Sopexa JoLynn Howe (right)

... so I will be in Bordeaux in a few weeks to attend En Primeur ... and so appreciated the snapshot of some of the 2009s showcased by Sopexa's Le Cercle Rive Droite today for journalists and members of the trade. The 2009s were showing remarkably well! At the same time, Sopexa showed "Today's Bordeaux 2010"  which is a selection of 100 Classic, Contemporary, Affordable wines. The wines were all under $30 and some delicious wines as low as $13.

Jeremy Benson of Benson Marketing Group

When I was in Bordeaux a few years ago, speaking to producers and the CIVB, the message they wanted to get out was that Bordeaux isn't some "fancy wine for special occassions" - it is to drink with dinner on Tuesday nights. And it really is true that when someone mentions "Bordeaux" the perception is that of the Grand Cru wines that could cost more than ten thousand dollars a case.

Daniel Marsteller

Luckily the wine store near me carries a lot of under-$20 Bordeaux by small quality producers, so I am a bit more familiar with this taste profile than the Grand Cru. The wines showcased today, mostly 2005s, were very well balanced and delicious, with many of the producers speaking with pride about their new sorting equipment or other machinery. If you are used to California cabs, you might appreciate the lower alcohol and more subdued and restrained flavors. Among the white Bordeaux I would like to call attention to Chateau Lamothe de Haux, 2009, a dry white blend of 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon, and 20% Muscadelle. Lots of delicious goodness for $13. On that 2008 trip I was invited to stay at the winery's gorgeous chateau in Entre du Mers. Click here to read about the drama that occured in their limestone caves.

Damien of Les Caves Du Chateau Lamothe

Some of the tasting, for me, was educational. It was quite a great opportunity to taste across the regions, finding similarities and differences. I found that most all of the Saint-Emilion had a curious clay-limestone type of element ... yet really didn't have enough regions to compare it to.

Helene Garcin Leveque of Vignobles Garcin

Among the notable producers was Chateau de Pressac in Saint-Emilion. I met the owner J.F Quenin who explained the method beyond the smooth flavors of their Grand Cru - almost unheard of in a barely out of the barrel 2009. We discussed pumping over vs. punching down and which is more gentle, with M. Quenin explaining they have a special machine that punches down very gently and evenly, and when the skins have given color to the must, then they pump over. Though the winery uses 100% new wood, the wine was so incredibly balanced I couldn't smell or taste any wood at all - it was very well integrated.

I was also impressed by Clos des Jacobins, which is a "Grand Cru Classe" - a wine that does not have the distinction of a Grand Cru by title, yet I found much better than its sister wine, a Grand Cru called Chateau La Commanderie. The producers explained that the Grand Cru classe wine sold for twice the price of the Grand Cru, and that they are applying to kick it up a noche in the system (an occassion that happens only once every ten years). To be successful in elevating a wine, producers must submit ten vintages for tasting, notes and studies on the soil, and incredibly, stacks of (hopefully good) publicity so the powers that be can see that the wine is getting good reviews, and even more incredibly, a hospitality program that sees the winery hosting tours.