The proprietors of the famous Bordeaux châteaux are agonising over what to charge – or what they can get away with – for their most recent vintage, 2007. They always put their red wines on the marketen primeur (ie, when they are still in barrels in the cellars in the spring/summer following the vintage). Apart from doing wonders for their cash flow, the idea is that buyers who splash out at this stage get the wines cheaper than they would later. This year, however, setting prices is peculiarly difficult.

For one thing, it’s a mediocre vintage. Remember the British summer, or lack of it? It was the same in Bordeaux. A sunny September helped, but, even so, few wines are better than modestly charming and fewer still are expected to be long-lived. With the added woes of a wobbly global economy and a strong euro, one might reasonably expect the prices of these 2007 clarets to be down on the 2005s and 2006s, but that would be to underestimate the Bordelais. While they dither – and for anyone who doesn’t want to buy en primeur – there’s plenty of affordable, ready-for-drinking Bordeaux.

CELLAR NOTES

2005 Château d’Arcins, Haut-Médoc, £13.50
Seductively cedar-sweet, with supple tannins (Nicolas).

2005 Château Barreyres, Haut-Médoc, £8.99
Young and chunky, but already enjoyable, and should last five years (Sainsbury’s).

2003 Château Cèdre d’Arthus, Bordeaux, £9.95
Velvety, round, St-Emilion style. Ready for drinking (Private Cellar, 01353 721999).

WINE BLUFF

“2007 was an excellent Sauternes vintage”

Anorak fact: while it was a tough year for the reds of Bordeaux, it was very good for the dry whites, as well as the Sauternes

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