Down to the dregs
The Bordelais are awaking to a nightmare, one that is largely of their own making. In the latter half of the 1990s, booming demand made too many of them complacent and arrogant. They forgot the crisis of 1991-92 when they had unsold wine coming out of their ears.
The proprietors of the grand cru châteaux refused to listen when they were warned that prices for the charming but light 1997s should not be raised. Instead, they pushed up the prices by 20%. Bordeaux became synonymous with greed.
At the generic end, Bordeaux has become too closely linked with poor quality. Far too much is badly made, fruitless and full of unripe tannin. Not only have they been getting a bad press in Britain but sales are falling significantly. Perceptive merchants have seen how Bordeaux is disappearing from restaurant wine lists.
It is far from clear how long it will take for Bordeaux to regain consumer confidence. But at least the Bordelais appear ready to listen to complaints, and have set up a new Bordeaux Information Bureau in London (020 7409 0494) after three years of believing that they did not need one. They have also announced a new quality-control system and, if a wine is not up to standard, the offending producer will not be allowed to sell their wines again until they improve.
A recent visit to the lesser-known appellations on the Right Bank showed that there are good wines about at affordable prices. Some of the most consistently attractive wines came from the satellites of St Emilion: Montagne, St Georges, Lussac and Puissegrain.
There was a recent tasting in London of Lussac-St Emilion. Château Lyonnat (Roberson: 020 7371 2121) is well known and the 1996 (£77.52) offers good value, although it is still a bit young. The 1997 from Château de Tabuteau (Roger Lethaby: 01189 597036) is light and charming (£57). A property to watch is Vieux Château Chambeau, which changed hands in 1998 but has no UK importer at present. Other lesser-known areas such as Fronsac, Côtes de Fronsac and Lalande de Pomerol are also worth exploring.
Savage Selection (01451 860896) has just started importing the decidedly impressive wines from Château Grand Ormeau in Lalande de Pomerol. The 1997 Grand Ormeau is £148 a case, while Chevalier d'Haurange, the second wine, is £88.
Across on the Left Bank, Château Siran, a Margaux cru bourgeois, recently held a comprehensive vertical tasting from 1998 back to 1986. It was interesting that some of most successful wines came from less well regarded vintages such as 1987 and 1991. Unfortunately, those two vintages are not available, but Thorman Hunt (020 7735 6511) does have a range of Siran from 1996 back to 1980 in various sizes.
