Bordeaux is a wine region which many young wine drinkers have heard
of but have very little experience with. This is mainly due to
continually rising costs of the top name Chateau of the region, which
put these wines out of reach for many of us. Also there is the
ageability of these wines. Many of us have randomly purchased a bottle
of current release Bordeaux only to find the wine to be both very acidic
and tannic, making it almost undrinkable. Most of us do not have the
storage space nor the time to wait these wines out to catch them in
their full glory.

Well, the 2009's are just beginning to arrive here in the States and I
must say there are many which are presenting very well early on. This
is mainly to do with the vintage. 2009 being very ripe vintage. What
this means is more fruit up front and less acid and with smoother
tannins. There are still many wines, especially those which carry higher
price tags, that should be held onto for a longer period of time, but I
have already tasted a few which have shown well after only a few hours
of breathing time. If you have the time and space, it would be best to
wait 2-3 years to start drinking. If like me you do not, then just pull
the cork, decant and wait about two hours. And the best thing is, most
of what I have tasted have been under $30.
If you are looking for any recommendations or suggestions, just shoot me an email or pay me a visit at the store.
John Syfor - Wine Consultant
Federal Wines and Spirits
29 State Street, Boston MA