Tasting primeurs is not as difficult as it is sometimes said. Wines that young, just barely six months after harvest (tasted in April), can be wonderfully attractive: lots of fruit, hopefully ripe tannins and not too much wood (they have only spent six out of 18-24 planned months in barrel). But there are three things that are very difficult: having the stamina to go taste all the wines (no one can), being able to write something descriptive and useful about it (only a few does), and above all being able to make some judgement on the future of the wines you are tasting.
To be able to predict how such a young wine will develop requires skill and experience. Jeff Leve is a wine writer with a passion for Bordeaux. He is an excellent guide to the primeurs of Bordeaux, and he is a contributor to BKWine Magazine (the renovated BKWine.com!). You can read his extensive tasting notes on the 2010 Bordeaux on the site – all of Medoc, the Left Bank, the Satellites and more. Don’t miss it if you are a Bordeaux enthusiast!
