Earlier this summer, the highly respected wine publication Decanter announced that 75% of the Bordeaux crop had been destroyed by mildew. The legendary Anthony Barton, proprietor of Chateaux Leoville and Langoa Barton and Decanter’s Man of the Year 2007, was puzzled as to how exactly they obtained this statistic. However, one thing could not be questioned – things were not looking good in Bordeaux.
“At the end of August I was very depressed. The only thing to do was pray.” Anthony’s prayers seem to have been answered and he tells us that he is quite happy to have water on the knee now instead of water in his vines. A late sunny spell in September has brought the vintage back from the brink of disaster and the harvest is proceeding apace.