Rolf Bichsel - Best of Bordeaux

on occasion, but this alters nothing about the historic context and significance

of either. I do not believe in objectivity when it comes to art or top wine – this

drinkable product of agricultural cultivation and handcrafted production that

arouses so much passion. Objectivity is the first step on the road to cultural fas-

cism.

38

HistoryGlobal trade

The power of the brand

Between 1700 and 1870, Bordeaux was synonymous with great, elegant red

wines and also a new colour (Bordeaux red), all of which quickly conquered the

world. Dry white wine also continued to be produced, but in the 19th century

in particular had to give ground to the production of exclusive sweet wines en-

joyed by more than just female foodies. This utterly blissful period – when the

vineyards of the Gironde were literally bursting at the seams and in addition to

the true top terroirs also occupied soils that would have been better used for

growing corn – was brought to a terrible end by the phylloxera crisis, stock mar-

ket crash and two world wars. This was a long drawn-out tragedy, as the region

constantly fought back but was ultimately forced to surrender. By the late 1940s,

Grand Crus existed only in memory in many areas. The Bordeaux wine as we

know it today is not centuries old, but is in fact now only barely reaching retire-

ment age. Bordeaux's return to its current lofty heights began around the turn of

the millennium, with the enthusiastic adoption of new technology which in the

best cases works hand-in-hand with age-old experience, and observance of the

golden rule that if you want to stay healthy and keep chalking up profits then

you have to master the art of selling your products, which requires international

distribution along a well-oiled, seamless chain stretching from the owner or a

director of an estate, who is responsible for the wine's quality and typicity (i.e. its

recognition factor), via merchants and wholesalers to general agents in distant

lands. This is how it works in Bordeaux: producers make wine from a selected

terroir using specially adapted grape varieties, which when blended ensure a

very particular style whose key characteristics are body, density and tannins

which develop as time passes. This style is elevated to the position of a system

and a brand which insists on its uniqueness. The producers cannot keep all the

profit for themselves, as A) they would be the only people willing and able to

brag about its uniqueness and B) they would be unable to a

ff

ord a global dis-

tribution network which is expensive to maintain, multiplies production costs

and forces the profit curve into a downward trend. So they have twenty, thirty

or fifty merchants on hand who must all sing the same tune for advertising and

distribution purposes. In return, they must be paid, which is no problem at all as

they simply increase the purchase price.

As investment in a brand is only worthwhile if it is spread out consistently

over a long period of time, clever merchants corner the market on certain wines

(those viewed as the most legendary, most expensive or most sought-after) be-

fore harvesting has even finished. This is what is now called ‘vente en primeur',

presented with great fanfare in the spring after the harvest. It involves purchase

via subscription, previously called ‘vente sur souche' or ‘option' and simply

means hogging the wines before they have even been bottled. This brings a

third partner into play, namely the broker or courtier, acting as a link between

Château Montrose

41

Brand and style History

estates and merchants. Why not sell direct? Quite simply because the broker

is a neutral party representing the interests of both partners, who would other-

wise be trying to get the better of one another. Brokers themselves do not sell

wines but simply take a fixed margin of four per cent, so it is in their interest to

regularly procure su

ffi

cient quantities, correctly assess the sales situation, the

demand and also the quality of the wine, and in the best cases justify a high

price (which helps the owner) whilst also ensuring that the wine remains af-

fordable to trade partners, who would otherwise go bankrupt or take their busi-

ness elsewhere. And to prevent brokers from deciding to engage in dumping

and undermine prices rather than following the unwritten rule of adhering to

a price guideline, sly sellers have been known to offer their daughters' hands

in marriage: the world of top Bordeaux is one huge family and solidarity rules

among family members, at least o

ffi

cially. Despite all the gloomy predictions,

this system which is so often written off has never functioned so well as over

the past twenty years, with the piper being paid (whether we like it or not) by

Bordeaux fans like us all over the world.

The theatre of aging

The road to success is a rocky one made of gravel, up to ten metres deep. The

benefits of this soil are that it drains water yet still always remains damp, is a

good heat store on frosty nights, requires the two or three grape varieties which

for centuries have proven their ability to root properly in the capricious climate,

and allows the grapes to ripen at leisure, so slowly that they become crisp and

thick-skinned, assimilate sugar (but not too much) and break down acidity be-

fore over-ripeness and rot set in. Wine pressed from these grapes and drunk

immediately turns out ink black, tart and almost undrinkable, tasting of grape

stems and pomace – ugh – one for the masochists. Instead, you would be better

sticking to fruity Burgundy, meaty Spanish examples or wines from the areas

around Saint-Emilion or Pomerol, which have smoother tannins (other than all

the New World copies which are now thankfully becoming rarer: the fashion

for over-extracted wines which reached its peak between 1995 and 2005 has

faded as quickly as it arrived). However, if you allow great Bordeaux from these

special soils to mature then it becomes unbeatable in terms of balance, airiness,

elegance and finesse, making it ideal for speculation, as great Bordeaux (particu-

larly Cabernet-based wines) goes on and on and keeps as well in a cellar as gold

bars, only tasting much better. And because modern winery technology now

means that the wines taste pleasant earlier but lose none of their aging ability,

great Bordeaux has remained ultra-modern and the whole world cannot get