Bordeaux | 2004 vintage
Unpopular with the critics when it was released as a primeur wine, 2004 has now proved itself to be of very good quality. The warm, dry weather of June was conducive to quick flowering, with very little difference between the grape varieties. The relatively mild weather continued through to July, but changed considerably from 15th August, with insufficient sunlight and excessive rain. The possibility of a late vintage and too many grapes worried the profession, but, just like 2002, the first half of September had beautiful weather which radically turned the tables. 2004 is a great vintage and above all recognised for its highly homogeneous quality. All of the grape varieties are of similar quality, including the exceptional Petit-Verdot, which represented as much as 10% in certain great wines. Perfectly suited to a long cellaring, these 2004 full-bodied wines have delicious notes of red fruits and a delicate woodiness, silky tannins and a remarkable concentration. Although the sweet wines had ideal conditions for over-ripening, they did not prove to be as good as the previous and incredible wines of 2003. Finally, the success of the great dry white wines was more down to the painstaking work of certain wine-producers than the fabulous weather in September.
