2004 Bordeaux Vintage

Winter in Bordeaux was colder than normal and short of water. Budbreak began in April, but rain and cold held growth back; in Saint-Emilion it came in the first week of April. May was relatively warm and rainy, and on 20 and 21 May a violent hailstorm hit part of the Right Bank. Merlot flowered rapidly and in full from 4 to 10 June in sun and warmth, with the Sauvignons and Cabernets following through to the end of June; mid-flowering of the red varieties came around 8 June, five to ten days behind the 1993 to 2002 average. The summer was not very hot. July was sunny with little rain and average temperatures, apart from a few peaks late in the month, while August was the reverse, with substantial rain (102 mm), modest sunshine and modest temperatures. Mid-veraison came around 10 August, within the Bordeaux average. September was pleasant, sunny and warm by day, and its cool nights kept rot from developing. The April to September mean temperature of 17.6 C was the lowest of the seven vintages from 1998 to 2004. From flowering, the vines carried unusually fertile buds and large bunches, and yields were very large despite fairly severe thinning.

• Winter colder than normal and short of water; budbreak in April, slowed by rain and cold
• Hailstorm on 20 and 21 May on part of the Right Bank; Merlot flowered rapidly from 4 to 10 June
• July sunny and fairly dry; August wet (102 mm) and not very warm; September sunny, warm by day, cool at night
• Very large yields despite fairly severe thinning, after the small 2003 crop

Merlot was ripe at the end of September, while Cabernet Sauvignon needed 15 to 20 more days and was picked during October, in some rain but with sunshine and temperatures above normal. In Saint-Emilion this was a late-ripening vintage, with harvest dates varying considerably by property, site and grape variety, and picking often long drawn-out. In Pomerol the harvest came later but in ideal conditions towards the end of September and the start of October, before the rain. In Pauillac, rain fell in the second week of October, and Decanter reported that the chateaux which waited through it for full maturity had the makings of very good wines, as most did. In Sauternes and Barsac, August rain and warmth brought grey rot and much cleaning up in the vineyard before morning mists and sunshine arrived in September; an average of four tries ran from 15 September to early November, and yields averaged around 15 hl/ha.

• Merlot: ripe at the end of September
• Cabernet Sauvignon: 15 to 20 days later, picked during October
• Pomerol: picked towards the end of September and start of October, before the rain
• Sauternes and Barsac: about four tries from 15 September to early November, yields around 15 hl/ha

Decanter's commune notes show a patchwork. In Margaux quality was more regular than in recent years, and Brane-Cantenac, Durfort-Vivens and Rauzan-Segla, which kept the appellation's elegance, reflected the vintage better than Kirwan and Prieure-Lichine, which aimed for richer extraction. Saint-Julien had few disappointments but did not reach great heights. Pauillac gave some of the best wines of the Medoc, and Saint-Estephe carried its 2003 success into 2004, with finesse at Calon-Segur and de Pez while most wines were fleshy, with much riper tannins than in the 1990s. In the wider Medoc appellation, Merlot-rich chateaux made ripe, rounded wines, while Cabernet-led ones sometimes leaned to extraction over fruit. Pomerol was clearly better than 2003, with its best wines in the good, classic mould of 1996, and in Pessac-Leognan the dry whites were generally of a very high standard, with the reds a pleasant surprise.

• Margaux: more regular quality; Brane-Cantenac, Durfort-Vivens and Rauzan-Segla kept the elegant style
• Saint-Estephe: finesse at Calon-Segur and de Pez; most wines fleshy, with riper tannins than in the 1990s
• Pomerol: deep color, racy fruit, lively acidity and a solid tannic frame in the best wines
• Pessac-Leognan: very high standard dry whites; classic, fresh reds with crisp tannins

The Faculte d'Oenologie called 2004 a classic Bordeaux vintage, on its summer and autumn temperatures and the balance of alcohol, acids and phenolics. Acidity was higher than in 2003, with malic acid often above 2 g/l, and the grapes were rich in anthocyanins and total polyphenols. The reds came out deeply colored, with a certain nervosity and great freshness, their tannins present but rounded and their acidity a pledge of longevity, in the Faculty's judgment. Where late sites picked Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot short of full ripeness, the wines showed vegetal and bitter notes. Dry whites were very fruity, floral, fine and fresh, with Semillon adding body, and the sweet wines were very aromatic but uneven, depending on when the grapes were picked. Wine Spectator gave Bordeaux a preliminary grade of B, and consultant Stephane Derenoncourt told the magazine: "You had to keep your grape yields down and you had to pick late. Those who didn't couldn't have made serious wines."

• Classic in style: fresh, deeply colored reds with higher acidity than 2003
• Late sites that picked short of full ripeness gave vegetal, bitter notes
• Dry whites fruity, floral and fresh; sweet wines aromatic but uneven
• Wine Spectator's preliminary grade for Bordeaux: B