The quality of 2010 Bordeaux looks set to rival that of the 2009 vintage, wine experts from the region have claimed.

Chateau Margaux technical director Paul Pontallier told Wine Spectator that he never expected to see a harvest as good 2009 again in his entire professional career, but the 2010 is definitely on a par.

Vintners in Bordeaux told the publication that their vats are full of young wines with intense flavour and colour, thanks to persistent warm, dry weather throughout the growing season.

"We were a little concerned about the drought but the rains came on time at the start of September to make sure the phenolic maturity completed," Thomas Duroux, managing director of Chateau Palmer in Margaux, told Wine Spectator.

Chateau Mouton Rothschild winemaking director Philippe Dhalluin recently told Harpers Wine & Spirit Trades Review that the 2010 vintage is comparable to 1986 or 1996 "but probably better".