Every five years or so, the Bordeaux wine region has a "Vintage of the Century." In this millennium alone, Bordeaux has already had two: 2000 and 2005. Now, with the 2009 vintage apparently, they really mean it.

In March, 400 journalists descended on Bordeaux for the annual barrel tasting of the latest vintage. The praise was already high for the 2009 wine resting in barrel. Professor Denis Dubourdeu, the president of the University of Bordeaux, reported that all five conditions for a perfect harvest had transpired in 2009: early flowering in May, a healthy and uniform set in June, an early July verasion (when the grapes turn from green to red), a touch of rain and warm weather in August to achieve perfect physiological ripeness and finally a warm September with no rain in October before harvest.

Jean-Philippe Delmas of Château Haut-Brion said, "The '09s are the richest wines we have ever made, but despite this richness the wines are balanced and fresh ... Making a big, rich wine is now possible for almost anyone, but to make one that is also balanced is another story. And that to me is the real magic of 2009."

Michel Rolland, the renowned winemaking consultant put it bluntly: "Quite simply, 2009 is the best Bordeaux vintage I have ever worked with." Frédéric Engerer, estate manager at Château Latour said, "It's important that those of us lucky enough to have tasted these wines early to fix them in our memory, because 30 years from now this will still be the vintage by which all new ones are measured."

Robert Parker, the most important wine journalist attending the March Bordeaux tasting, has made a living reporting on Bordeaux since the 1982 vintage and has been called the most influential wine critic of all time. In his current May Wine Advocate report, titled Once Upon a Time (1899, 1929, 1949, 1959, 2009), Parker states, "2009 may turn out to be the finest vintage I have tasted in 32 years of covering Bordeaux."

Using his 100-point rating scale, Parker's scores have immense impact on the price of Bordeaux. Many will only buy wines he rates as "outstanding" (90 to 95 points), whereas wines he rates 80 to 89 are hard to sell at any price. His great reviews of the Bordeaux 2000 and 2005 vintages had most Chateaux raising their prices to unheard-of levels while his decision not to rate the 2002 vintage had the same Chateaux scrambling to sell its wines at much lower prices.

Made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, Bordeaux is a benchmark wine to which many others are compared. Enjoying a maritime climate on the Atlantic Ocean in southwest France, Bordeaux is the largest wine region in the world, with over 10,000 producers making wine from 13,000 growers.

The best, or most expensive, Bordeaux wines are from the 61 Chateaux that made the famous 1855 Classification in Bordeaux. Ranking the wines in five classifications for the Paris World Expo at the request of Napoleon III, the 1855 classification has stood the test of time with only five wines in the first growth status: Chateaux Marguax, Lafite, Latour, Mouton-Rothschild and Haut Brion, wines of the highest quality and highest price. Parker wrote in his May report "forget the first growths, they have become luxury products, and possess the same prestigious image as Rolls Royce, Bently or Aston Martin cars."

"Super seconds" like Chateau Montrose, Cos D'Estournel and Leoville las Cases often rival the first growths for quality but sell for quite a bit less. But even these wines in much ballyhooed vintages can be out of reach for most. Lovers of Bordeaux who can't afford the blue-chip first and second-growth wines (myself included) look for affordable third-, fourth- and fifth-growth wines such as Chateau Lynch Bages, Clerc Milon and Grand Puy Lacoste.

Though the U.S. dollar is stronger now than in recent years, many Bordeaux insiders expect 80 percent of the wines from the top estates will end up in the Far East, especially China, which will likely become the major player for top classified-growth Bordeaux over the next few years. Parker wrote in his report that "what the Chinese are prepared to pay for the 2009s in advance was eye-opening." Buying wines on "futures" means those who can will pay now (in this case exorbitantly) and not receive the wines for three years.

There really is no beverageas hedonistic as a great Bordeaux wine from an excellent vintage. Powerful black and red fruits are combined in a massive structure with elegant tannins. Most Bordeaux wines need 10 to 20 years from their vintage to begin to reach their optimum plateau of pleasurable drinking. While the 2005 and 2000 have a ways to go, the best vintages to drink now are 1998, 1996, 1995, 1990 and 1989. Surprisingly, many of these wines from older and equally as outstanding vintages are much more affordable, and more widely available.

Greg O'Byrne is executive director of the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta. His column appears in Taste on the third Wednesday of every month. Questions or comments? Write to vinevents@aol.com.