Bordeaux 2010: The Dry Wines

The 2010 vintage is a very successful one for Bordeaux's dry white wines. The cooler-than-average daytime temperatures and the fresh nights of August and September allowed for the build-up of aromatic precursor molecules and very good acidity levels, two factors that are always important in high-quality white wines. September of 2010 was cooler than 2009 but similar to 2005. But sunlight continued unabated, and both September and October 2010 were much sunnier than the same periods in 2009 and 2005.

The cooler temperatures also meant that extra care and work were necessary in the vineyards, such as green harvesting and de-leafing to allow for better exposure of the berries to sunlight. This work facilitated proper ripening of the sauvignon blanc grapes by bringing down the level of isobutyl methoxypyrazine, the molecule that gives a strong green bell pepper aroma to unripe sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon. Still, some estates were worried about a drop in the total acidity levels of their sauvignon blanc and picked too soon, harvesting grapes of incomplete physiological ripeness.