Every year in January, for over 30 years, some of the leading figures in the British wine trade have assembled in the sleepy town of Southwold for a comprehensive tasting of the latest Bordeaux vintage to be physically released onto the market. In January 2013 it was the turn of the eagerly anticipated 2009’s.
Southwold is home to the Adnams Brewery
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Southwold is the Eastern-most point in Britain, some 120 miles away from London. Home of the famous Adnams brewery, not much else goes on in this remote, seaside town in January which allows us to take over the Swan Hotel where we spend 3 full days blind-tasting our way through hundreds of samples of young Bordeaux wine. It’s a tough, teeth-staining exercise but someone’s got to do it!
The Swan Hotel (note boxes of Sauternes chilling on the balcony)
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The panel of tasters this year included wine critics Steven Spurrier (of Decanter Magazine), Neal Martin (of eRobertParker.com) and Jancis Robinson MW (of the Financial Times and www.jancisrobinson.com). These internationally respected critics were joined by leading figures from the British wine trade representing importers such as The Wine Society, Berry Brothers, Justerini and Brooks, Avery’s of Bristol and Farr Vintners. Our tasters ranged in age from late 20’s to over 70 and included 5 Masters of Wine, retired Bordeaux negociant Bill Blatch (who has tasted every Bordeaux vintage from barrel since 1970) and wine trade legend Barry Phillips who has tasted more fine wine than most people have had hot dinners.
Tasters focus on another flight of 2009 Bordeaux
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This was my twentieth year at Southwold as I joined the group in the early 1990’s to taste the infant 1989 vintage. It really is the most comprehensive and serious blind tasting in the world. Every wine is served in strictly blind conditions. Bottles are served in random order within “peer group” flights of around a dozen wines so that they are compared against their neighbours and rivals. Each Chateau supplies 2 bottles so any wine that is revealed not to have performed as expected is given a second chance to try again in a later flight.
2009 Bordeaux. It's like this.
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Blind tasting is a notoriously difficult job – especially when you started at 9am and are writing a detailed tasting note on your 100th wine of the day! Nevertheless. I would like to think that we do a very professional job. To be honest, there were relatively few surprises this year as the wines performed magnificently and confirmed that 2009 is a truly great vintage. I will reveal details of the top performers in the next few days.
