The 2010 Bordeaux vintage was saved by an unusually cool August, according to a leading negociant.

Speaking to wine critic Jancis Robinson's website, Bill Blatch reveals that July and August suffered from "total drought", with 50 hours more sunshine that would normally have been expected.

However, the cooler temperature in August - particularly at night - helped to preserve the acidity, while the vines were able to draw on some moisture left in the soil from a very wet winter.

The acidity of the 2010 Bordeaux is markedly higher than that found in the 2009s, Mr Blatch notes, while tannins in the newer wines are at "extraordinary" levels - 50 to 70 per cent higher than last year's produce.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, critic Will Lyons suggested that effusive praise from the early tasting reports could mean that the prices for 2010 Bordeaux end up exceeding the record set by the 2009 vintage.