Two thousand nine, the first “vintage of the century” in France since 2005, is yet another year in which the early hype has motivated producers to raise prices and has quickly overshadowed some very good wines from the previous vintage—in this case, 2008. Of course, weak economies and sluggish sales of over-$25 wine will put a damper on sales in major wine-drinking markets like the U.S. and U.K. But it’s still a good bet that credulous consumers will overpay for 2009s, while leaving much cheaper—and often more classic, more interesting and more refreshing—2008s (and 2007s) moldering on the shelves. READ MORE »
