Bordeaux 2011 – case by case

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The campaign was predicted to be early and some relatively minor wines were indeed released yesterday. Hold on for more as Julia outlines her reactions to this very varied vintage.

That's case as in cas (instance) not case as in caisse (wooden box for wine). Right through the week of tastings in Bordeaux, I struggled to articulate generalisations about appellations, soil types, weather patterns, varieties or styles. In the end I realised that consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt's comment the day I arrived was most apt: vineyards had to be managed and wines made cas par cas, one by one. This...