2010 Bordeaux Vintage

Winter was cold and long, marked by three cold snaps in mid-December, early January and mid-February. After a March close to seasonal norms, bud break came around 10 April, about ten days later than in 2009 and 2008, and a sunny, very dry, warm April quickly made up the gap. May was dry but cool, the coolest of the decade, with 41 mm of rain against a normal 83 mm, broken by a hot spell from 18 to 26 May that passed 30 C on 24 May. Mid-flowering for Merlot and the Cabernets came between 4 and 9 June, then 14 days of unsettled, at times very cool weather with storms from 6 to 19 June hit fruit set. Other varieties set well, but Merlot suffered coulure and millerandage, and old vines lost the most. From there the summer turned remarkably dry without strong heat. July was warm, yet maximums passed 30 C on only three or four days, and it saw under 20 mm of rain. July and August together brought 32 mm of rain against an average of 114 mm. August was cooler than 2009 and 2005 and close to the long-term average, and from 28 August the nights turned especially cool, building color in red grapes and keeping aromas in white ones. Light rain around 7 September let the vines finish ripening without suffering too much from drought, and clear, sunny weather with cool nights held into mid-October. White picking began on 2 September for the earliest Sauvignon, the first Merlot came in around 21 September, and the Cabernets were picked in the first half of October. Jean Guillaume Prats of Cos d'Estournel called it a late vintage, and harvest dates ran four to ten days later than in 2009. Yields were down at many top estates. Jean Rene Matignon of Pichon Longueville Baron estimated about 10 percent below 2009 around Pauillac, though many vineyards in lesser appellations were heavy with bunches.

• Bud break around 10 April, about ten days later than 2009; mid-flowering between 4 and 9 June
• Cool, stormy weather from 6 to 19 June caused coulure and millerandage in Merlot
• About 50 mm of rain from July to September, the driest such stretch of the 2001 to 2010 decade at Bordeaux-Merignac
• Reds picked from around 21 September (Merlot) through the first half of October (Cabernets) in clear, sunny weather

Decanter's vintage guide rated 2010 5/5 for the Medoc and Graves, for Saint-Emilion and Pomerol, and for Sauternes and Barsac. Red success was uniform on both banks as Merlot kept its acidity. Pauillac, the most Cabernet-driven commune, made some very great, almost unsurpassable wines, in Decanter's view, and the guide called Margaux a very successful vintage. Pessac-Leognan saw perfect ripening of all red varieties plus extra concentration from lower yields. On the Right Bank the guide judged that Pomerol slightly outclassed Saint-Emilion, while suggesting Saint-Emilion might prove more consistent than in 2009, with alcohol of 14 to 15-plus degrees offset by high acidity. Pomerol yields fell as much as 20 percent in some cases and Fronsac volumes dropped 10 percent, both put down to tiny berries and coulure. In Sauternes, noble rot spread in October after rain on 3 and 4 and on 9 and 10 October, and concentration reached 20 to 22 degrees potential alcohol, short of 2009's levels. Decanter found Barsac the standout of the two communes.

• Medoc and Graves: 5/5 from Decanter, whose guide said "The best wines will need eight years or more."
• Pauillac: some very great, almost unsurpassable wines, in Decanter's view
• Saint-Emilion and Pomerol: some very alcoholic wines were controversial
• Sauternes and Barsac: Decanter put 2010 on a par with 2007, 2005 and 2001

The ISVV found water stress stronger and more general in 2010 than in 2009, and said 2010 resembles 2005 even more than 2009. Red grape berries were smaller and more deeply colored than in 2009 and even 2005, with sugars generally higher and acidity comparable or slightly higher. Gavin Quinney, writing for Liv-ex in February 2011, described the 2009s as exuberant and opulent and the 2010s as more classically Bordeaux-like, with tremendous power and intensity, while flagging concerns over high alcohol on both banks, especially in Merlot. Bill Blatch, quoted by Decanter, said the Merlot musts came in "black and dense, very sweet, and bursting with tannin." Quinney also reported that consultant Michel Rolland believed most estates he works with made better wines in 2010 than in 2009, and that Denis Dubourdieu quietly agreed for reds and dry whites.

• Water stress stronger and more general than in 2009, closer to 2005
• Smaller, more colored berries with higher sugars and comparable or slightly higher acidity
• Bill Blatch reported tannins 50 to 70 percent higher than 2009 and acidity of 4.5 g/l against 3.5 g/l
• The ISVV called 2010 a very great white vintage for Sauvignon and Semillon, thanks to moderate daytime heat and cool nights