Extraprima Bordeaux 2018 Catalog english version

Bordeaux2018
extraprima
6
later on July 15 in Bordeaux and southern Gironde. Further, about
10,000 hectares again were affected by frost in 2018, which is around
8% of the vineyards. As in the previous months, precipitation varied
widely, from 40 mm in the northern Médoc to almost 100 mm
in Sauternes, at an average temperature in July 2018 being the highest
since 1954.
The warm, humid weather and strong vegetation helped the
mildew grow incredibly. Fortunately, the weather changed radically
in mid-July, leading to a warm and dry summer. This also slowed
down the growth and ripening of the grapes. The daily maximum
and minimum temperatures were between 0.5° and 3° C above
average, without reaching the record levels of 2003. The change of
color (Véraison) of the berries began at the end of July. Apart from
some vineyards affected by hailstorms, the Véraison was completed
quickly and uniformly in an almost regular time schedule. At this
stage of the growing process, for a great vintage, the vines need a
water shortage from precipitation as a signal to stop its vegetative
growth and move its power into the maturation of the grapes. In
terroirs with good drainage, this process began earlier; for the rest
in mid-August, the water supply was down to comparable levels as
in 2016. Now the ripening process of the grapes began in dry and
hot conditions. Due to the water reserves in the deeper soils, the
dryness was initially less problematic. Smaller showers at the end
of August relaxed the water shortage, only some young vines on
water-permeable, dry soils have been in difficulties. A dry September
brought temperatures of 2 to 4 ° C above average, and it was
one of the sunniest September of the last 60 years. As a result, the
ripening process slowed uniformly, which allowed growers to wait
for the best harvesting time for each grape variety and microclimate,
without any risk of putrefaction.
WHITE WINES
With picking the Sauvignons from the last week of August, the
harvest of the white grapes was beginning about one week later
than the previous year. Sémillons have been harvested until
mid-September. The damp spring prevented acidity levels dropping
down significantly due to the dryness in the summer, as the subsoils
still had good water reserves. Nevertheless, acidities have been
lower for white wines than in 2017, with generally higher sugar
levels. 2018s Sauvignon Blancs aromatically have been significantly
more expressive than the less tastily Sémillons. Therefore in most
assemblages, the Sauvignon Blanc dominates the Sémillon clearly.
For the white Haut-Brion 2018 is one of the best vintages of the past
20 years. Instead of the usual assemblage of 50 % each, Sauvignon
blanc and Semillon, 2018 vintage consists of 80 % Sauvignon blanc,
actually tasting like a single variety. A lot of 2018s white wines are
exciting, especially the white Bordeaux from the Médoc!
RED WINES
Already at the beginning of the harvest for the red varieties, on
around the 7 th of September, sugar levels in the early ripening Merlots
have been quite high. Low acidity levels were due to the low
content of malic acid in relation to tartaric acid. The aromatic expressiveness
of the grapes grew in mid-September, the grape skins
were thick and porous, with a high content of anthocyanins, which
resulted in a rapid color extraction. The extremely ripe grape seeds
led to especially rounded musts, without any green aromas. Directly
after fermentation, the 2018 Merlots showed a higher quality
level than in 2016 and 2017, with an unusual dark fruit component.
The typical red berry aroma of this grape variety was often missing
entirely. The ideal weather conditions of September lasted until
mid-October, benefitting the late-maturing Cabernets and the Petit
Verdot. Finally, Cabernet Francs did not show any herbaceous or
immature notes, and the Cabernet Sauvignons developed a pronounced
cassis fruit with a full-bodied structure. Also, Petit Verdot
was reaching full ripeness with a powerful, dark scented elderberry
aroma, which is present in the back aromas of many wines. Even
these later ripening varieties had extremely ripe grape seeds. The
long and consistent Indian summer in 2018 provided a perfect harvesting
period without any risk of putrefaction or haste during the
harvest. Each parcel and grape variety for dry white and red wines
had been able to be picked under ideal conditions. In order to
prevent negative influences on the musts, occasionally dried and
shrunken grapes had to be selected at the sorting tables as well as
the berries affected by mildew. Mostly a gentler extraction of the
skins was operated for the vinification of red wines, with less remontage
and pigeage than usual (the overshoot or submergence of
the pomace). Even the fermentation temperature mostly was chosen
to be slightly cooler with a maximum of 28° C. After the alcoholic
fermentation, the musts often remained without further extraction
of the grape skins, more in the sense of the preparation of
a tea. Bordeaux’ 2018 reds are very powerful, dark-berried wines
with an incredible presence on the palate. Amazingly in this vintage,
the grape varieties Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon
are not very different in flavor, especially because the Merlot
has changed its red fruity aromatic for dark-berried massiveness.
In many wines, the Petit Verdot gives a special spiciness and profundity
to the finish.
SWEET WINES
Although summer rainfalls have been a bit more in the Sauternes
area than in other regions of Bordeaux, the dry and warm conditions
of September and October delayed the spread of noble rot
Botrytis cinerea. Early ripening grapes even shrank to rosinated
berries (passerillage). At the first trie of the harvest, such grapes
had to be sorted out immediately. From the second week of October
with cool nights and higher humidity, botrytis has spread
quickly over the vineyards enhanced by some north winds. The
second trie now was bringing the largest yield of the vintage. By a
rainy period in mid-October, another botrytis wave occurred. The
last trie took place from late October to early November. Acidity
levels were quite low due to the warm summer, but concentration
was high. Thus, the sweet wines of the vintage 2018 show ripe
aromas with a full-bodied structure, but they don’t show the tension
and depth of a truly great vintage.
Text by Thomas Boxberger © 2019