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Average Scores of all Estates within a Region

The above chart represents the average of the scores gathered by all the Bordeaux wineries by wine growing region (AOC in French). For more details on a specific chateau, please use our search engine at the right hand's side of each page. This tool is extremely useful to pick the best wines at Bordeaux Futures offerings and wine auctions.  

88 to >90 = excellent
86 to 88 = very good
84 to 86 = good
< 84 = generally pleasant but lacks character, complexity or depth

In 2002, the soggy weather in Bordeaux was finally by saved by a fantastic September and early October. The resultant wines are varied in quality but overall this is a good vintage, with medium-bodied and well structured wines, that we would say is comparable in quality to 1986, 1988, 1999 and 2001, with the best Medocs having the potential to rival 1996. To generalise, it is a vintage that is particularly successful for Cabernet Sauvignon, for the Northern Medoc and for those growers who picked their fruit fully ripe in early October. However, good winemakers (who didn’t try to over-extract) have made some surprisingly successful wines, with richness and structure in balance, in all appellations. In fact, there are considerably fewer over-manipulated wines this year and a good choice of well-made, classically structured, traditional clarets at all price levels. 

A good year for Cabernet and Petit Verdot. The Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon crop showed 1986 like characteristics a very exciting prospect for the many of the Northern Medoc properties. The Late ripening Petit Verdot which only has a tiny, but growing, representation across the Medoc was also exceptional this year.
Everything about the wines has been late. The malolactic fermentations took place later than usual (initial malic acid levels were high) and there were very real fears that the wines would be too backward, introverted and difficult to taste in early April when they are nowadays presented to the world's wine commentators and merchants prior to being released en primeur as futures. 

In the event there were very clear differences between producers and appellations. The wines on the right bank from Saint Emilion, Pomerol and the like were generally much less impressive than those from the Medoc on the left bank. Their most common fault - and a common shortcoming in many of the lesser  Graves and Pessac-Leognan wines too, which were relatively pale - is an unattractive greenness with a hollowness of flavour. On the other hand, fewer and fewer producers on the right bank seem to be making pastiche wines, a style that was anyway extremely difficult to achieve in this underripe, non-Merlot year. This may be not unrelated to the apparent lack of demand for the so-called 'garage wines', small batches of highly priced essences of Merlot. To make good wine in 2002 you needed a seriously good soil and an excellent vineyard. 

As a whole, it seems that the winning appellation is Sauternes Barsac - another great vintage after 2001 for sweet white wines. Sauternes-Barsac is closely followed by the Northern Left Bank trio - Pauillac, Saint-Estephe and Saint-Julien. Interesting so notice that the Medoc's more Southern appellations Pessac-Leognan and Margaux, have, on average done quite poorly in comparison. Thanks to some compelling wines, right bank Saint-Emilion and Pomerol have finally done much better than expected amid a very tricky environment for early maturing Merlot grapes.

The Bordeaux TOP 10 Classification displays 3 Pauillac, 2 Saint-Julien, 2 Saint-Emilion et 1 Pessac-Leognan (Graves) properties. It is completed by two Sauternes-Barsac Grand Crus. For Sauternes-Barsac's sweet wines, 2002 is perhaps not as miraculous and rich as 2001 but one may find many successful wines coming from properties who selected the most botrytised berries from the first and last picking periods and knew how to manage the shrivelled ones. As usual, taking into account the painstaking care that goes into making the late harvesting sweet wines, these are the real bargains of Bordeaux 2002. Wines from the Margaux, Saint-Estephe, Pomerol, Medoc et Haut-Medoc appellation are not showing particularly strongly and are not represented at the top level of Classification . 

The Bordeaux TOP 50 Classification clearly confirms the supremacy of some Left bank appellations (Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Saint-Estephe). Sauternes-Barsac and the right bank areas (Saint-Emilion, Pomerol) respectively count for less than 30% and 20% of the wines listed.

 TOP

This year we have statistically estimated the effect of the critics' scores on the price - or "Score Effect". This measure is average in 2002 with a 12% price increase for each additional scoring point. In comparison, the Score Effect was +12% in 2001, +15% in 2000, +9% in 1999, +12% in 1998 and finally +10% in 1997. 

Price is a major issue. With the war in Iraq, economic problems, falling stock markets, the strong Euro and anti-French sentiments in America, this is a year in which we've seen very substantial price reductions from the previous years (-30% from 2001 and -50% from 2000!). Many wineries have come back to their 1996 price levels. Bordeaux rarely price wines according to their quality but as a result of the market needs. That's why the outstanding 1990s was sold at reduced prices in May 1991 and why the disappointing 1997s were sold at higher prices than the great 1998. Many producers are convinced that their 2002s are better than their 2001, 1999, 1998 and 1997s but most accept, reluctantly, that they will have to sell them at lower prices. We view that if Bordeaux wants to sell en primeur, it clearly has to deliver quality AND value to the consumer. 

If the global economic recovery is confirmed and the US Dollar strengthens again versus Euro, the value of the best wines of the vintage will probably increase by 10%-15% by the time they arrive at your local wine shops in 2004-2005. Volume in 2002 was approx. 30% lower than on average years. This parameter will definitely have some influence on prices. But one should only concentrate on the best wines of the vintage as the supply for lesser quality wines will remain high. 

Finally, according to our Contributors' comments, the white dry wines of the region are not quite as good as the excellent 2001 vintage..

Winemega's precise and mathematical approach, picks the best wine deals with total objectivity and independence.


Alain Bringolf for Winemega.com align="left" height="13">

Thanks to our Contributors for their comments:
- Jancis Robinson
- Farr Vintners
- Will Gardener (Nickolls & Perks)
- Jacques Perrin
- Jean Solis