1995 and 1994 Bordeaux

1995 is an excellent vintage for red Bordeaux, the most consistently successful since 1990. France suffered through September rain for the fifth consecutive year, but this time the rain came just before or at the beginning of the harvest and then mercifully stopped; actual rainfall was significantly less than that of '93, and somewhat less than '94. My early tastings in late March turned up a host of '95s worth buying, though high prices somewhat temper my enthusiasm.

1995 is a very good example of a ripe-but-not- overripe vintage. The wines have good density, low acidity, and strong but generally ripe tannins; they appear to be best suited for medium-term consumption by Bordeaux standards with peak drinkability from 5 to 15 years after the vintage for the lesser examples, and 10 to 25 years for clarets from the best terroirs. But '95 is not a vintage in the class of 1990 or the best years of the '80s. The high points of 1995 are perhaps not as high as I had hoped to find; very few wines have the intensity and depth of flavor, palate-staining extract, and grip of the best examples from the truly great years.

In the Médoc, where ripe cabernet was picked under sunny skies, the wines are consistently successful, and a number of outstanding wines were made. Performance in Pomerol and St. Émilion is more mixed: at some properties I preferred '95, at others '94. But, again, there are a number of thoroughly satisfying '95s on the right bank. And it is here, among small and ambitious properties, that some of Bordeaux's most exciting wines are being made.