs campaign, according to a leading Bordeaux négociant. “It’s a year to seek out the lesser-known properties – I’ll be looking out for the high scoring petits châteaux,” Jean-Christophe Mau of Yvon Mau told the drinks business. Mau believes the role of the négociant in steering consumers towards the best wines of the vintage in terms of quality and value will be more important than ever this year. “The quality is not there across the board like it was in 2009 and 2010,” he admitted.

Despite being in the shadow of 2009 and 2010, Mau doesn’t think it will be harder to shift the 2011 wines: “It all depends on the prices they come out at,” he said, adding, “It will be easier for us to get hold of stock this year as there will be less speculative buyers.” Mau believes the role of the courtier (the middle man between the individual châteaux and the négociants) is becoming “less and less” important. “Only around 10% of courtiers are doing a useful job, the rest are just there to take their 2% from us and sign on the dotted line.

They serve their purpose in helping the petits châteaux find buyers, but the classified growths really don’t need them. It’s a very antiquated system,” he lamented. Mau (right), who splits his time between Yvon Mau and running both Château Brown and Château Preuillac, admitted he was going to be more selective about the châteaux he buys from this year, pinpointing the Médoc as the standout region in terms of quality.

Meanwhile, Bruno Eynard, chief winemaker of Château Lagrange, which hosted the UGC Pauillac, St Julien and St Estephe tasting during primeurs week, was pleasantly surprised at the turnout for this year’s primeurs. “We had over 4,000 people through our doors in three days, which is almost as many as last year’s UGC tasting. He noted a higher proportion of visitors from Europe and the US this year, and less from Asia, along with a “surprisingly high” number of Brazilian visitors.

Eynard revealed that his 2011 crop at Lagrange was down 20% and said it was “ridiculous” to compare 2011 with the quality of both 2009 and 2010, but that producers who got it right made “approachable, easy drinking, balanced wines with finesse.” He described St Julien as the most homogenous of the Bordeaux regions in 2011 and Margaux as the most disparate. In terms of pricing, he warned of the dangers of abusing the good will of consumers with a second year of late releases, predicting the majority of châteaux to have come out with their prices by the second week of May.

Château Lafite

Wine and the City talks to Christophe Salin, managing director of Domaines Barons de Rothschild, at the Château Lafite 2011 en primeur tasting in Bordeaux, about the character of Lafite 2011, why prices need to come down this year, and Lafite's new vineyard venture in China.

Seely seeking second Burgundy property

Christian Seely, managing director of AXA Millésimes – owners of Château Pichon Baron and Domaine de l’Arlot – has revealed he is on the hunt for a second Burgundy property. “I’m acutely looking to add a second Burgundy estate to our portfolio, but it’s very difficult,” he told the drinks business at the Pichon Baron 2011 primeurs tasting last week. Seely also admitted that he is looking to buy in the New World, but wouldn’t elaborate on where.

With regards to the 2011 vintage, he said the majority of people who tasted at Pichon Baron were “pleasantly surprised” by the quality of the vintage. “There hasn’t been the euphoria of 2009 and 2010, but people seem pleasantly surprised by the quality of Pichon 2011, perhaps because expectations weren’t very high. Not all 2011s are good, but those who picked well made lovely wines,” he said.

Seely also revealed that he is using increasing amounts of Semillon in his dry white, S de Suduiraut, from Sauternes estate Château Suduiraut. “My big aim is to make a dry white from the Sauternes region that tastes like Sauternes. We predominantly use Semillon in our sweet Sauternes, so it makes sense to use it in “S” too. We’ve made a few experimental bottles of 100% Semillon and it’s utterly delicious, so I know I’m on the right track,” he said.

“The fear is that with a majority of Semillon in the blend it won’t age well, but I know that it will. Unfortunately, it will be hard to increase production to supply demand as the only way to make it well is to use grapes destined for Suduiraut,” he added. Comparing the 2011 Sauternes vintage to the acclaimed 2001, Seely described the wines as “very rich, with high levels of residual sugar and botrytis, but super fresh, with lovely complexity and depth.”

Over at Château Pontet-Canet, owner Alfred Tesseron said that being biodynamic didn’t necessarily make it harder for him during the capricious 2011 growing season. “It’s all about your approach – being biodynamic, you have to always be one step ahead and work on a prevention rather than cure basis. 2011 was a difficult vintage, but every year presents different challenges. The weather was very up and down, so we had no room for manoeuvre,” he admitted.

Tesseron revealed his main reason for going biodynamic was for the positive affect it has on the taste of Pontet-Canet. He is currently exploring the effect of egg-shaped fermenters on the maturation process. “A lot of Bordeaux wines are over-oaked and I’m looking to find the right balance. I chose the fermenters for their breathability rather than their egg shape, but it’s too early to say whether I’m pleased with the results,” he said.

Lafite set to release early and low

Christophe Salin, director of Domaines Barons de Rothschild, has revealed Lafite is to release its 2011 price early and with a significant price drop to 2010. “We want to release early this year, possibly even as early as the end of April. All the wines will have been tasted in the next three weeks, so there’s no need to wait,” he told the drinks business at the Lafite 2011 en primeurs tasting in Bordeaux.

Commenting on the rumour that the château is to release early and low in order to restore faith in the market, Salin said: “I’ve heard that rumour too, because it’s based on something I said. With Lafite we have the luxury of being able to sell at a high price, but we want to play by the rules and listen to the market. We don’t want to be individualists – Bordeaux is a collective work; we have power and duties so we need to play as a team,” he added.

Salin stressed a need for modesty this year. “2011 will be the vintage that restores Bordeaux’s image, as last year we were very expensive and people lost faith,” he said. Lafite is busy planting Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah at its new vineyard site in Penglai in China’s Shandong province. “Cabernet alone is too tannic for the Asian palate, so the Syrah will be used to soften the blend,” Salin told db, though a 100% Syrah is not on the cards: “Syrah without Cabernet is like a beautiful woman without brains,” Salin quipped.

Meanwhile, Jean-Guillaume Prats, president of Château Cos d’Estournel, told db that reports of hail problems at the property have been exaggerated. “We suffered at the hands of one intense hail storm but it had more effect on phenolic ripeness than anything else – our yields are actually up on last year as the grapes weren’t hit,” he insisted.

In terms of pricing, Prats agrees with Salin that they must come out quickly: “The Bordelais showed an enormous amount of incompetence and arrogance by waiting too long to release last year and lost a lot of good will in the process. “We’ve learnt our lesson and want a quick campaign this year in time for Vinexpo Hong Kong,” he said.

Despite being only one tier down in the 1855 Bordeaux classification system, Prats views the first growths as inhabiting a world of their own. “We’re in a different league to them. Whatever they do has very little influence on our decision making process,” he said. Prats also voiced his dislike of the tranche system in Bordeaux, describing it as an artificial way to work out what the price should be. “I don’t believe in tranches. We release everything en primeur and about 75% of our stock in the first tranche,” he revealed.

Moueix: I’ll slash my top wines by 50%

Christian Moueix has revealed he is willing to slash the price of his top Bordeaux 2011 wines, which include La Fleur-Pétrus and Trotanoy, by up to 50%. “Our cuts will have to be severe – between 30-50% – if we want to keep people interested,” the president of Etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix told the drinks business in Bordeaux last week.

“We’ll have to come out early and drop our prices significantly this year. If you release too late people will hold out for the 2012 vintage,” Moueix warned, insisting growers wouldn’t dare release 2011 stock at the same price as 2010. He stated that the Chinese market has been instrumental in creating the Bordeaux bubble, but that many Asian investors will pull away with 2011. “They will be more discreet and selective this year as they hate to lose money,” he said.

Moueix also revealed that he has added to his portfolio with a 4.7-hectare property in Pomerol. “I’ve just bought a little estate called Château Guillot in an amazing location – facing Le Pin, I can’t believe how lucky I got, the blocks are perfect,” he said, admitting he is keen to rename the estate as the current name is “clearly not sexy.”

A new cellar is also under construction at Pétrus – which Moueix consults for – set to open next June. “We would have loved to have stayed as small as we were, but it was time to refresh things and improve our facilities,” Moueix admitted. He describes 2011 as a “difficult” vintage. “It’s like a dish where you have all the right ingredients but they’re all in the wrong proportions,” he said, adding, “The abnormal weather conditions lead to stressed wines.”

Moueix warned that those who indulged in over-extraction were playing a dangerous game: “In 2010 it created beautiful monsters, but those who over-extracted in 2011 will have awkward, angular wines,” he said, describing his own wines as having a floral, fresh character akin to 2001.

Meanwhile, Alexandre Thienpont of Vieux Château Certan is confident of the quality of his 2011 wines: “We’re back in the game this year – 2011 was an excellent year for Cabernet Franc; it shone. The wines are really energetic,” he said. “2011 was a year for the great terroirs of Bordeaux – Ausone, Figeac, Cheval Blanc; it was a good year for the Right Bank,” he added.

At Figeac, technical director Frédéric Faye (above) believes 2011 will go the distance: “These wines will keep until 2035 – they’re classic with great freshness and balance,” he said. “Coco Chanel once said the most important thing is style, not being in fashion, and we have our own style. I think a number of Right Bank châteaux like Angélus are coming back to the old style of elegance and classicism, having lost themselves to a more concentrated modern expression,” he added.

Faye plans to release Figeac 2011 at €80-100, despite the 2008 vintage, which 2011 is frequently being compared to, coming out at €40 and currently selling for €70. “The price rises are due to the Chinese market – we all want to make money at the end of the day and it’s good to make as much money as you can,” he said.

Cazes and Lurton to lower their prices

Sylvie Cazes, director of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, has admitted that prices for the Bordeaux 2011 vintage will have to come down to a reasonable level. “Prices must come down, but it’s a case of what’s reasonable – we’re looking at 10-15%”, she told the drinks business at the château’s en primeur tasting last week.

“Our 2010 prices were up 10% on 2009, so there’s no question we have to come down as 2011 isn’t as spectacular a vintage,” Cazes (above) added, emphasising that she wants a quick campaign this year, and for prices to be released in time for Vinexpo Hong Kong at the end of May. Despite being in the shadow of 2009 and 2010, Cazes is confident about the quality of Pichon 2011: “It has good acidity, wonderful freshness, good structure and depth,” Cazes said, admitting that the secret to success in 2011 was avoiding over-extraction.

She compared the vintage to both 2001 and 2008, describing it as softer than the former and more concentrated than the latter. “Sorting was vital to success – we had our team picking berry by berry,” she said. As to whether the Asian market was losing interest in Bordeaux, Cazes is unconvinced: “People say the Chinese are moving on to Burgundy and the Rhône but we’re expecting a swarm of visitors in the next two weeks. “They’ve latched onto the fact that primeurs runs for three weeks and are visiting either side of the main week,” she said.

In Sauternes, Pierre Lurton (right), director of Château d’Yquem, revealed the superb quality of 2011 Yquem was the “big surprise” of the vintage. The abnormal weather conditions in 2011, including a rainy August, lead to a rare burst of noble rot creating fully botrytised grapes. “Our 2011 Yquem is better than both 2009 and 2010. The wines have 145g of residual sugar but retain amazing freshness and balance,” he said, comparing the vintage to both 2001 and 2005, and describing the wines as having “the purity of a diamond.”

In terms of pricing for the reds, including Château Cheval Blanc, which he also runs, Lurton agrees that they must come down. “2011 is not the same story as 2009 and 2010 – a different positioning is needed. The Bordelais should lower their prices by at least 20-30%,” he admitted.