For a brand with a reputation stretching back several centuries, Bordeaux needs to think beyond the current vintage.  With quantities deliberately designed to force scarcity on the market despite production in the thousands of cases, Primeurs is no longer sales and marketing.  This is now, purely, an exercise in power. It must be said:  Bordeaux, you are making a big mistake with the 2009 Futures Campaign.

Want to get the most out of what you already know and drink?  Learn from my ridiculous habits and inappropriate unsolicited interference in others’ wine drinking enjoyment.  Here is your very own plan for better wine, Part 1.

And Part 2 is now up. Just in time for summer, we focus on the salutary benefits of controlling temperature.  Yay!

A good friend of mine, Mr. Oliver Styles, had an interesting column about wine competitions, and why the elite wines generally avoid entering them.   I think he has a point, but there is more to the story.  Here are the six rules for marketing Elite Wines.

Derby Weekend Update:  Just in time for the 136th Run for the Roses on May 1, we profile a chateau running on great horsepower -- Chateau Pontet Canet. See how their dedication in the vineyard translates to some of the best wine you will have, and (hopefully!) at prices we will continue to afford!

And Robert Parker just issued his report with a 21 Gun Salute to the 2009 Vintage.  Do you agree? I have 9 points for you to Ponder about Parker’s take on 2009.

Spring 2010:  FINALLY.  Spring is sprung, and after record snows all winter, I could not be more pleased.  I am heading directly to Bordeaux for the 2009 Primeurs event, tasting with the Union Des Grands Crus, and visiting most any chateaux you can think of.  This vintage is going to be very interesting, not least because I saw first-hand how the harvest was handled last fall.  I saw first hand how the harvest was handled last fall. It was a beautiful harvest, with reports from both sides of the Gironde getting their way with beautiful, clean ripe bunches going into the tanks.  Take a look at some of the footage and photos from the Harvest, and you’ll see what I mean.  From Pomerol and St Emilion to Margaux and St Julien, and in Sweet Wine Capitol of the world Barsac/Sauternes, the Harvest Moon was a powerful omen.

How good will the wines be?  Some say the sky is the limit for 2009, others are reporting that there may be over-ripeness or higher alcohol.  But will they be Bordeaux??  We will see, and you will soon know. UPDATE:  Put on your HeartBeats, crank up Poker Face and read about the perfect wine for Lady Gaga.

Ever considered a blind tasting?  Circle Rive Droite had the option for Blind or Labeled, and it made for a very interesting day.

Don’t miss the magic in Margaux, a superlative vintage for the most seductive wine region in Bordeaux.  You’ll also catch an interview with one of the hardest working directors, Ms Sophie Schyler-Thierry of Chateau Kirwan, one of the great wines of the appellation for 2009.

And the action on the Left Bank continues with the blind tasting at Chateau Citran, home of very proud peacocks!

Some compare the 2009 to the Heatwave 2003 Vintage.  I don’t think this is accurate, those temps in 2003 hit much higher levels, and the nights in 2009 were much cooler.  Still, some amazing wines were produced in 2003, particularly on the Left Bank.  Read this note on First Growth Chateau Latour on the FaceBook Page of City Wine Journal and you’ll see just how hard it will be for 2009 to make true history.

Follow City Wine Journal throughout the next fortnight, and we’ll bring the photos, stories, tastings and a few videos to you for your enjoyment.  Meanwhile, why not take a tour of your own on the Right Bank? I put together a video of a wonderful wine tour and tasting event organized for the Wine School of Philadelphia, with two experts in Saint-Emilion.  What a day we had with the Brothers Baillarguet on the Right Bank, including a great tasting of 2008 Barre Samples of very special winemaker projects.

Find me on Twitter and Face Book. And, write to me at MiguelLecuona@mac.com.  And please let me know how you are doing.

Don’t waste time on bad wine.

The better the wine, the easier it is to share.

Invite a friend.  Pull that cork!

You need no more reason than that.