Latest from Decanter (Vanilla) in Bordeaux-2020

Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

Georgie Hindle — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 11:06:20 +0000

Complicated weather conditions tested winemakers in the vineyards and cellars in Pessac and Graves in 2020 with a mainly dry and warm growing season saved by crucial rains in August.

The vintage produced structured, supple and generous red wines by producers who picked at the right time and exhibited a light touch in the winery. The best white wines have ripe, exotic fruit touches balanced by freshness and crisp acidity.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2020 in-bottle wines

Average yields for Pessac-Léognan in 2020 were 34.6hl/ha, lowers than 2018 at 36.9hl/ha and 2019 at 47.2hl/ha with a 10-year-average of 40.5hl/ha.

A rainy winter was followed by a warm but also rainy spring giving the appellation historic amounts of water between March and June. Winemakers also had to battle frosts at the end of March with two days of extreme cold. The weather then turned extremely warm and dry, although saw heavy rain in the beginning of May. Flowering started early and by mid-June the temperatures rose becoming hot, sunny and dry.

Drought conditions were brought on with highs of 40 degrees celsius and no rain between July and August. Fortunately water arrived between 11-13 August although it was almost 50% less than received in the Médoc. Harvests started early with white grapes coming in at the end of August and the reds beginning in early September.

For Véronique Sanders president of Château Haut-Bailly, 2020 ‘was a fantastic year quality wise’ where they ‘focussed on the vintage in a crazy way’.

‘We had extreme conditions – the weather ups and downs, lockdowns, two nights of frost. It was tough, we had to work quickly. There was mildew pressure, a closure of the bunches from drought, heat spikes and thunderstorms, but in the end we got the rain we wanted and it turned out to be a great vintage’.

‘It was about vigilance and reactivity,’ Sanders said with ‘the key words for us being determination and tenacity – and the passion of the team’.

In terms of comparisons, Sanders says 2018 is ‘concentrated, dense and with low yields’, 2019 has ‘beautiful elegance’ reminding her of 2009 where ‘every single lot was good and the blend was easy’ while 2020 is ‘a mix of both – with density, power, elegance and approachability’.

At Château Les Carmes Haut Brion, winemaker and general manager Guillaume Pouthier said with the maturity and ripeness of the fruit in 2020 the key was getting the extraction right. ‘You want a powerful wine but also to increase the drinkability of that wine. You want it to be finished.

‘The tannins make a good or great wine. In the best vintages at top estates you want nice round tannins from the beginning in tougher vintages they’re more angular and will need more time to soften’, he said.

In general 2020 saw higher alcohols than 2021 but lower than 2018 and 2019 although they stuck out at some estates, something Carmes mitigated with 55% whole bunch fermentation bringing the final ABV to 13.5% compared to 14.5% and even 15% other properties.

Top 8 Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2020 wines:

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 100 points

Château Smith Haut Lafitte 98 points

Château Haut-Brion 97 points

Château Haut-Bailly 97 points

Château La Mission Haut-Brion 96 points

Château Smith Haut Lafitte 96 points

Domaine de Chevalier 96 points

Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte 96 points

Château Couhins 95 points

Château Couhins-Lurton, Blanc 95 points

Château Haut-Brion, Blanc 95 points

Château La Mission Haut-Brion 95 points

Domaine de Chevalier, Blanc 95 points

Château Pape Clément 95 points

SCORE TABLE: top-scoring 349 wines with 92 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

See all Bordeaux 2020 in-bottle wines in score order

See tasting notes and scores for the top Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2020 in-bottle wines

The following wines all scored 94 points or above.

Bordeaux 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

Margaux 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

Georgie Hindle — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 09:23:59 +0000

A strong showing for Margaux in 2020 that battled with difficult growing conditions like much of the Left Bank, with estates battling with climatic extremes and dealing with drought the best they could.

Estates on clay-gravels performed well and those that harvested grapes at full maturity from the middle of September were generally successful.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Margaux 2020 in-bottle wines

Careful extraction was also necessary in 2020, so calm and relaxed vinifications were also key to attaining elegance with no harshness.

Margaux had an average yield of 36.3hl/ha in 2020. This compares to 37.4hl/ha in 2018 and 49.2hl/ha in 202 with a 10-year-average of 41.2hl/ha.

For Claire Villers-Lurton at Château Ferrière, 3ème Grand Cru Classé, Margaux, 2020 is a ‘big vintage’, with ‘quite a lot of austerity compared to 2019. But, it’s rich and pure – one of the best vintages I’ve ever had.

‘There are lots of tannins in 2020 but the wines are supple, well balanced and complete. I think it’s a great vintage.’

Lurton makes some comparison with 2010 in terms of power and stucture, but says ‘the vines are different and the winemaking is different – we decided to do much more slower extractions in 2020 to ensure we produced smoother wines’.

At Durfort-Vivens, Gonzague Lurton noted the ‘small, rich and concentrated crop’. For him, ‘2020 is in between 2018 and 2019 in terms of style, richer and more full bodied than the 2019 but more freshness than 2018.’

‘Ten years ago we might have worried about producing heavy wines from sunny vintages but we have balance and freshness here’.

For Alexis Leven-Mentzelopoulos, business development director and deputy general manager at Bordeaux first growth Château Margaux, 2020 was a dream vintage in the end producing a wine of statuesque quality. ‘I can’t imagine making a better wine that 2020,’ he explained during a tasting at the property, ‘except perhaps for 2022’ he added.

Top 4 Margaux 2020 wines:

Château Margaux, (1er Cru Classé) 99 points

Château Rauzan-Ségla, (2ème Cru Classé) 98 points

Château Palmer, (3ème Cru Classé) 98 points

Château Brane-Cantenac, (2ème Cru Classé) 97 points

SCORE TABLE: top-scoring 349 wines with 92 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

See all Bordeaux 2020 in-bottle wines in score order

See tasting notes and scores for the top Margaux 2020 in-bottle wines

The following wines all scored 93 points or above.

Bordeaux 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

St-Emilion 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

Georgie Hindle — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 15:06:12 +0000

A large number of extremely good quality and exciting wines from St-Emilion in 2020 from estates on water-retaining soils that gave enough nourishment to the vines at critical times. The best are extremely aromatic with floral and ripe fruit scents, richly concentrated and deep cores with silky smooth, well-integrated tannins.

The less successful wines however show austerity, tightness and lean harsh tannins and / or extremely high alcohols with some above 15% and even 15.5% ABV. Harvesting at the right time and careful extraction were key here in 2020.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top St-Emilion 2020 in-bottle wines

Average yields in St-Emilion in 2002 were 36.7hl/ha, lower than 2018 at 39.7hl/ha and 2019 at 43hl/ha with a 10-year-average of 39.1hl/ha.

Spring was warm and humid with February, April and May warmer than average (3.5°C , and 2.2°C respectively) which caused a large onset of mildew. Estates also saw two nights of localised frost at the end of March with generally rainy conditions throughout the month. From early April the weather remained hot, sunny and dry, with a drought period lasting 55 days between June 20 and August 9-10. Crucially, some vines saw rain between 9-14 August helping restart growth. Nevertheless, some grapes were raisened leading to crop losses. An early and quick harvest started in the first half of September in some estates with sunny, warm, dry days and cool nights giving maturity and freshness to the grapes. Rain came at the end of September.

For Frédéric Faye, managing director at Château Figeac, the ‘main risk was to maintain freshness and gentle extraction’.

‘2020 is the most complete of the three warm vintages’ he said, adding ‘maybe due to the knowledge we have now it is the most precise. We learned a lot from the previous vintages and so we managed the extraction, choice of barrel and ageing a little differently.’

The 2020 vintage at Figeac was produced in a temporary cellar but with new vats of varying sizes, all of which were incorporated into the finalised building for the 2021 vintage.

At Château Cheval Blanc, technical director Pierre-Olivier Clouet explained that the use of cover crop for the first time helped decrease the ground temperatures in the vineyards and helped retain water more efficiently to preserve humidity.

‘It was important to use not to have soil that was ploughed, not to have too much heat on the soil and not to let all the water run off straight away,’ he said.

‘We had to pay huge attention to achieve a balanced veraison with careful morning-side leaf pulling. We want to pick the grapes at the best time, when everything is fresh, for this we need optimum homogeneity throughout the season.’

When it came to harvest Clouet said; ‘The second important point was the capacity to pick quickly. For me, it was like cooking, when you have the meat in the casserole and the flame is high, the speed of maturation is not the same if the flame is low. We picked every day from the third of September and every day we had the sensation that the day before was better. It was almost 36 degrees celsius outside with 14 hours of sun per day and 53 plots to pick – we ran in the vines.

‘The challenge was how to compensate the excess – the alcohol, the power of the tannins, the density of the fruit. We had cold chambers for the grapes and 14 different sized tanks to match with the plots. No cool maceration but low temperature fermentations’.

A total of 17% of the yield was declassified by Cheval Blanc in 2020. ‘In an excessive year you can’t use a large proportion of your vines because they don’t have the roots to support the excess drought. When vines are less than 10 years old in a dry summer they suffer,’ he said.

Top 12 St-Emilion 2020 wines:

Château Troplong Mondot, (1er Grand Cru Classé B), 100 points

Château Bélair-Monange, (1er Grand Cru Classé B), 99 points

Château Canon, (1er Grand Cru Classé B), 99 points

Château Ausone, (1er Grand Cru Classé A), 98 points

Château Cheval Blanc, (1er Grand Cru Classé A), 98 points

Château Figeac, (1er Grand Cru Classé B), 98 points

Château Larcis Ducasse, (1er Grand Cru Classé B), 98 points

Château Angélus, (1er Grand Cru Classé A), 97 points

Château Pavie, (1er Grand Cru Classé A), 97 points

Château Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse, (1er Grand Cru Classé B), 97 points

Château Pavie Macquin, (1er Grand Cru Classé B), 97 points

Clos Fourtet, (1er Grand Cru Classé B), 97 points

SCORE TABLE: top-scoring 349 wines with 92 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

See all Bordeaux 2020 in-bottle wines in score order

See tasting notes and scores for the top St-Emilion 2020 in-bottle wines

The following wines all scored 95 points or above.

Bordeaux 2020 top-scorers: score table
Bordeaux 2020 in-bottle: photo gallery

Pomerol 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

Georgie Hindle — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 14:28:02 +0000

Characterful, structured, opulent and balanced wines comprise the best from Pomerol in 2020. The deep clay and gravel with clay terroirs worked best in the hot and dry conditions that saw 55 days with no rain.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Pomerol 2020 in-bottle wines

Average yields in Pomerol in 2020 were 39.8hl/ha, above 2018 at 36.2hl/ha but lower than 2019 at 43hl/ha with a 10-year-average at 37.7hl/ha.

As an appellation with smaller estates, and correspondingly smaller teams, certainly compared to the Medoc, Pomerol was the least affected by the disruption caused by lockdowns and the heath crisis in 2020. Particularly for properties who maintain the same vineyard teams all year long such as Lafleur and L’Eglise Clinet who ‘spent an extreme amount of time in the vineyards’ as Omri Ram winemaker at Château Lafleur put it.

‘We had time to work. On the one hand it was good as we don’t depend on anyone – we have our own team of 23 people, full time, so it was tranquil’.

For Ram, 2020 has ‘a complexity that we already learnt and came to know with 2016 and 2018. It was same type of season – hybrid – half and half with an extremely rainy start, the most rainy spring we can remember here, then an extreme switch to drought and heat by June.

‘2016 and 2018 taught us that weather and the climate are changing and that a season could start one way and then completely flip. In 2016 we managed it well while trying to understand what was happening, in 2018 we knew how to work with the conditions and in 2020 we managed to anticipate it.’

In terms of vintage comparisons, Ram said: ‘2018 and 2020 come from turbulent ‘childhoods’ – with weather switching at least three times during the growing season, you can clearly feel that in the young wines. 2019 came from linear and coherent childhood weather-wise and is therefore more easy to understand. 2020 is more difficult to read when young, but it doesn’t mean they won’t surpass their potential.’

For Eric Monneret, director at La Pointe, 2020 was a ‘dream vintage’ with ‘quality and volume’. 2020 is a perfect sum of 2018 and 2019 because it’s as supple and charming as 2018 but with more energy and more freshness, and it has the elegance and tension of 2019.

‘For me, 2020 has mass appeal – you definitely have palates for 2018 and palates for 2019, which is always a good debate, but 2020 can satisfy everyone with its generosity and charm.

Winemaker Juliette Couderc, at Château L’Évangile (in organic conversion during 2020) noted the difference in aromatics and tannins for the same grape on different soils. ‘The aromatics were the same for Merlot on different soils but the tannins were completely different. With blue clay we got soft and silky, chewy tannins whereas on gravel they was more straight showing that the Merlot suffered some stress.

‘For us it was important to harvest at the right time to get fresh fruits, and in terms of tannins we had to managed the extraction carefully.

The weekend of the 12-13 was really key for us, a big heatwave was forecast (above 32-33 degrees celsius) so the question was to pick before or after? We decided to pick 80% of the fruit from plateau before the weekend to keep freshness. We know what we can lose in just a few days – especially for Merlot, it’s such a fine line, then straight after Cabernet Franc just arrived – there was no window between the grapes.’

For Olivier Berrouet at Pétrus, it was the ‘aromatic expression, the balance and the density’ that impressed the most. ‘Everything was in harmony and giving pleasure from day one’, he said.

Top 8 Pomerol 2020 wines:

Château Trotanoy, 100 points

Petrus, 100 points

Château La Fleur-Pétrus, 99 points

Château L’Évangile, 98 points

Château La Conseillante, 98 points

Château Lafleur Pomerol, 98 points

Vieux Château Certan, 98 points

Château Le Pin Pomerol, 97 points

SCORE TABLE: top-scoring 349 wines with 92 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

See all Bordeaux 2020 in-bottle wines in score order

See tasting notes and scores for the top Pomerol 2020 in-bottle wines

The following wines all scored 94 points or above.

St-Estèphe 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

Georgie Hindle — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 13:42:44 +0000

Concentrated, plush, finessed and aromatic, St-Estèphe delivered some excellent wines in 2020 with the cool, clay, limestone and grave soils playing a part in the vines ability to deal with the intense summer heat and drought conditions.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top St-Estèphe 2020 in-bottle wines

Average yields in St-Estèphe were 41.2hl/ha, the highest of the Left Bank appellations. They are lower however than 2018 which was 44.6hl/ha, and 2019 which was 49.7hl/ha.

A mild winter was following by heavy rain in March then a spring frost. April was unusually hot bring on an early flowering in May. Summer was hot and dry with drought conditions meaning vineyards with less moisture retaining soils suffered more than those on clay. Uneven rain in August and September meant estates had to pick carefully.

‘We had five heatwaves in St-Estephe in 2020,’ Andrea Denecheau at Château Calon Ségur. ‘It wasn’t easy. We’re blessed by the clay but we’re getting used to having smaller, very concentrated berries’.

In terms of vintage comparison, Pierre Graffeuille general manager at Château Montrose, said: ‘the 2020 vintage is more like 2016, with less alcohol than you have in 2018 and 2019 – the balance is different. 2016 maybe has more charm, but the 2020 is very young so we’ll see how it will evolve – there is a big potential for 2020.

With small berries, the Montrose team reduced the number of pump overs as well as general extraction time to get soft tannins.

Top 3 St-Estèphe 2020 wines:

Château Montrose, (2ème Cru Classé), 98 points

Château Cos d’Estournel, (2ème Cru Classé), 97 points

Château Calon Ségur, (3ème Cru Classé), 98 points

SCORE TABLE: top-scoring 349 wines with 92 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

See all Bordeaux 2020 in-bottle wines in score order

See tasting notes and scores for the top St-Estèphe 2020 in-bottle wines

The following wines all scored 92 points or above.

Bordeaux 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

St-Julien 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

Georgie Hindle — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 13:41:26 +0000

Stylistically St-Julien managed to produce classic, rich, opulent and fresh wines in 2020.

The average yield for St-Julien was 34.2hl/ha. In 2018 it was 42.6hl/ha, and in 2019 45.5hl/ha with a 10-year-average of 41.8hl/ha. Estates with vines nearer the Gironde faired better in terms of quantity than those further inland.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top St-Julien 2020 in-bottle wines

Due to extreme weather conditions consistency was varied across the appellation with some clear standouts from the clay-gravel soils that managed to balance richness with structure and freshness. An extremely wet and warm spring initiated an early start to the season with a correspondingly early harvest. May saw record-breaking temperatures – the fourth highest month in eight decades – with a peak of 30 degrees centigrade. Flowering happened 10 days earlier than usual with hot, dry and drought conditions from July onwards.

Estates with clay and limestone soils were able to hold water and moisture nourishing the vines better than those on gravel soils that saw their growth stopped at one point. Much-needed rain fell in the middle of August reigniting growth, less than in St-Estephe and Pauillac but more than Margaux, although it did vary in intensity even within the appellation.

Dry and warm days and cool nights saw good conditions for harvest (among the earliest for some estates in more than two decades) with grapes able to retain freshness and acidity.

Despite lockdowns and the heath crisis leaving lingering memories in the minds of vignerons in 2020, the vintage was a particularly memorable Sara Lecompte-Cuvelier of Château Léoville Poyferré, 2ème Grand Cru Classé with her family estate celebrating a decade of ownership.

‘We are proud of our 2020. It was a challenging vintage that needed so much care and attention to detail. It is a great vintage in St-Julien combining the charm of 2019 with the depth of 2018,’ she said.

Bruno Borie owner of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, 2ème Grand Cru Classé, St-Julien, also celebrated in 2020 with its 300 year anniversary and also notes the challenges faced by winemakers today. ‘You used to be able to take a holiday in August but the key today is to have a sufficiently large and educated team to understand the new issues and practises within the vineyard and be able to implement them quickly and efficiently’.

The estate saw the creation of a new technical team in 2016, headed by Emmanuel Bonneau, coupled with the addition of an R&D/Quality Department in 2019 headed by Cécile Dupuis. Ducru-Beaucaillou 2020 shows the work in the vineyards and personalised vinifications have paid off, keeping the signature style with greater purity, precision and depth.

Top 4 St-Julien 2020 wines:

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, (2ème Cru Classé), 99 points

Château Gruaud-Larose, (2ème Cru Classé), 98 points

Château Léoville-Las Cases, (2ème Cru Classé), 97 points

Château Léoville Poyferré, (2ème Grand Cru Classé), 96 points

SCORE TABLE: top-scoring 349 wines with 92 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

See all Bordeaux 2020 in-bottle wines in score order

See tasting notes and scores for the top St-Julien 2020 in-bottle wines

The following wines all scored 90 points or above.

Bordeaux 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

Pauillac 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

Georgie Hindle — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 13:39:51 +0000

The appellation was extremely marked by the hot weather and drought conditions creating – in general – small but juicy berries with thick skins and high levels of tannins. Although there was large variability in grape size within vineyards let alone across the entire appellation with localised rainfall in April and August causing heterogeneity.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Pauillac 2020 in-bottle wines

Pauillac saw an average yield of 37.4hl/ha in 2020, lower than 2018 at 38.5hl/ha and 2019 at 46.7hl/ha.

Like other appellations in the Médoc the winter was mild and rainy, with a warm February and tropical spring with rain storms in March causing an uneven and protracted budbreak. April was hot and May entered the record books for the fourth warmest month in more than eighty years. Flowering was early, June was cool and rainy and August was dry and warm with several heatwaves causing drought situations on non-water retentive soils.

Some estates saw over 100mm of rain in August – much needed for thirsty grapes, though others saw only a few mm, again causing varied results. An early harvest – one of the earliest on record – with mostly dry and warm weather until the middle of September.

‘We picked everything in good conditions’ said Jean-Charles Cazes of Château Lynch-Bages. ‘The wines have good freshness, not overripe, bold but still refreshing with good acidity. It’s a vintage for the long haul’. 2020 was the first vintage in brand new cellar facilities at Lynch-Bages – an addition to the 2020 label – with gravity feeding installed to ‘respect the fruit’ as well as doubling the number of vinification tanks and therefore doubling the number of samples available during blending. The 2020 Lynch-Bages is one of my favourite wines of the vintage with such purity, energy and control on show.

For Nicolas Glumineau, director of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, 2ème Cru Classé, 2020 was all about strategic decisions and vineyard management.

‘First we had to deal with critical disease pressure during the spring, though fortunately summer was perfect. Then everything was about the strategy during the harvest – we had the choice to hurry to rush and finish the harvest before the forecast rain or to wait and see and to leave the Cabernet out in order for the tannins to become more silky. We chose to wait and it worked out well for us’.

Similarly at Lafite, ‘2020 will be remembered as one of those good winegrowers’ vintages, where you had to observe, change your mind ten times and where you could never be right on your own. It promised to be an extremely early vintage. It ended up just being ‘early’, with magnificent densities but without the spike we had feared. A vintage of contrasts…and of teamwork!’.

In terms of vintage comparisons, Glumineau said: ‘2019 and 2020 are close in quality, a step up from 2018 for sure. Like 2009 and 2010, I really love 2020 – it has depth, minerality and a verticality and, as for Pichon, the further we get with biodynamics the more it shows. 2020, more than 2019, has a true expression of what biodynamics can make’.

Top 14 Pauillac 2020 wines:

Château Mouton Rothschild, (1er Cru Classé) 100 points

Château Lafite Rothschild, (1er Cru Classé) 99 points

Château Latour, (1er Cru Classé) 99 points

Château Lynch-Bages, (5ème Cru Classé) 98 points

Château Pichon Baron, (2ème Cru Classé) 98 points

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, (2ème Cru Classé) 98 points

Château Batailley, (5ème Cru Classé) 97 points

Château Duhart-Milon, (4ème Cru Classé) 97 points

Château Haut-Bages Libéral, (5ème Cru Classé) 97 points

Château Pontet-Canet, (5ème Cru Classé) 97 points

Château Haut-Batailley, (5ème Cru Classé) 96 points

Château Batailley, (5ème Cru Classé) 96 points

Château Haut-Bages Libéral, (5ème Cru Classé) 96 points

Château Pontet-Canet, (5ème Cru Classé) 96 points [/breakout]

SCORE TABLE: top-scoring 349 wines with 92 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

See all Bordeaux 2020 in-bottle wines in score order

See tasting notes and scores for the top Pauillac 2020 in-bottle wines

The following wines all scored 94 points or above.

Bordeaux 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

En Primeur virtual wine tastings: How the US went digital

Elin McCoy — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 09:00:15 +0000

One sunny morning in June 2020, Philippe de Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild’s then managing director Philippe Dhalluin smiled from my computer screen, thanks to Microsoft Teams video conferencing, which I’d just figured out how to use.

The duo, at Mouton, plunged into the back story of the excellent 2019 vintage in Bordeaux, while I sipped, and discreetly spat out, barrel samples they’d shipped over to me in rural Connecticut, some 5,700km away.

At my desk, I balanced bottles, glasses, spit bucket, pen and notebook, and scribbled notes. For US merchants and wine writers, dozens of these remote experiences on Zoom, Teams, Webex and more were 2020’s Covid-19 lockdown version of Bordeaux’s hectic annual en primeur week, usually held two months earlier, in April.

The contrast with the previous year’s tastings, when I drove madly from château to château, travelling some 600km over two weeks, could not have been greater. ‘Virtual’ en primeur in the US brought different challenges – technological, logistical, practical.

With Eric Kohler, technical director for Château Lafite Rothschild, who was in the south of France, the video worked perfectly but not the sound, so we had to talk via phone while watching one another savour Lafite 2019. Samples from one château made a two-week side trip to Ohio before reaching me, but were nevertheless okay.

Welcome relief

The big question was whether anyone in the US cared about 2019 Bordeaux in the midst of pandemic turmoil, with people dying, restaurants closing, unemployment at nearly 15% and tariffs of 25% applied to wines from France (and Spain, Germany and the UK).

On the other hand, people were drinking – a lot. Surprisingly, the futures campaign turned into more of a success than anticipated. Clyde Beffa Jr, owner of the Bay Area’s K&L Wine Merchants and a big player in selling Bordeaux, perked up when Château Pontet-Canet released its wine priced at 31% below the 2018, emailing: ‘Some good news!’

Jamie Ritchie, worldwide head of wine for Sotheby’s, reported strong interest from previous buyers as well as from new ones for the more than 120 wines they were offering. He pegged this to the quality of the vintage and attractive pricing (read: deep price cuts), and also to people being at home with few distractions besides work.

Boredom has its uses. Maybe it also inspired wine lovers to spend fantasy time perusing Zachys’ 40-page catalogue of 2019 futures. K&L sold 90% of what it offered, but that was only about half the amount they sold of the 2016s.

Needs Must

But let me backtrack. After I had cancelled my usual annual Bordeaux trek in early March 2020, President Macron soon put France into total lockdown and the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) suspended all of its tastings. I wondered what would come next.

Beffa had urged châteaux to put off releasing prices until the end of the year. Some US journalists pushed for a total en primeur reset – holding the tastings after wines were bottled, perhaps. By mid-May 2020, emails started coming in from châteaux asking whether I would like samples shipped from Bordeaux. I was all in, nostalgic for at least some semblance of my former wine life. Viewing the light-filled Cos d’Estournel tasting room was a pleasure, even on a screen.

Fabrice Bernard of Bordeaux négociant Millésima told me it was the first time châteaux had sent samples internationally. Not all would. Thomas Duroux of Château Palmer emailed that his wines were too fragile to ship to the US. Ditto Cheval Blanc and Montrose. All those I received, however, were in good shape. Was that a powerful argument for postponing tastings to later in the spring when samples are more stable?

To make sure his samples wouldn’t be damaged, Bruno Borie of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou used a system invented by FlaconWit, by which four wines (including two new cuvées) arrived in 100ml tubes protected by inert gas and packed into a very stylish purple box.

Shaun Bishop, CEO of JJ Buckley Fine Wines, and his staff received 200 barrel samples, tasting them over three days. Ritchie sent an image of more than 100 at his apartment.

In the end, I managed 125, a third of my usual Bordeaux en primeur routine, and was duly impressed by the quality.

No substitute

Merchants and wine writers complain about the en primeur system. But I admit I missed the gossipy circus of the in-person version, always a deep dive into how the Bordeaux region works and why it retains power in the wine world.

By comparison, the virtual version was unsatisfying and limited – though it is far better for the environment than having thousands of people fly into Bordeaux from around the globe.

2021: More virtual wine tastings

Which brings me to 2021. The en primeur situation for the US was a repeat of 2020 for me, with even more wines at my door. Bishop, Beffa and Ritchie ploughed through shipped samples, but also tasted in Bordeaux.

I’m rooting for the 2020s, harvested and made in a tough pandemic year. Though the dollar is weaker than it was in 2020 and release prices are higher, in a deal on 15 June, the US and EU agreed to suspend existing punitive tariffs between the two for the next five years, from 11 July.

The UGC, which originally planned tastings for some cities, didn’t even bother to schedule one in the US in 2021. I was at my desk again, looking at people on a screen while sipping the shipped samples, thinking about whether this could become a new normal – and reminding myself that virtual en primeur does have advantages. The biggest? I can spend more time re-tasting and assessing each wine when I don’t have to speed off after 40 minutes to get to another appointment.

But I’d really rather be in Bordeaux.

Mouton Rothschild 2020 released: A future 100-point wine?

Best Bordeaux 2020 wines: top-scorers

Cheval Blanc 2020 release kick-starts Bordeaux en primeur

Château Le Pin 2020 releases at €1,700 a bottle

Richard Woodard — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 15:52:52 +0000

The price is 21.4% higher than the tiny property’s 2019 release price, said Liv-ex, and translates to a UK merchant offer of £24,000 per 12-bottle case, which is 17.2% below the current market price of the 2019 vintage.

Decanter’s Jane Anson awarded the 2020 wine 97 points, saying it will ‘give the best of itself with at least a decade in bottle’.

She added: ‘This is a brilliant Le Pin – seductive, with the density and pleasure you expect from this estate, with slow delivery of pure black berry fruits and a toasted coffee and cocoa bean finish with cooler waves of gunsmoke and earth.’

Liv-ex described the 2020 release price as ‘good value’, although it said the 2012 offered a more affordable alternative. Buying power would be largely dictated by long-term relationships and allocations, given the imbalance between supply and demand.

The release leaves only fellow Pomerol property Petrus still to announce pricing for its 2020 en primeur wine.

Decanter Premium exclusive: Bordeaux 2020 releases and prices

Mouton Rothschild 2020 released: A future 100-point wine?

Château Haut-Brion 2020 released: See the price

‘Brilliant’ Château Margaux 2020 released en primeur

Lafite Rothschild 2020 release: ‘This should soar’

Canon 2020 released with ‘100-point potential’

All Bordeaux 2020 articles and reviews

Vieux Château Certan 2020 released at €240 a bottle

Richard Woodard — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 13:56:19 +0000

According to Liv-ex, the release price – translating to a UK merchant retail price of £2,880 per case – represented a 42% increase on the opening price for the estate’s 2019 wine, and was 20.9% higher than that wine’s current market price.

As a result, it said, several back vintages ‘look compelling by comparison’, including 2015 and 2019. Liv-ex added that the 2006 and 2014 releases offered ‘discounts alongside some bottle age’.

Decanter’s Jane Anson, who awarded Vieux Château Certan 2020 95 points, admired the wine’s ‘concentrated and complex flavours with a silky, velvety and supremely seductive texture, alongside a ton of energy, freshness and juice’.

She added: ‘It has dense, muscular tannins, and is going to age beautifully. As it opens, you get the aromatics coming out, and the Merlot fleshy fruits become generous and welcoming, opulent without being tiring.’

Release prices during the 2020 en primeur campaign have generally risen on an ex-Bordeaux basis versus 2019, but the picture is more complex when comparing to the current market prices of 2019s, which have tended to move up following release.

Decanter Premium exclusive: Bordeaux 2020 releases and prices

Mouton Rothschild 2020 released: A future 100-point wine?

Château Haut-Brion 2020 released: See the price

‘Brilliant’ Château Margaux 2020 released en primeur

Lafite Rothschild 2020 release: ‘This should soar’

Canon 2020 released with ‘100-point potential’

All Bordeaux 2020 articles and reviews

Figeac 2020 release price ‘looks good value’

Chris Mercer — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 11:12:26 +0000

Château Figeac 2020, rated 96 points by Decanter’s Jane Anson, was released this morning (25 June) at a price of €156 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, according to Liv-ex.

That translated to a UK merchant price of around £1,872 per 12-bottle case in bond.

‘In the context of rising prices, the 2020 Figeac looks to offer good value at release,’ said Liv-ex analysts.

Its said Figeac 2020’s ex-Bordeaux price was around 30% higher than the debut price of its 2019 vintage in last year’s en primeur campaign.

However, the 97-point Figeac 2019 has risen in price since release, meaning it is currently trading significantly above the 2020 grand vin, according to Liv-ex market price data.

This is an example of how release prices have generally increased on an ex-Bordeaux basis in this year’s 2020 en primeur campaign, but that the picture is more nuanced when comparing current market prices for individual estates’ wines.

Liv-ex market price data showed the 2020 was also slightly cheaper than Figeac 2018, which recently received 98 points from Anson.

Anson said the 96-point Figeac 2020 is ‘an extremely elegant and controlled wine’, and is the first vintage produced in the St-Emilion premier grand cru classé B estate’s new cellars.

She added, ‘Tannins are finely layered but there are a lot of them. Not an exuberant Figeac, but this is rarely a wine that rushes out to seduce. It takes its time and has ageing potential in spades.’

Analyst group Wine Lister said, ‘Though there exists similarly-priced availability of both 2015 and 2010, Figeac’s style evolution and upward trajectory in terms of market demand should mean this works very well, particularly as it provides a more up-beat end to a week of punchy price increases.’

Decanter Premium exclusive: Bordeaux 2020 releases and prices

La Conseillante 2020 released

Another big Right Bank release this morning was Pomerol’s Château La Conseillante 2020, scored 96 points by Anson.

‘There are some beautifully fragrant floral aromatics here with concentration through the mid palate and effortless balance,’ she wrote.

Conseillante 2020 was released at the same price as Figeac, so €156 ex-Bordeaux and around £1,872 per 12-bottle case in bond at UK merchants.

Liv-ex said the ex-Bordeaux price was 30% up on the 2019 opening price, and the 2020 was also above its market price for the 97-point 2019 wine.

Prices can vary for back-vintages. Fine & Rare was offering six-bottle cases of La Conseillante 2019 at roughly the same price as the estate’s 2020 vintage.

Sales snapshot: First growth releases this week

It’s been a big week for the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur campaign, with three of the 1855 first growths launching their 2020 wines alongside many other classified estates.

It’s early days in terms of analysing buyer demand, but Château Margaux 2020 appeared to do well.

Farr Vintners listed it as ‘sold out’, while others praised the price of the 2020 release, which was named ‘Left Bank wine of the vintage’ by Jane Anson.

Of the other two first growths out this week, Farr Vintners was selling Mouton Rothschild 2020 ‘on allocation’ and listed Haut-Brion as ‘sold out’.

Of these two first growths, Matthew O’Connell, head of investment at Bordeaux Index, told Decanter on Thursday (24 June), ‘There has been a good amount of interest for both Haut-Brion and Mouton, but not at the sort of demand levels seen last year given the prices.’

He added, ‘We have seen some buyers looking at other recent vintages where they have seen new release pricing as marginal.’

Mouton Rothschild 2020 released: A future 100-point wine?

Château Haut-Brion 2020 released: See the price

‘Brilliant’ Château Margaux 2020 released en primeur

Lafite Rothschild 2020 release: ‘This should soar’

Canon 2020 released with ‘100-point potential’

All Bordeaux 2020 articles and reviews

Château Haut-Brion en primeur history: 2016 – 2020

Jane Anson — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 10:30:27 +0000

‘Concentrated, powerful and precise’ is how Jane Anson summed up Château Haut-Brion 2020 in her recent Bordeaux en primeur report, scoring the Pessac-Léognan-based first growth at 96 points.

The wine was released on 23 June, and was being offered by UK merchants at around £5,196 per 12 bottles in bond, according to Liv-ex.

Below, we’ve brought together Anson’s Château Haut-Brion en primeur scores, as well as in-bottle ratings and pricing information, on the famous estate’s grands vins back to the 2016 vintage.

Château Haut-Brion en primeur scores

Château Haut-Brion 2020: 96 points

Château Haut-Brion 2019: 97 points

Château Haut-Brion 2018: 98 points (Latest in-bottle score: 98)

Château Haut-Brion 2017: 97 points

Château Haut-Brion 2016: 98 points (Latest in-bottle score: 100)

These scores above also show how ratings can nudge up, or down in some cases, between the en primeur barrel sample tastings and the in-bottle reviews that normally take place around 18 months later.

Of the 2020 barrel sample, Anson noted; ‘This takes a grip and holds on, layers of liquorice, grilled coffee bean, chocolate, blackcurrant pastille, cassis bud and a more steely wet stone edge that gives a much needed balance to the richness of the overall feel of this wine. This is going to need serious ageing, impressive and powerful stuff.’

Of the recent wines tasted in bottle, Anson gave 100 points to the 2016 when she re-tasted the wine in December 2018.

‘A great wine en primeur that has settled into greatness,’ she wrote of Haut-Brion 2016 after tasting it in-bottle.

‘It has hidden power and subtle oak toasting – this clearly feels no need to shout about its presence, but there will be plenty to discover over time. You can feel those tannins licking around your teeth, building up one layer at a time.’

Château Haut-Brion en primeur prices: Recent vintages

Data: Jane Anson’s latest rating of the wine, with prices sourced from Liv-ex on 23 June.

Château Haut-Brion 2020 (96 points) release price: €432 per bottle ex-Bordeaux | £5,196 per 12-bottle case in bond

Château Haut-Brion 2019 (97): Ex-Bordeaux €282 per bottle | Ex-London £3,588 (12x 75cl in bond) | Current Liv-ex market price: £4,874 ($6,809)

Château Haut-Brion 2018 (98): Ex-Bordeaux €408 | Ex-London £4,900 |

Current Liv-ex market price: £4,710 ($6,580)

Château Haut-Brion 2017 (97): Ex-Bordeaux €348 | Ex-London £4,054 |

Current Liv-ex market price: £3,400 ($4,750)

Château Haut-Brion 2016 (100): Ex-Bordeaux €420 | Ex-London £4,980 |

Current Liv-ex market price: £4,982 ($6,960)

Prices may vary and are published for informational purposes only. This does not constitute investment advice.

Château Haut-Brion wine style

‘Château Haut-Brion has a fair claim to being the father of the first growths. It was here that the ‘New French Claret’ style was born,,’ wrote Jane Anson in a profile of the Bordeaux first growths last year.

‘Part of the secret of its complexity comes from its array of terroir, ranging from limestone to large gravels to deep clays, all within a few rows of each other. This is also why it has more Merlot in the blend than the other four (in most vintages close to 50%), which translates into richness and depth of fruit in the glass.’

Château Haut-Brion at a glance

Vineyards: Reds – 45.4% Merlot, 43.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.7% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot.
Owner: Dillon family since 1935, headed up by Prince Robert of Luxembourg.
Winemaking: Estate director Jean-Philippe Delmas, the third generation of his family, is in charge of producing the Château Haut-Brion wines. There is no outside consultant.

Château Haut-Brion en primeur and in-bottle tasting notes

Bordeaux 2020 wines: Our en primeur verdict

Latest Bordeaux 2020 release news

Bordeaux wine investment: 20 years of market hits and misses

Back to our Bordeaux 2020 en primeur homepage

Mouton Rothschild 2020 released: A future 100-point wine?

Chris Mercer — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 12:08:30 +0000

Château Mouton Rothschild 2020 was released en primeur at €432 per bottle ex-Bordeaux this morning (24 June), according to Liv-ex.

It said UK merchants were offering the first growth for around £5,196 per 12-bottle case in bond, broadly level with the initial release prices of Château Margaux and Château Haut-Brion earlier this week.

‘[This] could go to 100 points after ageing,’ said Decanter’s Jane Anson after tasting a Mouton 2020 barrel sample. She gave a score of 98 points, but wines will be reassessed after bottling in approximately 18 months.

On an ex-Bordeaux basis, there has been a clear trend for price increases across this en primeur campaign, versus the 2019-vintage releases.

However, the market picture is mixed. Several wines have sold well and, in a number of cases, prices for 2019 wines have risen since initial release.

Decanter Premium exclusive: Bordeaux 2020 releases and prices

Mouton Rothschild 2020’s ex-Bordeaux price (€ per bottle) was 53% up on the corresponding release price of the 98-point Mouton 2019, according to Liv-ex.

But it said the 2020 was being offered by UK-based merchants at only a relatively small premium to the 2019 vintage. Its market price data also showed that Mouton 2020 was cheaper than the 2018 vintage, rated 100 points by Anson, and also the highly regarded 2016 wine.

For any buyers interested in previous vintages, Liv-ex said 2019 and 2014 ‘look compelling’.

In her tasting note on Mouton 2020, Anson wrote, ‘As the wine relaxes in the glass, it becomes more and more signature Mouton, full of exuberance, finesse and pleasure.

‘There is less sweet black cherry fruit than in a year like 2018 or 2019, more on the cassis and bilberry side. It will behave in a more classical manner in the decades to come.’

Analyst group Wine Lister said it expected the Mouton 2020 release to do well on the market, although it said ‘buyers looking for something to drink sooner might note small stocks available of the 2015 below the price of the 2019’.

Le Petit Mouton 2020 was also released en primeur this morning, scored 93 points by Anson. ‘A serious Petit Mouton, with inky depths to the colour, and plenty of tannic hold and bite,’ she wrote. It was being sold for £2,040 per 12-bottle case in bond, according to Liv-ex.

‘Amazing’ Ducru-Beaucaillou 2020 released

Ducru-Beaucaillou 2020 was also released this morning, price at around £1,920 per 12 bottles in bond, according to Liv-ex.

It quoted an ex-Bordeaux release price of €160 per bottle, up by 40% on the equivalent opening price of the 2019 vintage.

‘An amazing Ducru, one of the wines of the vintage,’ said Anson, giving 98 points to the St-Julien second growth’s grand vin.

Liv-ex said the wine was priced above the 98-point Ducru-Beaucaillou 2019, as well as many recent vintages.

Wine Lister said of the release, ‘Buyers looking for something with age might note availability of the 2010 at the same price as the latest release, which has a decade under its belt.’

Fellow St-Julien estate Léoville Poyferré also released its 2020 vintage today, with Liv-ex reporting a price of £864 per 12-bottle case in bond. Its ex-Bordeaux price was €72 per bottle, up by 46% on the corresponding debut price of the 2019 vintage.

Anson rated Léoville Poyferré 2020 at 96 points, equal to her ratings on the 2019 and 2018 wines. ‘Rich and concentrated with violet reflections and a wall of tannins,’ she wrote of the 2020 vintage, adding that ‘it will need time to soften and develop’.

It’s been a big week or so for the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur campaign.

Since Lafite Rothschild 2020 made its debut on 11 June, many other classified estates on the Left Bank have released their wines, as well as several more top names on the Right Bank.

Alongside first growths this week, Left Bank releases include Cos d’Estournel, Montrose, Palmer, Smith-Haut-Lafitte and Léoville-Las-Cases have joined the campaign.

Haut-Bailly 2020 was released yesterday afternoon (23 June), with Liv-ex quoting an ex-Bordeaux price of £1,152 per 12-bottle case in bond. That puts it ahead of the 2019 price on the market, according to Liv-ex data, but the wine has also impressed critics.

Anson gave the wine 96 points and said it has ‘strong potential for upscoring when in the bottle’. She said the vintage suited Haut-Bailly’s style.

‘Rich in texture and colour, this has clear layers and complexity, a wine that you want to take your time with, slow down and enjoy,’ she said.

NB: Latour, the 1855 first growth, no longer releases en primeur wines.

Château Haut-Brion 2020 released: See the price

‘Brilliant’ Château Margaux 2020 released en primeur

Lafite Rothschild 2020 release: ‘This should soar’

Canon 2020 released with ‘100-point potential’

All Bordeaux 2020 articles and reviews

Château Haut-Brion 2020 released en primeur

Chris Mercer — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 12:34:10 +0000

Château Haut-Brion 2020 red has been released en primeur this morning (23 June) at €432 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, according to Liv-ex, which has led to UK merchants offering it for around £5,196 per 12-bottle case in bond.

That’s equal to the release price of fellow first growth Château Margaux yesterday.

Millesima UK was offering three bottles of Haut-Brion for £1,299 in bond, with Fine & Rare selling six bottles for £2,598.

While Haut-Brion has achieved strong critical praise for its 2020 grand vin, scores have varied slightly.

Decanter’s Jane Anson rated Haut-Brion 2020 at 96 points, describing it as impressive and ‘concentrated, powerful and precise’, with notes of cassis bud, chocolate and blackcurrant pastille.

‘This is going to need serious ageing,’ she wrote. Her scores were slightly higher on Haut-Brion 2019 and 2018 vintages.

Liv-ex noted strong critical acclaim for Haut-Brion 2020, but also that Haut-Brion’s ex-Bordeaux price was up by around 50% on last year’s en primeur release of the 2019 vintage.

Like many estates, the first growth dropped its price significantly during last year’s delayed en primeur campaign, amid concerns around the economic impact of Covid.

The 2019 vintage has since risen in price, although Liv-ex market price data showed the 2020 was slightly above both the 2019 and 2018 wines. ‘The 2020 Haut-Brion is the most expensive wine from the estate since the 2010 vintage,’ Liv-ex said. Prices can vary by merchant, however.

Decanter Premium exclusive: Bordeaux 2020 releases and prices

La Mission Haut-Brion 2020: One to watch?

Anson suggested after her tasting that buyers should also track La Mission Haut-Brion 2020 red, which was also released this morning amid market debuts for the wines of Haut-Brion owner Domaine Clarence Dillon.

La Mission was priced at £3,024 per 12 bottles in bond, according to Liv-ex.

Anson scored the wine 98 points, her highest rating since the 2016 vintage.

Prior to its release, she wrote in her tasting note, ‘This is the wine to go for in the [Haut-Brion owner] Domaine Clarence Dillon stable this year.’ She praised its ‘kick of black fruit and confident spice’.

While La Mission Haut-Brion 2020’s ex-Bordeaux price was €252 per bottle, up 40% on the corresponding debut price for the 2019 wine, Liv-ex said the 2020 was still slightly under the current market price of the 2019 vintage.

Analyst group Wine Lister said La Mission 2020 ‘could be an attractive buy’.

Château Montrose 2020 release price

Château Montrose, owned by the Bouygues brothers since 2006, also received a 98-point score from Anson for its 2020 vintage, equal with her rating for the St-Estèphe estate’s 2019 and 2018 grands vins.

‘This is a great Montrose, inky, broad-shouldered and structured,’ said Anson. ‘This will need a long time and will reward patience.’

Montrose 2020 was released today at €128 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, up by 33% on the 2019 release, according to Liv-ex. It was being offered by merchants for around £1,540 per case, which Liv-ex said was around 28% higher than its current market price for the 2019 wine.

Wine Lister said Montrose 2020 was pitched above the price of many recent vintages, apart from 2016, but also noted the estate’s ‘relatively low price in the context of Bordeaux’. It added, ‘This could work for en primeur buyers who are fans of Montrose, and its appellation at large.’

Haut-Brion Blanc 2020 makes debut

Also released en primeur today was Haut-Brion blanc 2020, rated 96 points by Anson, who praised its ‘excellent persistency and a deliciously mouthwatering finish’.

It was being offered by merchants at £7,200 per 12-bottle case in bond, having been released at €600 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, according to Liv-ex.

Other Domaine Clarence Dillon releases today

Haut-Brion’s second wine, La Clarence de Haut-Brion 2020, was among the other releases from the portfolio released en primeur today.

It was being offered for £1,440 by merchants, according to Liv-ex, with Anson scoring the wine at 92 points.

On the Right Bank, Clarence Dillion’s Château Quintus 2020 in St-Emilion was released this morning at €78 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, up by around 16% on the opening price of the 2019 vintage, according to Liv-ex. That translated to a UK price of £924 per 12-bottle case in bond.

Anson gave the wine 93 points, describing it as ‘full of signature St-Emilion glamour’, although the 2018 and 2019 vintages achieved slightly higher scores – 94 and 95 respectively.

It is anticipated that there could be more big-name releases in the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur campaign in the coming days.

‘Brilliant’ Château Margaux 2020 released en primeur

Lafite Rothschild 2020 release: ‘This should soar’

Cos d’Estournel and La Fleur-Pétrus make 2020 debuts

Canon 2020 released with ‘100-point potential’

All Bordeaux 2020 articles and reviews

Château Margaux en primeur history: 2016 – 2020

Jane Anson — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 13:38:53 +0000

Château Margaux 2020 was named Jane Anson’s ‘Left Bank wine of the vintage’ in her recent en primeur report, scoring an almost-perfect 99 points.

It was released this week at £5,196 per 12-bottle case in bond.

We’ve brought together Anson’s Margaux en primeur scores, as well as in-bottle ratings, on the famous estate’s grands vins back to the 2016 vintage.

You’ll also find release price information.

Château Margaux en primeur scores

Château Margaux 2020: 99 points

Château Margaux 2019: 98 points

Château Margaux 2018: 98 points (Latest in-bottle score: 98)

Château Margaux 2017: 96 points (Latest in-bottle score: 96)

Château Margaux 2016: 97 points (Latest in-bottle score: 98)

These scores above also show how ratings can nudge up, or down in some cases, between the en primeur barrel sample tastings and the in-bottle reviews that normally take place around 18 months later.

Of the 2020 barrel sample, Anson noted; ‘A brilliant Margaux; one that takes a sigh and then releases the huge floral, eucalyptus and crushed mint whoosh that comes in waves though the palate.’

Of the recent wines tasted in bottle Anson gave 98 points to both the 2016 and the 2018 wines.

‘This is a serious Margaux… it has the expansive aromatic structure of Margaux, the floral and mineral aspects clear, as is the tension that lifts the palate up and out. It’s reminiscent of the 2005, though with less evident tannins,’ she said of the 2016.

The 2018 was described in her November 2020 review as ‘extremely powerful, with high tannin levels that are beautifully velvety and a real presence that is going to need a good 15 years before it softens.’

Château Margaux en primeur prices: Recent vintages

Data: Jane Anson’s latest rating of the wine, with prices sourced from Liv-ex on Tuesday 22 June.

Château Margaux 2020 (99 points): Ex-Bordeaux €432 per bottle | Ex-London £5,196 (12x 75cl in bond)

Château Margaux 2019 (98): Ex-Bordeaux €330 per bottle | Ex-London £4,200 (12x 75cl in bond) | Current Liv-ex market price: £5,380 ($7,462)

Château Margaux 2018 (98): Ex-Bordeaux €408 | Ex-London £5,112 |

Current Liv-ex market price: £5,570 ($7,726)

Château Margaux 2017 (96): Ex-Bordeaux €348 | Ex-London £4,320 |

Current Liv-ex market price: £3,700 ($5,132)

Château Margaux 2016 (98): Ex-Bordeaux €420 | Ex-London £5,180 |

Current Liv-ex market price: £5,539 ($7683)

Prices may vary and are published for informational purposes only. This does not constitute investment advice.

Château Margaux wine style

‘The only one of the Five Firsts to have no sister properties elsewhere, no wine merchant business and no other projects to take the focus from this stunning Château,’ wrote Jane Anson in a profile of the Bordeaux first growths last year.

Anson also said that, as a general rule, ‘Margaux excels in vintages in which its Pauillac siblings do not due to its location further south on the Médoc peninsula’.

In terms of the style, she added, ‘It is a Cabernet-dominated wine, and yet it feels so light, graceful and nuanced that it is often called the Musigny of Bordeaux, famed for its perfume that is only rivalled by that of Haut-Brion.’

Château Margaux at a glance

Vineyards: Reds – around 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 5% split between Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.
Owner: Corinne Mentzelopoulos, with her daughter, Alexandra, and son, Alexis, represent the second and third generations of the family, in place since 1977.
Winemaking: Paul Pontallier, who first joined Margaux in 1983, had been the estate’s popular and long-serving MD until his death in 2016. Philippe Bascaules, who worked closely with Pontallier for many years, became MD in 2017. Sébastien Verne is estate director, with winemaking consultant Eric Boissenot also part of the team.

Château Margaux en primeur and in-bottle tasting notes

Bordeaux 2020 wines: Our en primeur verdict

Latest Bordeaux 2020 release news

Bordeaux wine investment: 20 years of market hits and misses

Back to our Bordeaux 2020 en primeur homepage

‘Brilliant’ Château Margaux 2020 released en primeur

Chris Mercer — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 10:58:35 +0000

Château Margaux 2020 was released en primeur this morning (22 June) at €432 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, translating to a UK merchant price of £5,196 per 12-bottle case in bond, according to Liv-ex.

Liv-ex said that puts Margaux 2020 slightly below its current market price for Margaux 2019 (98 points, Anson), even though the 2020’s ex-Bordeaux price was up by around 30% on the equivalent 2019 release price last year.

‘The new release looks good value among current physical vintages,’ it said.

Matthew O’Connell, head of investment at merchant Bordeaux Index, said careful allocations of the Margaux 2020 release were likely given it is ‘clearly one of the wines of the vintage and with a more balanced price than many of the other releases’.

UK merchant Fine & Rare was offering Margaux 2020 on a ‘request an allocation’ basis early this morning, with Farr Vintners operating a ‘waiting list’ for the wine.

Thomas Parker, buyer at Farr, told Decanter, ‘At the moment we are trying to secure as much stock as possible to allocate our pre-orders. At that point we would offer to wish-listers, and if we have any over we will offer for general sale.’

Jane Anson gave 99 points to Margaux 2020 after tasting it en primeur, naming it in her verdict on Bordeaux 2020 as her ‘Left Bank wine of the vintage’.

‘A brilliant Margaux,’ Anson said in her tasting note.

‘You get the concentration of the vintage in an entirely positive light, with a suave softness to the tannins that makes it stand head and shoulders above many others.’

Analyst group Wine Lister said of the Margaux 2020 release, ‘Though there is not much wiggle room in pricing relative to recent back vintages, high praise from all critics in 2020 should encourage Bordeaux en primeur buyers to take up their allocation of this first growth if they’re lucky enough to have one.’

Decanter Premium exclusive: Bordeaux 2020 releases and prices

Margaux is only the second of the first growths to release in this year’s Bordeaux en primeur campaign, following a debut for Château Lafite Rothschild 2020 on 11 June.

Will Hargrove, head of fine wine at Corney & Barrow, said shortly after that release that the ‘Lafite stable sold well’, although the en primeur campaign overall had been more of a ‘mixed bag’.

Price watch: Palmer, Léoville-Las-Cases, Smith Haut Lafitte 2020 also released

Recent days have seen more big-name releases, and Margaux has been joined this morning by a number of other top estates on the Left Bank, in particular.

There is now a clear trend for price rises versus the 2019 releases during last year’s delayed en primeur campaign, but 2020 wines must also be weighed against current market prices, availability of back-vintages and ratings, too.

Palmer 2020 released with price jump vs 2019

Château Palmer 2020 was released at €240 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, which is a 49% jump on the corresponding 2019 vintage release price but equal with the 2018 release, according to Liv-ex.

Anson rated Palmer 2020 at 97 points, praising its balance of intensity and elegance. The texture is ‘velvety and seductive with softly-grained tannins’, she said.

The Margaux third growth’s 2020 wine was being sold by UK merchants at £2,880 per 12-bottle case in bond, making it more expensive than the current price for 2019 (98 points) but cheaper than the 100-point 2018 vintage, Liv-ex figures showed.

At Bordeaux Index, O’Connell said of the release, ‘While the price is up very significantly on 2019, [Palmer] does have particularly interesting market momentum at the moment and we are interested in how this release will sell and also trade subsequently.’

Wine Lister said that, alongside critical praise, ‘virtually no 2019 remains available’ and that the 2018 vintage was trading ‘at double the wine’s usual average across all vintages’, leading it to suggest that 2020 ‘could work among fans of the estate’.

Smith Haut Lafitte 2020 ‘sold well’

Another top name also out this morning was Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2020 red, rated 97 points by Jane Anson, who described the wine as ‘delivering a masterclass in restrained Pessac-Léognan glamour’.

Liv-ex said the wine was being offered at £1,152 per 12 bottles in bond. On an ex-Bordeaux basis, it said the wine was released at €96 per bottle, up 48% on the equivalent release price for the 2019 wine.

Commenting prior to the Palmer release, Liv-ex said, ‘This is the biggest price increase during this en primeur campaign so far. However, some critic scores suggest this price still offers fair value.’

Smith Haut Lafitte has said its 2020 vintage will be bottled with a special gold and black label design; the vintage marks estate owners Florence and Daniel Cathiard’s 30th harvest, and 2020 has also achieved strong scores.

O’Connell said the wine sold well, driven by its high scores.

Léoville-Las-Cases 2020 released

Léoville-Las-Cases 2020 was being offered by UK-based merchants at £2,376 (12x 75cl in bond). On an ex-Bordeaux basis, Liv-ex said it was released at €148 per bottle, up 43.5% on the equivalent 2019 release price.

‘The new release looks fully priced in the context of the estate’s recent back vintages,’ said Liv-ex.

Anson rated the 2020 wine at 96 points, praising its subtle intensity and classic St-Julien character as ‘an excellent example of what Las Cases can deliver’. She added, however, ‘You are going to need a lot of patience for this vintage to reach its drinking window.’

There was anticipation that more top names, and possibly more first growths, could release their 2020 wines this week.

Updated 22 June at 12:20pm UK time with new comments from merchants and release information on Palmer and Léoville-Las-Cases.

Lafite Rothschild 2020 release: ‘This should soar’

Cos d’Estournel and La Fleur-Pétrus make 2020 debuts

Canon 2020 released with ‘100-point potential’

All Bordeaux 2020 articles and reviews

Cos d’Estournel and La Fleur-Pétrus release 2020 prices

Richard Woodard — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 14:43:38 +0000

St-Estèphe second growth Château Cos d’Estournel’s 2020 release was being sold by the trade for £1,800 per 12-bottle case, according to Liv-ex, 31.6% higher than the current market price of the estate’s 2019 wine.

According to Decanter’s Jane Anson, the 2020 Cos is ‘a long hauler’. Awarding it 97 points, she said: ‘The tannins build slowly but surely through the palate, sombre and serious right now, particularly for an estate that is known for its exuberance. The opulence is there if you give it time.’

Liv-ex suggested Cos wines from 2016, 2014 and 2019 as alternatives, but also highlighted the release of the 2020 in a special bottle to mark the 20th anniversary of Michel Reybier’s acquisition of the estate, and a reported 25% reduction in volumes versus 2019. ‘Its commemorative bottling and reduced volumes might add to its allure,’ Liv-ex said.

Also released were the 2020 Blanc de Cos d’Estournel at £96/bottle – a ‘gastronomic and serious’ wine, said Anson, giving it a 95-point score – and second wine Les Pagodes de Cos, which was being sold at £372/case, equal to the current market price of the 2019, and was described by Anson as ‘precise and confident’.

Château La Fleur-Pétrus’ 2020 wine, which was being sold by merchants at £1,950/case, scored 97 points with Anson, who said: ‘The frame is both tactile and fresh, a brilliant La Fleur-Pétrus full of character and spice, bedded down but with a sense of energy and uplift.’

Liv-ex pointed out that the 2020 release price was 17% up on the current market price of the Pomerol estate’s 2019 wine, adding that the 2019, 2015 and 2012 vintages looked ‘better value by comparison’.

Decanter Premium exclusive: Bordeaux 2020 releases and prices

Turning to St-Emilion, Clos Fourtet’s 2020 wine was being sold by merchants at £78.25 a bottle, up 14% on the 2019, reported Wine Lister.

The wine secured a 96-point score from Anson, who praised its ‘tightrope walking concentration of fruits’, adding: ‘An excellent Clos Fourtet, with a juicy edge where the magic of limestone in dry summers is very much showing through.’

‘At £78.25, the 2020 enters the market at a 23% discount on the 2018, while offering a higher average critics’ score,’ added Wine Lister. ‘Achieving the highest perceived quality since the 2016 vintage, this may well garner attention of St-Emilion lovers and beyond.’

Château Pavie-Macquin’s 2020 wine has been released at €57.60 per bottle ex-négociant, or £57.50 from merchants, 21.1% higher than the current market price of the estate’s 2019.

Liv-ex highlighted 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2019 as potentially good-value alternatives, while Anson gave the 2020 a score of 95 points, observing: ‘There is a richness here, a powerful spread of black fruits, that grabs you from the start.

‘This has texture and brambled power, sappy saline on the finish, touches of austerity, graphite laced through with grilled cassis and aniseed.’

Canon 2020 released with ‘100-point potential’

Chris Mercer — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 12:58:32 +0000

Château Canon 2020, Jane Anson’s ‘Right Bank wine of the vintage‘, was being sold for around £1,152 per 12-bottle case in bond after being released in the Bordeaux en primeur campaign this morning (18 June).

It’s the latest of several potential 100-point wines to be released in the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur season.

On an ex-Bordeaux basis, Liv-ex said the release price was €96 per bottle. That’s more than 30% higher than the equivalent release price for the 2019 vintage.

However, some UK merchants were this week selling the 2019 at prices comparable to or even slightly above the 2020 opening price. Justerini & Brooks was selling six bottles for £640 in bond, with Millesima selling six for £546, for example.

Decanter’s Jane Anson gave Canon 2020 99 points and said it has the potential to hit a perfect 100 score further down the line. Anson does not award 100 points at en primeur, reserving this for when the wines have been tasted after bottling – in around 18 months.

This, nevertheless, puts the 2020 right up there with the best Canon vintages and continues a good run of form at the Chanel-owned St-Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé B estate.

Analyst group Wine Lister said, ‘With demand for Canon continuing to thrive, and with strong aftermarket performance of similar quality vintages (2015 and 2016), buyers should do well to purchase the potential 100-point 2020 now (and perhaps pick up the 2018 before it further appreciates as well).’

Liv-ex noted, ‘The 2020 offers good value for money when compared to the highly scored 2015 vintage.’

More big-name St-Emilion wines enter en primeur campaign

Other releases on Friday (18 June) made it a big day for St-Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé ‘B’ estates.

Château Troplong Mondot 2020 was being sold for around £864 per 12 bottles in bond, according to Liv-ex. Anson gave Troplong Mondot 2020 97 points, her highest rating for the estate of the past five vintages.

‘Inky in colour, this is utterly gorgeous, so much purity and definition on the nose,’ said wrote of the wine, which emphasises why several market observers regard Troplong Mondot as one to watch in general.

Liv-ex said the 2020 was above its market price for the 2019 vintage, but still below the prices of the 2016 and 2015 vintages – highly regarded on the Right Bank.

Bélair-Monange 2020 was also released, having been rated 99 points by Anson, two points higher than both the 2019 and 2018 vintages.

It was being sold for £1,450 per 12 bottles in bond, according to Liv-ex, which said this was above the 2019 vintage market price – and, according to its data, one of the priciest recent vintages available.

Earlier in the day, Valandraud 2020 joined the campaign. ‘This is excellent, broad-shouldered with ample depth to the brambled fruits, liquorice, cigar box spice, with a gorgeously saline finish,’ said Anson, giving the wine 96 points. She gave the 2019 vintage 97 points. The 2020 was released at £1,278 per 12 bottles in bond.

Elsewhere, today saw releases for Calon-Ségur 2020, rated 98 points by Anson, who said the vintage marks a ‘return to form’ for the St-Estèphe estate and that the wine is comparable to the well-regarded 2016.

Liv-ex said merchants were selling Calon-Ségur 2020 for £938 (12x 75cl in bond). Its market price data said this was cheaper than 2018 and 2016 but up on the current price of 2019.

‘Highly successful’ Pontet-Canet 2020 released

Ausone 2020, a possible 100-point wine, released en primeur

See our Bordeaux 2020 vintage verdict

‘Highly successful’ Pontet-Canet 2020 released as more big names emerge

Chris Mercer — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 12:57:03 +0000

Château Pontet-Canet 2020 became the latest big-name Pauillac to join the Bordeaux en primeur campaign this morning (17 June).

Fine & Rare was offering six bottles for £445 in bond, with Bordeaux Index selling 12-bottle cases for £890.

Jane Anson rated the wine at 97 points, her highest Pontet-Canet score since 2016. She said in her note on the 2020 vintage, ‘One of the few Pauillacs that, for me, overperforms on its 2019.’

On an ex-Bordeaux basis, the 2020 was released at €74.4 per bottle, up 28% on the equivalent release price in 2019 but still below the 2018 release price, according to Liv-ex figures.

The biodynamically-farmed estate was one of the several châteaux that significantly reduced its price for the 2019 release during a delayed en primeur campaign last summer.

This year, there has been a growing trend for price rises in the 2020 campaign so far, albeit to varying degrees.

Several market observers point out, too, that it’s important to consider back-vintage availability and current market pricing on similarly-rated years when assessing a release. Some 2019 wines have risen in price since release, for instance.

Analyst group Wine Lister said Pontet-Canet’s 2020 release price is, for example, cheaper than the market prices of the 2019 and 2018 vintages, ‘depending on where you buy’. Given the 2020’s high score, ‘this will likely work’ on the market, Lister said.

Pauillac in general has dominated the last 24 hours of this year’s en primeur campaign.

Pichon Baron 2020, rated 96 points by Anson, was also released today, at around £1,327 per 12-bottle case in bond. On an ex-Bordeaux basis, the wine was €110.4 per bottle, up by 16.5% on the 2019 release price but still slightly under the 2018 price, according to Liv-ex figures.

UK prices by the case varied on the 97-point Pichon Baron 2019, making it either slightly cheaper or more expensive than the 2020 depending on the merchant.

Those two releases follow the launch of Lynch-Bages 2020 (96 points) and Pichon Comtesse de Lalande 2020 (96 points) yesterday (16 June).

Matthew O’Connell, head of investment at Bordeaux Index, told Decanter that both of those wines sold well.

‘We saw the pricing on these as somewhat marginal based on the 2015 and 2019 levels, two particularly relevant benchmarks we are looking at. However, the strong trajectory of Pichon Lalande and the very loyal following of Lynch-Bages has meant that the wines have sold well to collectors.’

Anson heaped praise on both wines, describing the Pichon Lalande 2020 as ‘one of the best of the appellation’ and Lynch-Bages, too, as ‘easily one of the best Pauillacs that I have tasted in the vintage, totally gorgeous’.

According to Liv-ex, Lynch-Bages 2020 was being offered for £1,040 (12x75cl in bond). On an ex-Bordeaux basis, the wine was released at €90 per bottle, up by 36% on the equivalent 2019 release price.

Pichon Lalande 2020 was being sold for £1,614 (12x75cl in bond). Liv-ex said the ex-Bordeaux price was €132 per bottle, up by 26% on the equivalent 2019 release price.

Wine Lister said that, in pound sterling terms, the 2019 has risen significantly in price since its release, with scarce availability.

Other releases have included Château Pape Clément 2020 red and also white, both rated 94 points. Anson gave 95 points to the 2019 red wine, but she also described 2020 as ‘impressive, a really enjoyable, classically wrought but still full of concentration Pape Clément’.

According to Liv-ex the 2020 red was being sold for £752 per 12-bottle case in bond.

Château Clinet 2020 in Pomerol was also released, rated 95 points by Anson, who described it as powerful and a ‘big, seductive wine’. Clinet was being sold for around £798 per 12-bottle case in bond, according to Liv-ex, which puts it below the current market price of the 95-point 2019 vintage.

Jane Anson’s verdict on Bordeaux 2020

See the latest Bordeaux 2020 release news

Ausone 2020 release: ‘a potential 100-point wine’

Chris Mercer — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 11:36:31 +0000

Château Ausone 2020 has been released this morning (Tuesday 15 June) at around £6,000 per 12-bottle case in bond.

That’s up by around 14% on the current market price of Ausone 2019, according to Liv-ex figures, but cheaper than the 100-point 2018 vintage from the St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A estate.

Decanter’s Jane Anson gave Ausone 2020 99 points after tasting a barrel sample ahead of the Bordeaux en primeur campaign. She will taste the wine again after bottling and said it could go up to the perfect 100 score.

‘This is powerful and blows away much of the competition with its depth and layers,’ she said.

On an ex-Bordeaux basis, Liv-ex said Ausone 2020 was released at around €500 per bottle, which is up 19% on the 2019 vintage release price.

‘This is a wine worth betting on,’ said analyst group Wine Lister. While a small amount of Ausone 2019 vintage still exists at its original price, it said the 2020 vintage release is ‘otherwise comfortably below market prices of the physical 2018, 2016, and 2015’.

Ausone 2020 en primeur release in context

Ausone 2019, 97 points (Anson) | current Liv-ex price: £5,280 ($7,434) 12x 75cl in bond

Ausone 2018, 100 points | current price: £7,000 ($9,856)

Ausone 2017, 97 points | current price: £4,780 ($6,730)

Ausone 2016, 99 points | current price: £7,200 ($10,138)

Château Ausone is the last of the four St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A estates to release, after Cheval Blanc helped to kick-start the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur campaign last month.

Angélus and Pavie followed closely behind, as the early stages of the campaign were largely dominated by top Right Bank names.

Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2020 one to watch?

Among the other releases so far this week was Les Carmes Haut-Brion in Pessac-Léognan.

Anson rated Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2020 at 96 points, equal to her rating of the estate’s 2019 vintage.

The Château has a recent track record of ‘impeccable price performance post-en primeur release’, as Wine Lister put it.

Liv-ex said Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2020 was released at €78 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, up 20% on the debut price of the 2019.

Yet the 2020 vintage was available for £948 per 12-bottle case in bond at UK merchants, around 10% less than the current market price of Les Carmes 2019, Liv-ex noted. It’s also cheaper than the 98-point 2018 vintage.

Other releases: Brane-Cantenac and Trotte Vieille

Anson also lavished praise on a number of other wines released this week. She rated Trotte Vieille 2020 at 96 points, equal to the St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé B estate 2018 score and one up on 2019.

Trotte Vieille 2020 was being offered at £650 per 12 bottles in bond (Farr Vintners, Bordeaux Index), and Wine Lister said this was ‘below all recent vintages in the market going back to 2013’.

Château Brane-Cantenac 2020, rated 94 points, was also released at at €48 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, up by 21% on the 2019 release price.

According to Liv-ex figures, the international trade price of £600 per 12 bottles in bond is 20.5% higher than the market price of the 2019 vintage, rated 96 points by Anson.

Other releases have included fellow Margaux estate Château Giscours. Anson described Giscours 2020 as ‘excellent’ and ‘extremely precise, well drawn and seductive’. She rated the wine at 95 points, ahead of both 2019 and 2018.

Giscours 2020 was released ex-Bordeaux at €40.8 per bottle, up 21.4% on the equivalent 2019 release price. It was being offered by international merchants at £492 per 12-bottle case in bond, 17% up on the 2019 market price, according to Liv-ex data.

Over on the Left Bank, Château Lafite Rothschild released its 2020 vintage en primeur at the end of last week, ahead of the other first growths.

Will Hargrove, head of fine wine at Corney & Barrow merchant, told Decanter yesterday that the Lafite stable of 2020 wines sold well after release.

He described the overall campaign as a ‘mixed bag’ so far. ‘We had good early success with the Moueix wines and Mitjavile wines as they were the same price as last year and released early.’

Decanter Premium exclusive: Bordeaux 2020 scores table

Château Lafite Rothschild en primeur history

Chris Mercer — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 09:00:28 +0000

This famous Bordeaux first growth has admirers around the world, and it won’t be a surprise to see Château Lafite Rothschild en primeur wines near the summit of critics’ rankings in most vintages.

Here is a summary of Jane Anson’s scores and tasting notes going back to 2016, including the recently tasted Lafite Rothschild 2020 en primeur sample, plus release prices.

Lafite Rothschild en primeur scores

Lafite 2020: 97 points
Lafite 2019: 98 points
Lafite 2018: 99 points | Latest in-bottle score: 98
Lafite 2017: 98 points | Latest in-bottle score: 97
Lafite 2016: 99 points | Latest in-bottle score: 100

Lafite 2016 has been the highest-scoring grand vin from the famous Pauillac first growth’s last five vintages, although neither the 2019 nor 2020 wines have yet been tasted after bottling.

Of the 2020 en primeur wine, Anson praised the ‘incredibly fine, gentle richness to the tannins’.

She added; ‘Impressive that even in dry vintages like 2020 with the real concerns over global warming, the top Bordeaux estates can still produce wines of this quality.’

These scores above also show the potential for ratings to be tweaked between en primeur barrel samples and the in-bottle tastings that normally take place around 18 months later.

Lafite is the first of the first growths to release its 2020 price, releasing its wine at a price that ‘should soar’.

Lafite Rothschild en primeur prices: Recent vintages

Data: Jane Anson’s last rating of the wine, with prices sourced from Liv-ex on 1 June 2021.

Lafite 2020 (97 points): Ex-Bordeaux €475 per bottle | Ex-London £5,880

Lafite 2019 (98): Ex-Bordeaux €396 per bottle | Ex-London £5,112 (12x 75cl in bond) | Current price: £5,400 ($7,657)

Lafite 2018 (98): Ex-Bordeaux €470 | Ex-London £6,000 |

Current price: £6,794 ($9,634)

Lafite 2017 (97): Ex-Bordeaux €420| Ex-London £4,870 |

Current price: £5,292 ($7,504)

Lafite 2016 (100): Ex-Bordeaux €455 | Ex-London £5,112 |

Current price: £7,350 ($10,422)

Prices may vary and are published for informational purposes only. This does not constitute investment advice.

Lafite wine style: ‘Never trying too hard to impress’

Despite Lafite’s superstar status and luxury credentials, ‘it can be something of a surprise when you open a bottle to realise that the wine itself never likes to shout its arrival, or try too hard to impress’, wrote Jane Anson in a profile of the Bordeaux first growths last year.

‘I can’t think of another property in Bordeaux that you can cellar with greater confidence – and I mean not just for decades but for a century or more, fully expecting that it will still be fragrant and mouthwatering when you finally get round to drinking it,’ Anson wrote.

‘Lafite tends not to have the inky depths of some Pauillacs when young, certainly not compared to Mouton or Latour, and it goes for complexity and nuance, for mouthwatering brilliance that steals up on you and takes you by surprise.’

Lafite at a glance

Vineyards: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Owner: Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) since 1868. Saskia de Rothschild took over from her father Baron Eric in 2018.
Technical director, Eric Kohler; MD, Jean-Guillaume Prats; consultant, Eric Boissenot.

Lafite Rothschild en primeur and in-bottle tasting notes

Bordeaux 2020 wines: Our en primeur verdict

Latest Bordeaux 2020 release news

Bordeaux wine investment: 20 years of market hits and misses

Back to our Bordeaux 2020 en primeur homepage

Lafite Rothschild 2020 release: ‘This should soar’

Richard Woodard — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 13:42:02 +0000

The Pauillac domaine is one of a quartet of châteaux from Les Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) to confirm their 2020 release prices today (11 June), alongside second wine Carruades de Lafite, L’Evangile from Pomerol and Pauillac’s Duhart-Milon.

Lafite’s release price of €475 ex-négociant is up 20% on 2019, said Liv-ex, pointing out that it sits at a significantly lower price to the lower-rated 2015 vintage, which is €545.

An impressed Jane Anson of Decanter gave Lafite Rothschild 2020 97 points, saying: ‘The kaleidoscope of flavours and aromatics that Lafite does so well is fully on display, nothing trying too hard, a velvet texture to the tannins, where the cassis fruit, earth, crushed stone and graphite is held in from beginning to end.’

The international trade is offering the wine at about £490 per bottle, 8% down on the 2019, which has appreciated in value by 15% over the past year, said Wine Lister – which pointed out that the 2020 falls ‘well below’ the market prices of comparable recent vintages, such as 2018 and 2016. ‘This should soar,’ Wine Lister added.

Carruades de Lafite 2020 has been released with a UK merchant price of about £177 per bottle, with Anson praising its ‘ton of impact and intensity’, giving a score of 92 points.

‘As ever with this excellent price performer, the 2020 vintage comes onto the market comfortably under all recent back vintages available, and should be snapped up quickly,’ said Wine Lister.

Turning to Pomerol, Château l’Evangile has been released at €180 ex-négociant, 33% higher than 2019’s opening price, prompting Liv-ex to highlight ‘multiple recent vintages’ of similar quality, available at lower prices.

Anson awarded the wine a high score of 98, calling it ‘gorgeous’ and praising its ‘pristine fruit, silky with a whoosh of menthol’. She added: ‘It elevates over the palate, both dense and light, with blueberry and raspberry fruits, and pulses of bitter almond and honeysuckle on the finish that gives focus and spice.’

Château Gruaud-Larose’s release price of €57.60 ex-négociant translates to a merchant price of about £58 per bottle, about 4% above the current prices of the 2019 and 2018 vintages, according to Wine Lister.

Giving the wine 95 points, Anson described it as ‘a big-shouldered St-Julien, but with a wide nuance of flavours’.

Liv-ex suggested that buyers might like to look at the 2016 vintage as a more affordable alternative.

St-Estèphe’s Château Phélan Ségur has been released with a merchant price of about £32 per bottle, said Liv-ex, up 17.4% on the current market price of the 2019 – which it said presented a ‘compelling’ alternative.

Awarding the 2020 wine 94 points, Anson described it as ‘excellent stuff’, adding: ‘The austerity to the tannins works in this wine’s favour, giving a juicy grip to the concentrated blackcurrant and bilberry fruits without strangling them.’

Among other recent releases, DBR (Lafite)-owned Château Duhart-Milon is being offered at about £57 per bottle, 9.6% higher than the current market price of the 2019, with ‘several back vintages’ appearing to offer better value, said Liv-ex.

St-Julien’s Château Talbot – like Duhart-Milon, awarded 95 points by Anson – has been released at about £39.90 per bottle, 8% up on the current price of the 2019.

Finally, Château Rauzan-Ségla from Margaux, scored at 96 points by Anson, is available for about £66.50 per bottle, 11% higher than remaining stocks of the 2019.

*Article corrected to say Lafite Rothschild 2020 is at a significantly lower price than the 2015, not a similar price.

Decanter Premium exclusive: Bordeaux 2020 score table

Château Mouton Rothschild en primeur history: 2016 – 2020

Chris Mercer — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 10:06:34 +0000

Château Mouton Rothschild 2020 could be upgraded to 100 points after ageing, wrote Jane Anson in her recent en primeur tasting note on the young first growth wine.

We’ve brought together Anson’s Mouton Rothschild en primeur scores, as well as in-bottle ratings, on the Pauillac estate’s grands vins back to the 2016 vintage.

You’ll also find release price information.

Mouton Rothschild en primeur scores

Mouton Rothschild 2020: 98 points
Mouton 2019: 98 points
Mouton 2018: 99 points (Latest in-bottle score: 100)
Mouton 2017: 96 points (Latest in-bottle score: 96)
Mouton 2016: 98 points (Latest in-bottle score: 99)

These scores above also show how ratings can nudge up, or down in some cases, between the en primeur barrel sample tastings and the in-bottle reviews that normally take place around 18 months later.

Of the 2020 barrel sample, Anson noted; ‘The tannins are carefully wrapped up and finessed, slowly but surely building in power and width, with concentrated blue and black fruits through the palate.’

While Anson believes the 2020 has the potential to hit a perfect 100-point score, it’s the Mouton 2018 vintage that currently heads the rankings of the estate’s last five vintages.

‘A big, textured and complex wine that is taking it all in its stride,’ Anson wrote of the 2018 after tasting it in-bottle.

However, she also described the Mouton 2016 as ‘monumental’ and ‘easily one of the wines of the vintage’.

More generally, it has previously been noted that Bordeaux’s 2018 and 2016 vintages have different profiles, due to weather conditions.

Mouton Rothschild en primeur prices: Recent vintages

Data: Jane Anson’s latest rating of the wine, with prices sourced from Liv-ex on 1 June 2021.

Mouton 2020 (97 points): Not yet released

Mouton 2019 (98): Ex-Bordeaux €282 per bottle | Ex-London £3,588 (12x 75cl in bond) | Current price: £4,711 ($6,675)

Mouton 2018 (100): Ex-Bordeaux €408 | Ex-London £5,112 |

Current price: £5,860 ($8,304)

Mouton 2017 (96): Ex-Bordeaux €348| Ex-London £4,320 |

Current price: £3,871 ($5,485)

Mouton 2016 (99): Ex-Bordeaux €420 | Ex-London £5,180 |

Current price: £5,524 ($7,828)

Prices may vary and are published for informational purposes only. This does not constitute investment advice.

Mouton wine style

‘This is the first growth that you can always rely on to impress at any gathering,’ wrote Jane Anson in a profile of the Bordeaux first growths last year.

‘Its luscious fruit profile, aged in 100% new oak (as are all the first growths), is wrapped up with notes of chocolate, liquorice and grilled almonds, with an emphasis on silky texture and caressing tannins.’

Mouton Rothschild at a glance

Vineyards: Reds – 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot.
Owner: Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, Camille Sereys de Rothschild (fifth generation since Nathaniel de Rothschild bought the estate in 1853).
Winemaking: MD Philippe Dhalluin retired on 1 December 2020. It was previously announced that Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy would become director of winemaking, with Ariane Khaida as executive director of châteaux wines across the group.
Upgraded to first growth status in 1973, the only château promoted in the 1855 Classification since its inception.

Mouton Rothschild en primeur and in-bottle tasting notes

Bordeaux 2020 wines: Our en primeur verdict

Latest Bordeaux 2020 release news

Bordeaux wine investment: 20 years of market hits and misses

Back to our Bordeaux 2020 en primeur homepage

Grand-Puy-Lacoste and Clerc Milon 2020 release as campaign picks up pace

Richard Woodard — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 12:22:13 +0000

Pauillac’s Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste has been released at €50.40 per bottle ex-négociant, and is being offered at about £50.60 by UK merchants, according to Wine Lister – 12% higher than the current market price of the 2019.

Scoring the 2020 at 95 points, Decanter’s Jane Anson described the wine as ‘enjoyable, powerful, concentrated – not the most generous of GPLs, but they have captured the essence of Pauillac, and it’s hard to resist’.

Wine Lister highlighted the market availability of the 2019 vintage, as well as the physically available 2016 – priced at a slight premium to 2020, but with higher critics’ scores.

Another Pauillac favourite, Château Clerc Milon’s 2020 wine is priced at €56.40 per bottle ex-négociant, or £57.50 with UK merchants, 11% higher than the current market value of the 2019.

For Anson, the 2020 is ‘powerful, a little austere, with tight black fruits that will benefit from adding flesh over ageing’. Awarding it 94 points, she said the wine was ‘good quality, [but] not as exuberant as some years of Clerc Milon’.

Wine Lister pointed to Clerc Milon’s 2019 wine – with similar scores and availability – and the 2016, currently sitting at about the same price.

In St-Emilion, Château La Gaffelière’s 2020 wine is being offered by the trade at about £48 per bottle, 5.6% below the current market value of its 2019 release, said Liv-ex, describing it as ‘good value for money’, although older vintages are available for less.

Jane Anson gave the 2020 release 95 points, lauding its ‘expert balance between power and finesse’, describing it as ‘just gorgeously juicy’ and adding: ‘This again proves why it is an estate to watch.’

Wine Lister highlighted the 17% increase in the price of the 2019 vintage since its release, adding: ‘The property’s upward trajectory and increasing interest from the trade could see good demand for this latest release.’

Back to Pauillac, and Château Haut-Batailley – now under the ownership of the Cazes family – has released its 2020 wine at about £39.76 with UK merchants, roughly 10% up on 2019. Liv-ex highlighted the ‘value’ of the estate’s 2019 wine, as well as the merits of older vintages such as 2014 and 2015.

The 2020 release is ‘an enjoyably sleek wine’, according to Jane Anson, who gave it 93 points and added: ‘This has an elegance to it that almost makes it more of a St-Julien’, especially when compared to sister property Lynch Bages.

Château Cantenac Brown’s offer of €34.20 per bottle ex-négociant is 14% ahead of its 2019 release price, with the UK trade offering it at £34.35 per bottle.

Anson praised the Margaux wine’s ‘signature gloss’, awarding the 2020 93 points and adding: ‘The austerity on the tannins is marked right now, but there is plenty of life ahead here.’

Wine Lister said the 2020 was entering the market at about the same level as the now scarce 2019. ‘Taking into account the high scores, as well as the future potential of this estate … this could be a Margaux worth backing,’ it added.

Among other recent en primeur releases, Château de Fieuzal’s 2020 red wine is being sold by the trade at about £25.30 per bottle, 12% higher than the 2019, while the Pessac-Léognan estate’s white is priced at about £35, similar to last year’s release.

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou’s second wine, La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou, is being offered at about £30 by the international trade, said Liv-ex, some 11% up on the market price of the 2019.

Château St Pierre’s 2020 was released at €38.40 ex-négociant, or £38.50 from merchants – a price which Liv-ex felt was ‘a little high’, despite Anson awarding it 94 points and praising its ‘gorgeous balance of power’.

Finally, Château Gloria 2020 is being sold by the trade at about £26.40 per bottle, up 5.6% on the current market price of the estate’s 2019 vintage.

Decanter Premium exclusive: Bordeaux 2020 score table

2020 releases: Alter Ego de Palmer and Grand-Puy-Ducasse prices

Richard Woodard — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 13:57:27 +0000

The 2020 vintage of Château Palmer’s second wine, Alter Ego de Palmer, is being offered by the trade at £606 per 12-bottle case in bond, according to Liv-ex, 16.5% higher than the current market price of the 2019 release.

Decanter’s Jane Anson awarded the 2020 wine from the Margaux property 93 points, praising its purity of fruit and ‘the gourmet touch you want in Alter Ego’, adding: ‘It’s a vintage where you can’t get away from the tannins, but here they have sinew and juice.’

Liv-ex noted that Alter Ego de Palmer 2019 – given 94 points by Anson – is selling at a 12% discount to the 2020, making it appear more favourable in price terms. ‘That said, production was hit again in 2020 by mildew pressure and the drought,’ it added. ‘Stock released is low and this is a wine which sees high demand.’

Pauillac’s Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse has released its 2020 wine at €24 ex-négociant, up 8.1% on the 2019 opening price, with the trade offering it at £300 per case, 8.7% ahead of the 2019 release’s current market price.

For Liv-ex, this makes both vintages ‘compelling’, while also highlighting the Pauillac domaine’s 2015 wine, available at a similar price.

Anson awarded the 2020 release 90 points, calling it ‘carefully made, with promise’, but adding: ‘This is extremely tight in its tannins, pretty austere and you need to take a beat to allow this to settle.’

In Pessac-Léognan, Château Malartic-Lagravière’s 2020 red and white releases are also being offered for less than 10% more than the current market price of the 2019s, with merchants pricing the red at £347/case – 5.5% up on 2019 – and the white at £432, 8% higher.

For Anson, Malartic-Lagravière’s 2020 red, scored at 94 points, is ‘one of the successes of the appellation’, thanks to its ‘silky texture and a finessed, fresh core that holds interest from beginning to end’.

She awarded the white 93 points, praising it as ‘measured and deft, and extremely easy to recommend’.

Liv-ex highlighted the red as offering particularly good value, noting that, while slightly more expensive than the 2019, it is priced at an 11% discount to the 2016, and 29% less than the 2010.

Among other new 2020 en primeur releases, Clos du Marquis has come out at €37.20 per bottle ex-négociant, almost 15% higher than 2019, and is being offered by merchants at £450 per case, 10% higher than the current market value of the 2019 – which makes the latter look like ‘good value’, according to Liv-ex.

Château Haut-Bages Libéral is being offered at £311/case, 9% higher than the 2019 release, while its €26.40 per bottle ex-négociant release price is nearly 16% up on 2019. Jane Anson gave the 2020 wine a score of 91 points.

Finally, tiny Margaux domaine Château Ferrière has released its 2020 wine at €27.60 ex-négociant, up 15% on 2019, with the trade offering the wine at £317 per 12-bottle case in bond.

Bordeaux 2020: The top scorers

New releases: Domaine de Chevalier and Gazin 2020 prices

Best Bordeaux 2020 second wines

Chris Wilson — Mon, 24 May 2021 11:35:57 +0000

Second wines are not uncommon in Bordeaux with many of the top estates offering one or two other labels in addition to their red, white or sweet grand vins.

Sometimes they are produced from specific vineyard plots or produced as a more approachable wine for earlier drinking but still with estate signature.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for the best Bordeaux 2020 second wines

Far from being an afterthought using up leftover grapes, some second wines have garnered critical acclaim and have emerged as fine wines in their own right.

Anson notes in her 2020 en primeur overview that although the second wines should be approached with caution this year, there are a few exceptions. ‘On the Left Bank, I would draw attention to La Croix de Beaucaillou and Pagodes de Cos Blanc, two delicious wines this year,’ she says.

‘You can find two similarly brilliant second wines on the Right Bank that provide an exercise into the impact of different terroirs in the vintage,’ continues Anson.

‘Look at Mondot, the second wine of Troplong Mondot that is on entirely limestone soils, and set it against Blason de L’Evangile, the second wine of L’Evangile with sandy-clay-gravel soils. Both are Merlot dominant, both successful, but very different expressions of the grape.’

Top scoring second label wines

97 points

Château Margaux, Pavillon Blanc, Margaux

95 points

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, La Croix Ducru Beaucaillou, St-Julien

Château La Mission Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, Pessac-Léognan

94 points

Château Margaux, Pavillon Rouge, Margaux

Château La Mission Haut-Brion, La Chapelle de la Mission, Pessac-Léognan

Château Ausone, Chapelle d’Ausone, St-Émilion Grand Cru

93 points

Château Palmer, Alter Ego, Margaux

Château Léoville-Las Cases, Le Petit Lion, St-Julien

Château Calon-Ségur, Marquis de Calon, St-Estèphe

Château Cos d’Estournel, Les Pagodes de Cos, St-Estèphe

Château Lafleur, Les Pensées de Lafleur, Pomerol

Château L’Eglise-Clinet, Petite Eglise, Pomerol

Château Latour, Les Forts de Latour, Pauillac

Château Mouton Rothschild, Le Petit Mouton, Pauillac

Château Pichon Baron, Les Griffons de Pichon Baron, Pauillac

Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Le Petit Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, C de Carmes, Pessac-Léognan

Château Cheval Blanc, Le Petit Cheval Rouge, St-Émilion Grand Cru

Château Canon, Croix Canon, St-Émilion Grand Cru

Château Troplong Mondot, Mondot, St-Émilion Grand Cru

Château Mangot, Distique 12, St-Émilion Grand Cru

Château Le Rey, Les Rocheuses, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux

Château L’Évangile, Blason de L’Evangile, Pomerol

See the best Bordeaux 2020 second wines

The following wines have all been scored 93 points and above.

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far Read Jane Anson’s full Bordeaux 2020 en primeur verdict Best Bordeaux 2020 wines: top-scorers

Bordeaux 2020: best value reds

Jane Anson — Sun, 23 May 2021 08:20:41 +0000

Decanter’s Bordeaux expert Jane Anson tasted more than 800 wines for her exclusive Bordeaux 2020 en primeur report with around 10% of wines tasted receiving a score of 95+ points, including five scoring 98-100 points – but it’s not all about points.

For each appellation, Anson selected her ‘value picks’, essentially wines where there is a magical balance between quality and price.

See her red wine value picks here, listed by appellation, and further down by point score and price.

Best-value Bordeaux reds 2020

St-Estephe

Margaux

St Julien

Pauillac

Médoc & Haut-Médoc, Moulis & Listrac

Pessac-Leognan

Graves

St Emilion

Pomerol

Lalande de Pomerol

Côtes de Bordeaux 2020

Fronsac 2020

Bordeaux 2020

Les Perrières de Lafleur,
Château Grand Village [/breakout]

Prices

In her report Anson is keen to stress that’s it not just the 95+ scoring wines that should grab the spotlight, those scoring 90 points and lower often find that sweet spot between quality and price. ‘The best way to interpret an 89 point wine, in my scoring, is by price,’ writes Anson. ‘If these are great value wines, it’s a signpost score that means unfussy, easy to drink, super enjoyable.’

Using prices for wines already released during this year’s campaign, and comparison data from recent vintages for those not yet out, we’ve compiled a list of wines all scoring 89 points or more and priced under £22/$31 per bottle in bond.

The 27 wines listed below range in score with four at 93 points, 11 at 92 points, seven at 91 points, two at 90 points and three at 89 points, and cover the entire Bordeaux region including St-Estèphe, Margaux, St-Julien, St-Émilion (Grand Cru), Pomerol and Pessac-Léognan.

Within the list are eight wines that are priced less than £11/$15.50 and 14 wines that are less than £15/$21 offreing plenty of wallet friendly options for en primeur 2020 purchases.

93 points

Château Meyney, St-Estèphe – £18.66 / $26

Château Branas Grand Poujeaux, Moulis – £21 / $29

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion ‘C de Carmes’, Pessac-Léognan – £15.67 / $22

Château Alcée, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – £11 / $15

92 points

Château de Pez, St-Estèphe – £20.83 / $29

Château la Croix de Pez, St-Estèphe – £15.90 / $22

Château Moutte Blanc, Margaux – £21.28 / $29

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou ‘Le Petit Ducru de Ducru Beaucaillou’, St-Julien – £19.83 / $28

Château Potensac, Médoc -£13.83 / $19

Château Smith Haut Lafitte ‘Les Hauts de Smith’, Pessac-Léognan – £19.92 / $28

Château Caronne-Ste-Gemme, Haut-Médoc – £9.00 / $12

Château Bonalgue, Pomerol – £20.00 / $28

Château Mauvesin Barton, Moulis-en-Médoc – £10.75 / $15

Château Ampélia, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – £9.20 / $12

Château Robin, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux -£9.00 / $12

91 points

Château Haut Simard, St-Émilion Grand Cru – £14.42 / $20

Château La Bridane, St-Julien – £13.25 / $18

Château Laujac, Médoc – £13.95 / $18

Château La Tour Carnet, Haut-Médoc 4ème Cru Classé – £20.00 / $29

Château d’Escurac, Médoc – £9.00 / $12

Château Sénéjac, Haut-Médoc – £9.92 / $14

Clos René, Pomerol – £20.00 / $28

90 points

Château d’Alix, Pessac-Léognan – £13 / $18

Château Beau Site, St-Estèphe – £15.75 / $22

89 points

Château Fonbel, St-Émilion Grand Cru – £13.25 / $18

Château Tour de Pressac, St-Émilion Grand Cru – £21 / $29

Château Saint-Paul, Haut-Médoc – £9.00 / $12

All GBP prices correct at the time of publishing. Dollar prices are based on the current exchange rate of the GBP rate showed. Actual prices for wines not yet released may vary.

See the best-value en primeur 2020 red wine tasting notes and scores

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far Read Jane Anson’s full Bordeaux 2020 en primeur verdict Best Bordeaux 2020 wines: top-scorers

Best white Bordeaux 2020 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Sun, 23 May 2021 08:00:26 +0000

White Bordeaux 2020

Average yield: 50hl/ha

What to expect

Some really successful whites, although things tend to be rounded and emphasizing exotic fruits rather than the bright intensity of 2019. It was a particularly early harvest, with whites starting around August 20 in Graves and Pessac-Léognan (Château Climens’ Asphodelle came in on August 24, among the first wave to pick besides the Crémant de Bordeaux around August 15).

Aile d’Argent also came in on August 24, joint earliest on record along with 2011.

Alto Cantenac Brown on 31 August, the first time grapes came in here before September.

Overall the early harvest meant the whites avoided the searing heat of September so not only are the yields good on average, but the flavours are juicy and balanced.

What’s new

Some brilliant 100% Sémillons. Look out for Clos Cantenac Blanc – 100% Sémillon, also La Sémillante, two very successful whites (along with Asphodelle from Château Climens – I haven’t tasted the 2020 myself yet but loved the 2019 and hear only good things about the second vintage).

Top white Bordeaux 2020 picks:

Château Lynch Bages, Blanc de Lynch Bages,
Château Cantenac Brown, Alto de Cantenac Brown,
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Blanc,
Château Carbonnieux,
Château Margaux, Pavillon Blanc,
Château Haut-Brion, Blanc.

Value picks:

See the top-scoring white Bordeaux 2020 en primeur wines

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far

Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page

Best Médoc & Haut-Médoc, Moulis & Listrac 2020 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Sat, 22 May 2021 08:15:30 +0000

Médoc/Haut Médoc/ Moulis and Listrac 2020

Average yields:

40hl/h in AOC Médoc,
35hl/ha in Haut-Médoc
31hl/ha in Moulis and Listrac

What you find

Concentrated flavours, some excellent structured wines, but here you start to also see a few bitter flavours creeping in from either low yields or underripe Cabernets.

Careful ageing is going to be needed.

As with last year, it’s a little disappointing that there are few standout wines in the Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel category in these appellations.

What’s new

For the classified wines in these appellations, La Lagune is in its final year of biodynamic conversion, and there are changes at Château Cantemerle with Philippe Dambrine stepping down to be replaced by Laure Canu as estate director (who was previously at Château Angélus).

Château d’Agassac was bought by Gérard Jicquel (who also bought Fourcas Dupré last year).

The Borie wines in Listrac are no longer bottling under the AOC Listrac and are now all one bottling called Madame de Beaucaillou AOC Haut-Médoc. The estate comments: ‘The wine is and will remain sourced from vineyards owned by the Borie family – currently Cussac and Listrac and a small portion of Moulis – and is vinified by the same technical team as all of the Saint Julian wines including Ducru – but in the cellars of Forcas Borie’.

Château Lanessan 2020 is the last vintage with Paz Espejo – shame, as she has done a great job at this property.

Top picks and value wines:

See the top-scoring Médoc/Haut Médoc/ Moulis and Listrac 2020 en primeur wines

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far

Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page

Best smaller appellation 2020 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Sat, 22 May 2021 08:00:26 +0000

Bordeaux’s smaller appellations 2020

Yields:

Graves 37hl/ha
Graves white 36hl/ha
Côtes 35hl/ha
Castillon 30hl/ha

What you find

Some real charm in Graves this year, tones of values that I recommend looking out for (although where yields were very low things got more complicated, such as the 12hl/ha at Château Saint Robert).

In the Côtes also, as you would expect in a year where Merlot has done well, you will find some brilliant buys. Mathieu Chardronnier of Château Marsau says; ‘Merlot has reacted well when it’s planted in the right places. Merlot on gravel in this vintage has been touch, but in the right soils it has been magnificent’.

Some hail April 17 affectigng 800ha across Entre-deux-Mers, north Libourne and Dordogne, and for Entre-deux-Mers again April 25, June 1 and August 13.

Top picks/values:

Graves 2020:

Côtes de Bordeaux 2020:

Fronsac 2020:

Bordeaux 2020:

See the top-scoring en primeur wines from Bordeaux’s smaller appellations 2020

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far

Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page

Batailley 2020 release: ‘Great value for money’ potential

Ellie Douglas — Fri, 21 May 2021 10:53:36 +0000

Château Batailley 2020 was released this morning (21 May) at €26.5 ex-Bordeaux, a 3% increase on the 2019-vintage release price.

Decanter’s Jane Anson gave it 94 points and called it a ‘signature Batailley in that it has that essence-of-Pauillac feel’. She added, ‘Really one to look out for in this vintage.’

Batailley is being offered at £337 per bottles in bond on the international market, just 0.3% above the current market price of its 2019 vintage, according to Liv-ex.

‘With one of the smallest increases so far in this en primeur campaign, Batailley has real potential to stand out as great value for money,’ said Liv-ex.

Analyst group Wine Lister said of the 2020 release, ‘Some buyers looking to open a bottle sooner might note a little availability of both 2019 and 2018 remains at their original en primeur release prices.’

Yet it added, ‘However, on brand strength alone, this looks like a solid buy.’

Branaire-Ducru 2020 also released today, at €31.20 ex-Bordeaux, which is a 10.6% increase on the 2019 release price.

But it’s being sold at £372 (12x 75cl in bond), which puts it below the current market prices 2019 and 2018.

Jane Anson gave the wine 93 points, and said it had a ‘really excellent St-Julien character; a lovely Branaire’.

Liv-ex said the release looks ‘very well-positioned, being cheaper than the 2019 and 2018 vintages’.

Wine Lister said, ‘With a price slightly up on last year’s generous en primeur discount (while still offering significant discount on the 2018 release price) this could work, considering Branaire’s long-term upward quality and popularity trajectory.’

More Bordeaux 2020 en primeur:

Bordeaux 2020: Angélus and Pavie lead new en primeur releases

Bordeaux 2020 wines: our en primeur verdict

Anson’s top-scoring Bordeaux 2020 wines

See our Bordeaux 2020 homepage for all the latest stories

Best Sauternes and Barsac 2020 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Fri, 21 May 2021 08:15:31 +0000

Sauternes 2020 and Barsac 2020

Average yield: 12hl/ha (last year 14hl/ha)

Individual estates went even lower:

8hl/ha at ChâteauBastor Lamontagne for example,
6.5hl/ha at ChâteauBroustet,
6hl/ha at Clos Haut Peyraguey,
3hl/ha at Châteaude Fargues.

What to expect

Another tough year, with very low yields after the dry summer, and a difficult harvest where patience was required. 10mm of rain in July,; 50mm in August.

The beginning of September was so dry that no botrytis was able to form, and concentration happened through drying of the grapes (passerillage).

Things got better with the 70mm falling in late September – but then storm Alex in early October threatened too much rain and dilution. It meant a very short window for harvest, and some difficult decisions.

Some producers, such as Sigalas-Rabaud decided not to make a first wine at all in the vintage, others have produced tiny yields. meaning you can expect a range of styles, with the best showing a knife-edge balance and aromatic intensity.

And as if things weren’t tough enough, these appellations have been badly affected by frost for the 2021 vintage (Climens at 100%, Doisy Vedrines at 80%). So once again I would say support these wines if you possibly can.

Top Sauternes 2020 and Barsac 2020 picks:

Châteaude Fargues,
Château Coutet,
Château Doisy-Daene,

Value picks:

See the top-scoring Sauternes 2020and Barsac 2020 en primeur wines

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far

Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page

Best Pessac-Léognan 2020 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Fri, 21 May 2021 08:00:36 +0000

Pessac-Léognan 2020

Average yield: 35hl/ha

Individual yields vary from:

42hl/ha at Château Carbonnieux (red),
30hl/ha at Château Smith Haut Lafitte red (29hl/ha for the whites),
37hl/ha at Domaine de Chevalier,
37hl/ha at Château Haut-Bailly
26hl/ha at Château Malartic Lagraviere (compared to 46hl/ha in 2019).

What you find

A vintage with high tannins, high colours giving many successful wines.

Pessac-Léognan 2020 vintage characteristics

A mild and humid winter with bud break early March then heavy rains on May 10 that triggered mildew (there was twice as much rain as normal during April).

Complete climate change happened in middle of June as the rains stopped, with just 5mm falling across the entire month of July, with colour change two weeks earlier than average.

August rain was around 60mm in most of Pessac-Léognan.

Whites grapes harvest started August 20th at Smith Haut-Lafitte, one of the earliest in the appellation, with reds starting the first and second week of September.

Rain in September saw around 80mm in Pessac, falling mainly towards the end of the month.

What’s new

Carmes Haut Brion continues to stand apart in its vinification techniques, now at 55% whole bunch in the fermentation.

New winery at Haut-Bailly (but will first be used for vinifying the 2021 harvest).

Quick links for Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings

Search Bordeaux 2020 tasting notes published so far

Bordeaux 2020 vintage: our en primeur verdict

Top-scoring Bordeaux 2020 wines

Top Pessac-Léognan 2020 picks:

Château La Mission Haut-Brion one of the wines of the vintage,
Château Carbonnieux Blanc,
Château Malartic-Lagraviere,
Château Haut-Bailly,
Château Haut-Brion, La Chapelle de Haut-Brion,
Château Pape Clément

Value picks:

See the top-scoring Pessac-Léognan 2020 en primeur wines

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far

Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page

Suduiraut 2020 released with price jumpvs 2019

Chris Mercer — Thu, 20 May 2021 12:50:21 +0000

Suduiraut 2020, rated 96 points by Decanter’s Jane Anson, has been released in the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur campaign today (20 May) at around £504 per 12 bottles in bond.

It’s ex-Bordeaux price was €42 per bottle, up by around 20% on the equivalent 2019 release, according to Liv-ex. The 2018 vintage was released at around €40 ex-Bordeaux.

Described by Anson as ‘full of pleasure, silky and richly textured’, Suduiraut 2020 is one of the top-scoring Sauternes of the vintage. Anson reported that around 3,000 cases have been produced.

Yet it’s also ‘the most expensive Suduiraut on the market from the last 15 vintages’, according to Liv-ex.

There is plenty of choice when it comes to finding previous vintages, it added. Sauternes has generally seen more muted demand on the secondary market than its vaunted red wine peers further north.

Analyst group Wine Lister also noted Suduiraut’s high scores, but added, ‘Buyers looking for a bottle to drink sooner might note some availability of the high-scoring 2009…at a price lower than that of the latest release.’

While the highlight of the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur campaign so far has arguably been the early debuts of St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A châteaux, several Sauternes and Barsac 2020 wines have now been released.

They include:

Coutet 2020 (Barsac), 94 points, £324 (12x 75cl in bond, Liv-ex)
Guiraud 2020, 94 points, £33.6 per bottle in bond (expected price reported by Wine Lister)
Doisy-Védrines 2020, 95 points, £282 (12x 75cl in bond, Farr Vintners)
Doisy-Daëne 2020, 96 points, £288 (Bordeaux Index)
La Tour Blanche 2020, 93 points, £350 (Farr Vintners)

Lafon-Rochet and La Clotte 2020 release

One of the latest reds to release is Lafon-Rochet 2020, priced at around £325 per 12 bottles in bond.

According to Liv-ex, that makes it around 11% more expensive than the current market price for 2019, although cheaper than 2018 and 2016.

Rated 93 points by Anson, the St-Estèphe fourth growth’s 2020 vintage was also 3% below the ex-Bordeaux price of 2019, at €26 per bottle.

It could be an interesting wine to watch, because it is the first year of collaboration at the estate between two of Bordeaux’s top consultants – Eric Boissenot of Left Bank fame and Jean-Claude Berrouet, former Petrus winemaker.

Back in St-Emilion, La Clotte 2020 was also released. Anson gave the wine 93 points and said it ‘continues its improvements under the Ausone team’.

Farr Vintners and Bordeaux Index were selling 12 bottles in bond for £560. Fine & Rare was selling six bottles for £285 in bond, and reported that production was 10,000 bottles.

Look out for the feature on five Sauternes vintages to drink now in the 2020 Bordeaux supplement, free with the June issue of Decanter.

Bordeaux 2020: Angélus and Pavie lead new en primeur releases

Bordeaux 2020 wines: our en primeur verdict

Anson’s top-scoring Bordeaux 2020 wines

See our Bordeaux 2020 homepage for all the latest stories

Best Pomerol 2020 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Thu, 20 May 2021 12:49:01 +0000

Pomerol 2020

Average yield: 40hl/ha

Individual yields varied but rarely went as low as on the Left Bank.

Good yields at the Moueix esates: 40-42hl/ha
30hl/ha at Vieux Château Certan,
32hl/ha at Château L’Evangile,
37hl/ha at Château Beauregard,
38hl/ha at Château Clinet,
30hl/ha at Château Mazeyres,
42hl/ha at Château Feytit Clinet.

What you find

The clays of Pomerol were able to conserve water, so there is plenty of freshness in most wines, but the three days at 37°C in September meant evaporation, so you see early picking (L’Evangile September 2-15, the first in the appellation) and concentration and even some raisin character if people waited too long.

As there is so much concentration, you get a more architectural construction than you usually do in the hedonism centre of Pomerol.

Pomerol 2020 vintage characteristics

Mildew pressure in May, particularly after heavy rain (68mm) on one day May 10. But once June was over, both July and August saw particularly low levels of rain compared to the Médoc.

There was almost nothing in July, and just 20-30mm recorded at Petrus, Lafleur and Vieux Château Certan in August. Heavier rains began at the end of September, potentially causing dilution, but most estates were in by then (Beauregard and Nenin for example were finished harvest by September 23rd).

What’s new

Rouget in conversion to organic farming, Petit Village also (and new owners here, the Moulin family of Galleries Lafayette and Château Beauregard).

L’Evangile is in its final year of organic conversion, so 2021 will be the first certified year.

Quick links for Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings

Search Bordeaux 2020 tasting notes published so far

Bordeaux 2020 vintage: our en primeur verdict

Top-scoring Bordeaux 2020 wines

Top Pomerol 2020 picks:

Château L’Evangile,
Petrus,
Château Lafleur,
Château La Conseillante.

Value picks:

Lalande de Pomerol:

See the top-scoring Pomerol 2020 en primeur wines

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far

Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page

Best St-Emilion 2020 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Thu, 20 May 2021 12:43:24 +0000

St-Emilion 2020

Average yields: 38hl/ha

Wide range of individual yields

40hl/ha at Clos Fouret
30hl/ha at Couspaude,
19hl/ha at Clos Dubreuil,
23hl/ha at Fleur Cardinale,
35hl/ha at Fonplegade.
Yields at Figeac 20% higher than in 2019 at 37hl/ha overall I think
31hl/ha at Pavie Maquin

What you find

A highly successful vintage in St-Emilion, with some of the wines of the vintage, particularly on clay-limestone soils.

In terms of alcohols, there are a few 15%-pluses such as a Quintus and Valandraud, but largely alcohols run between 14-14.5%.

St-Emilion 2020 vintage characteristics

February 3.5°C warmer than average, April and May 2.2°C warmer than average.

End of March rain was 60% higher than average of last 20 years. Local frost on nights of 26 and 27 March, localised to the cooler low-lying areas.

Budding 15 days earlier than average. Drought 20 June to 10 August with less than 10mm of rain for 50 days. Hydric deficit 60% lower than average across July and August (and here only 40mm fell in August, almost one third of the rain in Pauillac). This meant some young vines saw shrivelling of the grapes – and then a further 10% of volume was lost in September because of drought and heat.

Things were very warm until September 21 when rain returned and temperatures droped 15°C from one day to the next – St-Emilion saw around 70mm of rain in the later part of September, which meant rot pressure in some areas, although helped by cool nights.

What’s new

Worth noting that the 2020 vintage will be included in the classification of St-Emilion, which will be announced in September 2022 (meaning any new ranks will be reflected on the labels).

We are seeing more and more Cabernet Sauvignon in St-Emilion now, successfully so – certainly it is striking how often it is found in the blend, from Pressac and Faugères to Fonbel, Troplong Mondot, Clos Fourtet and Figeac, Valandraud, Trottevielle, Fleur Cardinale, Bellefont Belcier, La Croix Younan (others such as Château Fombrauge have taken out Cabernet Sauvignon that was planted 10 years ago).

Château Fonplegade has now obtained Biodynamic certification in 2020 with Biodyvin, as has Couvent des Jacobins with organic certification.

New owners at Beausejour Duffau Lagarosse, meaning that the Nicolas Thienpont team will not be making this wine as of 2021 (instead it will go to Josephine Duffau-Lagarosse).

Valandraud has taken on 50% investment from Marie Lafevre at Sansonnet.

There are changes to blends going forward – Carillon d’Angélus is more Merlot focused to be more fully distinct from the main estate wine. And also changes for Vieux Château Mazerat in the Maltus stable, again upping the Merlot to make a distinction from Le Dôme (we are also missing both Le Carré and Les Asteries from the Maltus stable, either due to mildew or because of a reworking of the plots for classification submission. I heard both things from the estate itself, so I guess we will have to wait until next year to see if they reappear).

New cellars: Le Dôme, Troplong Mondot, Figeac, Fleur Cardinale.

Look out for a few wines that highlight neatly the trends in winemaking: Château Mangot Distique 12 for example – specially selected plots, 60% Cabernet (both Franc and Sauvignon), aged in amphora, and also Luccianus Amphore – 100% Cabernet Franc aged entirely in Amphoras.

Quick links for Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings

Search Bordeaux 2020 tasting notes published so far

Bordeaux 2020 vintage: our en primeur verdict

Top-scoring Bordeaux 2020 wines

Top St-Emilion 2020 picks:

Château Larcis Ducasse,
Château Fonplegade,
Château Cheval Blanc,
Château Ausone,
Château Figeac,
Château Canon,
Château Clos Fourtet,
Château Belair-Monange,
Château Rocheyron

Value picks:

See the top-scoring St-Emilion 2020 en primeur wines

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far

Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page

Bordeaux 2020 releases: Pricing and 2019 comparison

Ellie Douglas — Thu, 20 May 2021 07:00:08 +0000

Jane Anson tasted around 800 wines for Bordeaux 2020 en primeur, and gives this vintage 4/5 – putting it on a par with 2018 but lower than 2019 and 2016.

‘This vintage has seen some of the lowest yields of recent years, and the resulting concentration means the ability to manage these low yields while keeping fruit and freshness was a line that needed careful walking,’ said Anson in her full Bordeaux 2020 en primeur verdict.

Some releases so far may offer early clues about buyer sentiment following a relatively successful-yet-narrow campaign for Bordeaux 2019 en primeur wines last year, and signs of Bordeaux garnering greater enthusiasm on the fine wine market in general.

Bordeaux 2020 releases

Listed in alphabetical order. Click on wine name to see score and tasting note from Jane Anson, exclusively for Decanter Premium members.

Angélus 2020

Price ex-Bordeaux = €260. Price x 12 (75cl) in bond = £3,048. Change from 2019 release price = + 13%

Aromes de Pavie 2020

Price ex-Bordeaux = €60. Price x12 (75cl) in bond = £720.

Bellevue Mondotte 2020

Price ex-Bordeaux = €90. Price x12 (75cl) in bond = £1,086.

Carillon d’Angélus 2020

Price x12 (75cl) in bond = £792.

Cheval Blanc 2020

Price per bottle ex-Bordeaux = €380 . Price x 12 (75cl) in bond = £4,656. Change from 2019 release price = +3.5%

Coutet 2020

Price per bottle ex-Bordeaux = €26.40. Price x 12 (75cl) in bond = £324. Change from 2019 release price = 0

Doisy-Daëne 2020

Price per bottle ex-Bordeaux = €24. Price x 12 (75cl) in bond = £290. Change from 2019 release price = 0.

Hosanna 2020

Price per bottle ex-Bordeaux = . Price x 12 (75cl) in bond = £1,000 . Change from 2019 release price = -4.7%.

Lafon-Rochet 2020

Price per bottle ex-Bordeaux = €26. Price x 12 in bond = £325. Change from 2019 release price = -3.3%

Langoa Barton 2020

Price per bottle ex-Bordeaux = €29.4 . Price x 12 (75cl) in bond = £358 . Change from 2019 release price = + 1.1%.

Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2020

Price per bottle ex-Bordeaux = €38.40. Change from 2019 release price = 1.1%.

Le Petit Cheval 2020

Price per bottle ex-Bordeaux 2020 = €120. Price x12 (75cl) in bond = £1,450. Change from 2019 release price = 3.3%.

Léoville Barton 2020

Price per bottle ex-Bordeaux = . Price x12 (75cl) in bond = £730. Change from 2019 release price = + 12%.

Monbousquet 2020

Price per bottle ex-Bordeaux = €32.40. Price x12 (75cl) in bond = £391. Change from 2019 release price = + 7.1%.

Pavie 2020

Price per bottle ex-Bordeaux = €240. Price x12 (75cl) in bond= £2,890. Change from 2019 release price = -3%.

Pavie Decesse 2020

Price per bottle ex-Bordeaux = Price x 12 (75cl) in bond =Pavie Decesse 2020 . Change from 2019 release price = + 3.5%.

Suduiraut 2020

Price per bottle ex-Bordeaux = €42. Price x 12 (75cl) in bond = £504. Change from 2019 release = 20.7%

Dates of Bordeaux 2020 releases and analysis, including vintage pricing comparisons

May 20th – Suduiraut 2020 released with price jump vs 2019

May 18th – Angélus, Pavie, Léoville Barton lead new releases

May 11th – Cheval Blanc 2020 release kick-starts Bordeaux en primeur

Which Bordeaux 2019 wines sold best en primeur?

Best St-Julien 2020 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Wed, 19 May 2021 10:24:21 +0000

St-Julien 2020

Average yield: 34hl/ha

Individual yields varied from:

47hl/ha at Château Beychevelle
34hl/ha at Château Léoville Las Cases,
35hl/ha at Château Léoville Poyferré

What you find:

Whisper it, but is this the first year for ages when you might not be able to blanket buy St Julien? You’re not going to go far wrong with the main estate wines, but there are some strong tannins in the second wines that will need careful handling over ageing.

St-Julien 2020 vintage characteristics:

As with Pauillac, there were unusually small Cabernet Sauvignon berries that led to small yields. After the extremely dry July, August saw around 85mm of rain on average.

In September rainfall was similar across Margaux, Pauillac and St-Julien – around 65mm on average, falling mainly in the second half, before becoming more abundant in early October.

What’s new

The biggest changes are at Ducru Beaucaillou, with some name changes and new wines – Lalande-Borie becomes Le Petit Ducru and the new Madame de Beaucaillou AOC Haut-Medoc has arrived, using all the non St-Julien grapes owned by Bruno Borie, meaning there are no more Borie wines bottled under the Listrac or Moulis appellation (something that must smart at the Cru Bourgeois board, because Château Foucas-Borie had just been named CB Supérieur).

Château Gruaud Larose is in organic certification, expected in 2021.

Quick links for Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings

Search Bordeaux 2020 tasting notes published so far

Bordeaux 2020 vintage: our en primeur verdict

Top-scoring Bordeaux 2020 wines

Top St-Julien 2020 picks:

Château La Croix Beaucaillou (with the first wine also, both standout wines in the appellation this year),
Château Léoville Las Cases,
Château Léoville Barton.

Value picks:

See the top-scoring St-Julien 2020 en primeur wines

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far

Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page

Best Margaux 2020 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Wed, 19 May 2021 10:19:58 +0000

Margaux 2020

Average yield: 36hl/ha

Individual yields varied widely:

45hl/ha at Château Cantemerle,
31hl/ha at Château Malsescot St Exupery
16hl/ha at Château La Gurgue,
47hl/ha at Château Dauzac,
36hl/ha at Château Giscours.

What you find

Wines are tannic but flavour-packed, very classic – not as exuberant as 2018 or 2019 but structured and intense.

Philippe Bascaules at Château Margaux recorded less dehyrdration in the grapes in 2020 compared to 2018; so high alcohols were avoided, and a more classic balance is found in the wines.

Margaux 2020 vintage characteristics

Flowering went moderately well in Margaux according to consultant Eric Boissenot, but there was some difficulties during fruit set that contributed to low yields, as well as the hot dry summer.

A big storm in mid-August affected some areas with over 100mm of rain falling in three days. In September rainfall was similar across Margaux, Pauillac and St-Julien – around 65mm on average, falling mainly in the second half, before becoming more abundant in early October.

Patrice de Bortoli at Château Moutte-Blanc pointed out the contrast in the grape varieties, with the early-ripening Merlot being picked with ‘extraordinary levels of potential alcohol, harvested in the heat, then Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot rebalanced by the rain and cooler temperatures’.

What’s new

You have a few estate changes here – no more Château Pontac Lynch, as all the vines have now been included in Château d’Issan, and no more Châteaux Charmant or La Galiane, as again the vines have been sold off, this time to Château Cantenac Brown.

There are new owners at Château du Tertre (the Helfrich family), and at Tour de Mons (Nathalie Perrodo, as at Marquis d’Alesme).

Over at Château Margaux, 2020 is the 100th anniversary of the white wine bottled under the name Pavillon Blanc (although there has been a white wine here for 300 years).

The greening of AOC Margaux also continues. Between 2016 and 2019, 30 winegrowing properties in the Margaux appellation were involved in actions to encourage biodiversity, protecting soil from erosion and providing refuges and food sources for insects and small animals. These included 15ha set aside for late mowing, 42ha of fallow plots, 5ha of wildflower meadows and 10km of hedges.

Top picks:

Château Margaux,
Château d’Issan,
Château Palmer.

Value picks:

See the top-scoring Margaux 2020 en primeur wines

Priority booking Château Margaux Virtual Masterclass

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Not a Decanter Premium subscriber yet?With limited spaces available and high-demand expected, join Decanter Premium today and enjoy priority booking ahead of general release on Monday 24 May.

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far

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Bordeaux 2020: Angélus, Pavie, Léoville Barton lead new releases

Chris Mercer — Tue, 18 May 2021 12:35:54 +0000

Selected Bordeaux 2020 en primeur releases: Quick links to tasting notes

Prices sourced from Liv-ex unless otherwise stated.

Right Bank

Château Angélus 2020, 97 points, £3,048 (12x 75cl in bond)
Château Pavie 2020, 97 points, £2,890 (12x 75cl at Farr Vintners)
Château Cheval Blanc 2020, 99 points, £4,656
Château Pavie Decesse 2020, 95 points, £996

Left Bank

Château Léoville Barton 2020, 94 points, £730
Château Langoa Barton 2020, 92 points, £358

Sauternes

Château Coutet 2020 (Barsac), 94 points, £324
Château Guiraud 2020, 94 points, £33.6 per bottle in bond (expected price reported by Wine Lister)

Bordeaux 2020 analysis: Angélus and Pavie releases

Château Angélus 2020 was being sold en primeur for around £3,048 per 12 bottles in bond this morning (18 May), although different formats were available. Fine & Rare was selling six bottles for £1,524 in bond, for example.

Decanter’s Jane Anson gave Angélus 2020 97 points as part of her Bordeaux 2020 en primeur report.

‘I love the aromatics on this,’ she wrote of Angélus, also praising the wine’s discreet power. ‘This is a sleek, poised, and confidently-constructed Angélus.’

Liv-ex said the UK case price for Angélus 2020 was up by around 7% on the 2019 vintage release last summer. On an ex-Bordeaux basis, the 2020 release price was €260 per bottle, up 13% on 2019.

St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A estates have been among the biggest-name releases at the beginning of the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur campaign. Angélus and Pavie came after Cheval Blanc 2020 debuted at around £4,656 (75cl x12 in bond) last week.

Analyst group Wine Lister said Angélus 2020, while highly rated, came in at the higher end of pricing on recent vintages.

‘This latest en primeur release may find traction amongst its loyal followers, or indeed those in the know about the shift in style afoot,’ it said.

It added, ‘Buyers might note the decent availability of the [high-scoring] 2016 and 2015 vintages at a lower price, which have the added benefit of being physical.’ Anson’s most recent rating on the 2016 vintage was 98 points.

Pavie 2020 was also rated 97 points by Anson and was being sold for £2,890 per 12 bottles in bond at Farr Vintners, and £1,446 per six-bottle case in bond at Fine & Rare at the time of writing.

For some context, Farr Vintners was selling Pavie 2019 at £2,990 (12x 75cl in bond), a wine rated 96 points by Anson last year.

Léoville Barton 2020 release

Crossing over to the Left Bank, St-Julien’s Léoville Barton 2020 was released today at around £730 per 12-bottle case in bond, up by 12% on the 2019 debut price, according to Liv-ex. It said release volumes were down 25%, reflecting lower production.

Giving the wine 94 points, Anson said it ‘will bed down and age extremely well’, even if ‘the austerity to the tannins is very much to the fore right now’.

She raised the prospect of an upgrade at the in-bottle tasting in 16 to 18 months. She has previously rated the 2019, 2018 and 2016 vintages at 96 points.

Liv-ex data showed that 2020 was significantly cheaper than the 2016 market price, although it was above 2019, 2018 and 2017 to varying degrees.

Exchange rates playing a role

There were perhaps early signs of an exchange rate shift playing a role, as noted prior to this year’s en primeur campaign.

Léoville Barton 2020 was €60 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, up by 16% versus last year’s release, according to Liv-ex. This gap was slightly smaller when comparing in-bond case price from UK merchants, as shown above.

More Bordeaux 2020 releases

There have been several other releases this week. Langoa Barton 2020 was available at Bordeaux Index and Farr Vintners at £358 per 12 bottles in bond.

It’s rated 92 points by Anson, who described it as ‘not quite as generous as Léoville Barton’, but still with ‘plenty of life and lift through the palate and a juicy finish’.

On the Right Bank, Pavie Decesse 2020 – rated 95 points by Anson – was released at £996 per 12 bottles in bond, down 3.5% on the equivalent release price for 2019, said Liv-ex. The ex-Bordeaux price was level with 2019, at €83.

Wine Lister said Pavie Decesse 2020 had ‘rarity on its side’, given the estate’s relatively small size. There was ‘no availability’ of 2019 and 2018 has seen moderate price growth, Lister said.

In Barsac, Coutet 2020 was released at the equivalent of £324 per 12 bottles in bond, although Liv-ex noted there was also value to be found in several back-vintages. Anson gave Coutet 2020 94 points, noting, ‘This is excellent and easy to recommend.’

Bordeaux 2020 wines: our en primeur verdict

Anson’s top-scoring Bordeaux 2020 wines

All Bordeaux 2020 scores published so far

See our Bordeaux 2020 homepage for all the latest stories

Best Pauillac 2020 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Tue, 18 May 2021 10:16:19 +0000

Pauillac 2020

Average yield: 37hl/ha

Individual yields varied from:

41hl/ha at Château Croizet Bages,
33hl/ha at Château Lynch-Bages,
31hl/ha at Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande,
31hl/ha at Château Grand Puy Lacoste.
55hl/ha at Château Fonbadet which must be one of the highest

What you find

As with St-Julien, 2020 is not a slam dunk in Pauillac, but there are some brilliantly concentrated, super impressive wines.

Notably low alcohols at Lafite Rothschild, 12.8%, and about the highest I saw were at Les Tourelles de Longueville at 14.1% and 14% at Les Hauts de Lynch Moussas – meaning overall you are going to find classic balances that should age well.

Pauillac 2020 vintage characteristics:

The first wines of the main estates are almost uniformly successful – with a particular shout out to Pontet-Canet.

But there can be over concentration from the small yields, meaning big tannins that will need to be carefully handed over ageing. Jean Charles Cazes at Lynch-Bages said they were expecting up to 40hl/ha at the beginning of September, but the concentration happened very quickly with the mid-September heatwave which meant the Cabernet berries were particularly small – this despite rain in August with up to 120mm in Pauillac.

In September rainfall was similar across Margaux, Pauillac and St-Julien – around 65mm on average, falling mainly in the second half, before becoming more abundant in early October.

What’s new

New team at Mouton under Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy after retirement of Philippe Dhalluin (which also means the arrival of Caroline Artaud as technical director at Clerc Milon).

Changes also over the road at Pontet Canet with Jean-Michel Comme replaced by Mathieu Bessonnet as technical director.

New winery at Lynch Bages and Duhart Milon.

Quick links for Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings

Search Bordeaux 2020 tasting notes published so far

Bordeaux 2020 vintage: our en primeur verdict

Top-scoring Bordeaux 2020 wines

Top Pauillac 2020 picks:

Château Mouton Rothschild,
Château Latour

Value picks:

See the top-scoring Pauillac 2020 en primeur wines

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far

Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page

Best St-Estephe 2020 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Tue, 18 May 2021 10:10:13 +0000

St-Estephe 2020

Average yield: 41hl/ha

Individual yields varied from:

40hl/ha at Château Phelan Segur,
30hl/ha at Château Montrose,
39hl/ha at Château Cos d’Estournel,
42hl/ha Château Ormes de Pez.

What you find

Densely-coloured, classic, spicy and rich wines.

St-Estephe 2020 vintage characteristics

Among the five earliest vintages of the past 20 years, around 10-15 days ahead of average by the time of harvest. Record winter rains of 848mm from October 2019 through to the end of March 2020 ).

By the end of June, that total of rain (from October 2019 to June 19, 2020) had risen to 1,120mm (against an average of 735mm over the past 26 years). But from June 20 right through to 10 August just 5mm fell across St Estèphe, and Vincent Bache-Gabriel described conditions at Lilian Ladouys as the warmest summer since 1900.

Some areas saw ripening blocked, but 106mm falling from 11 to 20 August ensured things started growing again. Summer had a series of heatwaves from 20 June to August 10, with a number of days that headed over 40°C.

There were warm nights also in August, which meant malic acid dropping fast, but cool nights returned by the end of the month, keeping freshness (as did the clay soils), and in the end most estates saw small grapes with thick skins and excellent fruit flavours. During harvest, there was almost no rain over the first two weeks, and 58.8mm over the second two weeks (compare to 2018 with 36mm across all of September, and 2017 with 102mm).

Quick links for Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings

Search Bordeaux 2020 tasting notes published so far

Bordeaux 2020 vintage: our en primeur verdict

Top-scoring Bordeaux 2020 wines

Top St-Estephe 2020 picks:

Château Calon Ségur,
Château Montrose,
Château Cos d’Estournel.

Value picks:

See the top-scoring St-Estephe 2020 en primeur wines

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far

Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page

Best Bordeaux 2020 wines: top-scorers

Jane Anson — Mon, 17 May 2021 13:18:15 +0000

After tasting more than 800 Bordeaux 2020 en primeur samples, Jane Anson gave around 10% a score of 95 points or over, including five wines at 98-100 points.

With an overall rating of 4 out of five, it is the same as 2018 but lower than the 2019 and 2016 vintages.

In terms of style, Anson found ‘plenty of racy, supple tannins that power forward and have a sense of energy, but also tannins that are a little dry and sometimes underripe’.

The 2020 weather conditions saw abundant flowering followed by difficult fruit set and threats from mildew. The summer months were dry and good weather continued into September giving mostly dry harvest conditions though a mid-month heatwave shrunk grapes and concentrated flavours.

In terms of comparisons, Anson says the Left Bank wines are most like 1996, 2000 and 2006 with ‘big tannins that are a little unwieldly at times, not generous but with potential’. For the Right Bank a comparison to 1989 seems ‘reasonable’ with 2020 also having more in common with 2018 there than on the other side of the river.

Below is a list of red wines scoring 98 and above plus brief individual appellation overviews and their respective top-scoring wines, as well as full tasting notes for all 98+ point wines at the bottom of the article.

While many will look to the highest scoring wines as a guide to the vintage, Anson wanted to highlight that wines scored 95+ are ‘truly exceptional’ and that the 94 point mark is ‘a signpost score, meaning a brilliant spot that indicates extremely high quality, and often you’ll find some of the best buys in the vintage at this level’.

Left Bank wine of the vintage: Château Margaux

Right Bank wine of the vintage: Château Canon

Best Bordeaux 2020 wines: scores

Potential 100-point wines (98-100s)*

*Jane Anson prefers not to give perfect 100-point scores at en primeur, pending reappraisal of the wines once bottled.

98-point wines:

Look out for Jane’s top-value en primeur wines coming soon.

If you pick one appellation: clay-limestone St-EmilionIf you pick one wine: Chateau Larcis-Ducasse

Individual appellations & top scorers

St-Estèphe

What you find: ‘Densely-coloured, classic, spicy and rich wines.’

Top picks: Château Calon Ségur, Château Montrose, Château Cos d’Estournel.

Margaux

What you find: ‘Wines are tannic but flavour-packed, very classic – not as exuberant as 2018 or 2019 but structured and intense. Philippe Bascaules at Château Margaux recorded less dehyrdration in the grapes in 2020 compared to 2018; so high alcohols were avoided, and a more classic balance is found in the wines.’

Top picks: Château Margaux, Château d’Issan, Château Palmer.

St-Julien

What you find: ‘Whisper it, but is this the first year for ages when you might not be able to blanket buy St-Julien?

‘You’re not going to go far wrong with the main estate wines, but there are some strong tannins in the second wines that will need careful handling over ageing.’

Top picks: Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, La Croix Beaucaillou (with the first wine also, both standout wines in the appellation this year), Château Léoville-Las Cases, Château Léoville Barton.

Pauillac

What you find: ‘As with St-Julien, 2020 is not a slam dunk in Pauillac, but there are some brilliantly concentrated, super impressive wines.

‘Notably low alcohols at Lafite Rothschild, 12.8%, and about the highest I saw were at Les Tourelles de Longueville at 14.1% and 14% at Les Hauts de Lynch Moussas – meaning overall you are going to find classic balances that should age well.’

Top picks: Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Latour.

Pessac-Léognan

What you find: ‘A vintage with high tannins and high colours giving many successful wines.’

Top picks: Château La Mission Haut-Brion one of the wines of the vintage, Château Carbonnieux, Blanc, Château Malartic Lagraviere, Château Haut-Bailly, Château Haut-Brion, La Chapelle de Haut-Brion, Château Pape Clément.

St-Émilion

What you find: ‘A highly successful vintage in St-Emilion, with some of the wines of the vintage, particularly on clay-limestone soils.

‘In terms of alcohols, there are a few 15%-pluses such as a Quintus and Valandraud, but largely alcohols run between 14-14.5%.’

Top picks: Château Larcis Ducasse, Château Fonplegade, Château Cheval Blanc, Château Ausone, Château Figeac, Château Canon, Clos Fourtet, Château Belair-Monange, Château Rocheyron.

Pomerol

What you find: ‘The clays of Pomerol were able to conserve water, so there is plenty of freshness in most wines, but the three days at 37°C in September meant evaporation, so you see early picking (L’Evangile September 2-15, the first in the appellation) and concentration and even some raisin character if people waited too long.

‘Because there is so much concentration, you get a more architectural construction than you usually do in the hedonistic centre of Pomerol.’

Top Picks: Château L’Evangile, Petrus, Château Lafleur, Château La Conseillante.

Sauternes and Barsac

Top picks: Château de Fargues, Château Coutet, Château Doisy-Daëne

Introduction copy by Georgie Hindle.

Best Bordeaux 2020 wines: top scores

Jane Anson does not give out 100-point scores to wines tasted en primeur, but scores of either 98 or 99 (98-100) mean that they are at the top of the scale, and may be upgraded when re-tasted in 16 months time after bottling towards the end of 2022.

See all the wines rated 98 points and above

Bordeaux 2020 wines: our en primeur verdict

Search Bordeaux 2020 tasting notes published so far

Bordeaux 2020 wines: our en primeur verdict

Jane Anson — Mon, 17 May 2021 12:56:10 +0000

Bordeaux 2020 en primeur overall rating: 4/5

The same as 2018, but lower than 2019 and 2016.

Bordeaux 2020 en primeur: the wines

I tasted around 800 wines in total, giving around 10% a score of 95 points or over, including five at 98-100.

Background

For the second year running, the blocks to international travel reset en primeur, although châteaux were far more prepared this time around. Château Pichon Baron alone sent out around 800 samples in WIT tubes, and the UGC held 330 tasting sessions in cities around the world.

However, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been present during the entire season for Bordeaux 2020.

The first nationwide French lockdown began as buds were breaking on 17 March through to 11 May. At first, it was unclear whether there would be special dispensations for agricultural workers, and some estates kept their teams at home until official word came (around one week later).

Others just kept going with workers out in the vines. ‘The growth cycle was early and abundant,’ said Véronique Sanders at Château Haut-Bailly, ‘and if we hadn’t, it would have been too late to manage a few weeks later’. The hashtag #lavignenattendpas (#vinesdontwait) sums up that early part of the year.

Harvest presented similar challenges. At Château Cantenac Brown, director José Sanfins reported having two separate teams staying in two separate locations, and never crossing at any point. ‘It was the first time that we didn’t have people eating group harvest lunches, or having full-time château staff also harvesting,’ he said.

Other châteaux reported employing people simply to check harvesters were wearing their masks and disinfecting their hands.

As Eric Kohler at Lafite Rothschild said, ‘We had to manage the weather, but also our teams at every step of the way. It’s been tough all round.’

In total, Bordeaux produced 440 million litres of wine in 2020, the equivalent of 587 million bottles – a smaller number than average, but each one well earned.

Quick links for Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings

Bordeaux 2020 vintage: Clues on what to expect

Top-scoring Bordeaux 2020 wines

At a glance table: notes and scores for 95+ point wines

PLUS

Best value Bordeaux reds 2020

Left Bank wine of the vintage: Château Margaux

Right Bank wine of the vintage: Château Canon

Full Bordeaux 2020 en primeur verdict

The season

As Baptiste Ginaudeau at Château Lafleur said, ‘2020 brought into focus many things that have been happening in Bordeaux over the past decade. The idea of what is a typical vintage has changed. Classically you would have some wet years, some dry years, some hot years and so on, but we now have to get used to having all of these things in a single vintage – so going from a warm winter to a wet cold spring to a hot dry summer.

‘We are more ready for it now, but it means terroir and attention in the vineyard is critical. And it is more difficult to judge the wines en primeur, because we are less sure how they will progress over ageing and in bottle. We are all adapting to the new normal.’

It’s always useful to look at the Bordeaux School of Oenology (ISVV)’s assessment to see what this means in detail:

Flowering was abundant and even, fulfilling the first condition for a successful vintage.
Fruit set in June was more difficult due to rains and cool temperatures, particularly for Cabernets, so the second condition was only partly fulfilled. Mildew also became as strong a threat as in 2018, but with less overall damage.
A dry July and August meant water stress helped the vines to stop growing before colour change of the grapes (véraison), although a little late in some cases – particularly as this was such an early season, around three weeks in advance of the average. That meant the third condition for a successful vintage was largely fulfilled. Rains in August varied according to location, from around 20mm in parts of Pomerol up to 120mm in Pauillac.
Good weather continued into September; the first two weeks of the month saw zero rain at Mérignac weather station for the first time since 1958. It meant almost all varieties saw good weather for their final stretch of ripening, fulfilling the ISVV’s fourth condition for a successful vintage.
Harvest took place largely under dry conditions, although mid-September saw a heatwave that meant grapes shrunk in size (and therefore lost potential yield as well as concentrating flavours). Rain notably fell at the end of the month, and the arrival of Storm Alex in early October further complicated things. This meant the final ISVV condition of good weather during harvest was fulfilled for Merlot and the earliest ripening Cabernets, but only partly fulfilled for later-ripening areas.

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Bordeaux 2020: style of the wines

This vintage has seen some of the lowest yields of recent years, and the resulting concentration means the ability to manage these low yields while keeping fruit and freshness was a line that needed careful walking.

You’re going to find plenty of racy, supple tannins that power forward and have a sense of energy, but also tannins that are a little dry and sometimes underripe if the drought led to blockages.

The best wines perform a sleight of hand from the vintage conditions that you see on paper. This comes from a confidence that I find in Bordeaux today, where there no longer seems to be the need to choose the biggest tannins for the main estate wine, and instead many choose to prioritise site expression.

Bordeaux 2020 en primeur scores

Potential 100-point wines (98-100s)*

*Jane Anson prefers not to give perfect 100-point scores at en primeur, pending reappraisal of the wines once bottled.

The serious over-performers:

Château Rocheyron – co-owned by Peter Sisseck of Pingus fame, this is going to garner more and more attraction.
Château Larcis Ducasse – a standout wine in the vintage, and now Nicolas Thienpont is no longer at Beauséjour, this will receive ever more love and attention.
Château La Gaffelière – a wine that has been getting better and better since 2017, with more focus on the best plots.
Château Pontet-Canet – a brilliant wine in this vintage.
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, La Croix Ducru Beaucaillou – bucks the trend for difficult second wines in St-Julien.

If you pick one appellation: clay-limestone St-Émilion If you pick one wine: Château Larcis Ducasse

Interpreting the scores

As usual, I don’t give perfect 100 scores to wines tasted en primeur, but scores of either 98 or 99 mean that they are at the absolutely top of the scale, and may be upgraded when re-tasted in 16 months’ time after bottling.

I also want to underline that the 90-94 points bracket means Highly Recommended, and that I try to leave the 95+ only to truly exceptional wines.

This means that one clear suggestion is to look out for 94-point wines – for me a signpost score, meaning a brilliant spot that indicates extremely high quality, and often you’ll find some of the best buys in the vintage at this level.

This year that includes:

Fleur Cardinale
La Serre
Le Prieuré
Durfort-Vivens
Les Perrières de Lafleur
Clos Puy Arnaud
Phélan Ségur
and the brilliant value Domaine de l’Aurage.

And take note also of the 89-point level, now so derided that it’s seen as a mark of shame by many producers.

I scored a lot of wines at the 85-90 level, more than twice as many as I gave 95 points or more. If they were 84 or below I tend not to write them up, assuming it was a sample issue and better verified when in bottle.

Wines from the Côtes de Bordeaux or Graves, for example, are rarely high scorers in that they don’t stray into 95+ territory, but they are often brilliant examples of why it is not just the 95+ wines that are worth following.

The best way to interpret an 89-point wine, in my scoring, is by price. If these are great value wines, it’s a signpost score that means unfussy, easy to drink, super enjoyable. If they are expensive wines (and only you can decide what value or expensive means to you), you can probably find better examples in other vintages.

In the 2020 vintage I would particularly draw your attention to: No 3 d’Angélus, Fonbel and Tour de Pressac in St-Emilion, Château Confidence in Margaux, Croix Mouton in AOC Bordeaux and Clos Albertus in St-Georges-St-Emilion.

And although second wines should be approached with caution in 2020, there are a few exceptions. On the Left Bank, I would draw attention to La Croix de Beaucaillou and Pagodes de Cos Blanc, two delicious wines this year.

You can find two similarly brilliant second wines on the Right Bank that provide an exercise into the impact of different terroirs in the vintage.

Look at Mondot, the second wine of Troplong Mondot that is on entirely limestone soils, and set it against Blason de L’Evangile, the second wine of L’Evangile with sandy-clay-gravel soils. Both are Merlot dominant, both successful, but very different expressions of the grape.

Comparisons

You’ll hear lots of comparisons to 2016 and 2010 because of the number of tannins, but I haven’t found the wines to be as consistent as in those two vintages.

In most cases (certainly on the Left Bank) 1996, 2000 and 2006 are better comparisons – big tannins that are a little unwieldy at times, not generous but with potential.

The Right Bank has had an easier time of it in many ways – less rain in August, with clay-limestone soils that kept freshness – and here a comparison to 1989 seems reasonable, and more in common with the 2018 than on the Left Bank.

Key takeaways:

Low yields, around 25% lower than last year for many of the top Left Bank reds.

Not only Cabernet Sauvignon but also Cabernet Franc was affected – and this was true right from the start of the season, not just because of the dry summer.

This is largely due to cool weather during critical parts of their growth cycle, something that did not affect the slightly earlier budding and setting Merlot, which saw both flowering and fruit set under good weather.

At this point of the year, it is not rain but temperature that affects fruit set, and there was a drop in temperature that meant there were less clusters from the start for the Cabs, with often half as many grapes as usual. Put this together with small berries from the dry summer, and then the heat spikes for mid-September (that also impacted Merlot), and the stage is set for the low yields that you find.

Château Figeac is a good example of what this means in practice. The team brought in 40 hectolitres per hectare (hl/h) for the Merlots, 30hl/h for the Cabernet Sauvignon, and 35hl/h for the Cabernet Franc.

Château Issan recorded the same thing; Merlot coming in at 43hl/h and Petit Verdot at 30hl/h. Young vines also suffered. At Château Durfort-Vivens, Gonzague Lurton saw young vines under 10 years old produce 20hl/h while the older vines came in at 35hl/h.

Talk of Merlot’s demise looked pretty premature, because this was a great year for Merlot.

Clay-limestone soils did brilliantly – so look for value in Castillon, Francs and Fronsac.

I would suggest looking to the Ausone stable of wines to get an idea of what this means in practice. The sandier soils that you find at Fonnel and the two Simard estates have meant these wines are noticeably less successful than the limestone soils of Château Moulin St-Georges and La Clotte (let’s take Ausone out of the equation), and this alone can help explain the types of soils that did best.

Lower alcohols almost invariably compared to both 2018 and 2019.

Bordeaux 2020 has seen lower alcohols in general, partly because August was dry but not unusually hot, and partly because the drought meant slow ripening. The vines therefore slowed down and did not build up huge sugar levels. You’ll find this true across both banks but especially in the Médoc.

Often you see more of the personality of a vintage in the second wine and that is true in 2020.

This is certainly the case regarding tannins, which can be overpowering at times.

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Bordeaux 2020 en primeur wines: What to expect

Jane Anson — Tue, 11 May 2021 12:29:16 +0000

Bordeaux 2020: our en primeur verdict

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Look out for our individual appellation reports and wines this week.

For the second year running, this was an unusual en primeur season, where very few external tasters were able to get to Bordeaux.

But unlike last year’s 2019 vintage, which was tasted almost entirely from my kitchen table, I was able to visit a large number of properties for this campaign (with full precautions in place – Ducru-Beaucaillou, for example, was using medical-grade techniques to disinfect between each visitor).

Numbers of wines tasted will be around the same, somewhere between 700 and 800.

Just published: Château Cheval Blanc 2020 release kick-starts en primeur campaign

Bordeaux 2020 quality

The full notes will begin to be released in mid-May, but to give a taster, unquestionably Bordeaux has been lucky with the past three vintages, and there are plenty of options for drinkers, with each one of these three years performing strongly.

Having said that, they are quite different in style.

I would say 2018 is the most exuberant, 2020 the most structured and concentrated, while 2019 combines both and for me is the strongest of the three – certainly the most consistent.

Let’s breakdown some of the key points of what to expect in 2020, and where the values are:

Bordeaux 2020 is a year of contrasts, so it favoured terroirs that are best able to cope with the changes – and winemakers who were able to follow closely and help their vines adapt.

Yields overall were around 25% lower than in 2019, particularly with Cabernet Sauvignon but also Cabernet Franc in many cases.

This was true right from the moment of fruit set, and not just because of the dry summer, although that didn’t help.

This means small berries, thick skins, and lots of concentration; tannin management is key.

Bordeaux 2020 style

You can expect to find either racy, elegant tannins that power forward and give a sense of energy and direction, or tannins that are a little dry and sometimes underripe, particularly if the drought led to blockages.

Alcohols in 2020 are almost invariably lower compared to both 2018 and 2019.

That’s partly because August was dry but not unusually hot, and partly because the drought meant slow ripening, with the vines slowing down their growth cycle and so not building up huge sugar levels in the grapes.

You’ll find this true across both banks but especially in the Médoc.

It was also a year where talk of the death knell for Merlot looked pretty premature, because this was a great year for this grape variety – at least for Merlot on clay-limestone soils. Merlot on sand or gravel had a far harder time.

Key appellations

As clay-limestone soils did brilliantly, look for value in Castillon, Francs and Fronsac.

If you are a fan of classic, concentrated Pauillacs and St-Juliens, you are going to find plenty of brilliant wines.

But tread carefully with second wines in particular, even at the very top, because of the high tannic content that can sometimes stray way too close to the closing the whole thing down.

Quick links for Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings

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Bordeaux 2020 vintage: Clues on what to expect

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At a glance table: notes and scores for the best 74 wines

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Appellation overviews: Pauillac 2020, St-Estephe 2020, St-Julien 2020, Margaux 2020, Pomerol 2020,St-Emilion 2020, Pessac-Léognan 2020, Sauternes & Barsac 2020 | Médoc & Haut-Médoc, Moulis & Listrac 2020 | Smaller appellations 2020 | White Bordeaux 2020

Best value Bordeaux reds 2020

Key châteaux to look out for:

Canon, Troplong and Belair-Monange 2020 are brilliant examples of the reshaping of the St-Emilion limestone plateau wines into some of the most vibrant bottles you can find.

Rocheyron, Peter Sisseck’s St-Emilion Grand Cru, which is a little further away from these three but still on the limestone plateau, similarly proves the point.

This is the first certified organic vintage for L’Evangile in Pomerol, and there is a new winemaking team with Juliette Couderc (coming over from DBR Lafite’s Chinese estate Long Dai) and Olivier Trégoat.

You see a continued reframing of the wine to help it become a little more sculpted, as has been happening really since Saskia de Rothschild took over from her father Baron Eric at the head of DBR Lafite, and it is very successful.

In the Médoc, Calon Ségur has had a brilliant vintage, with a little more classic balance and St-Estèphe signature than this estate showed in 2018 and 2019. It is worth looking out for.

Montrose and Cos d’Estournel both add to the feeling that St-Estèphe has performed well in the vintage – as has Pauillac, particularly for lovers of deeply concentrated, powerful wines.

And talking of Left Bank signature, you are seeing more and more Cabernet Sauvignon in St-Emilion – it is striking how often you see it in the blend now, at estates including Château de Pressac, Faugères, Fonbel, Troplong Mondot, Clos Fourtet and Figeac, right through to Valandraud, Trottevielle, Fleur Cardinale and Bellefont Belcier.

A clear indicator of how estates are looking to counter increasingly hot dry summers – and one that shows the flexibility of the region’s winemakers while still working with the area’s signature varieties.

Finally, it maybe unusual to say at the start of a new campaign, but Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse 2019 deserves a shout-out, as the final wine that will be entirely made and aged by the Nicolas Thienpont team.

They have made this one of the most consistently exciting properties in St-Emilion over the past decade. Although I have no doubt the new team under Joséphine Duffau-Lagarosse will continue to make incredible wines here, it’s worth noting that this is a big change of personnel. Thienpont also made the 2020, so it’s his sign-off vintage, but he will not see it through ageing.

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Cheval Blanc 2020 release kick-starts Bordeaux en primeur

Bordeaux gears up for 2020 en primeur campaign

Cheval Blanc 2020 release kick-starts Bordeaux en primeur

Chris Mercer — Tue, 11 May 2021 11:32:49 +0000

Château Cheval Blanc 2020 was released en primeur this morning (11 May) at €380 per bottle ex-Bordeaux.

That’s up by around 3.5% on the 2019 release and merchants were selling the wine for £4,656 per 12-bottle case in bond, according to Liv-ex.

It has the potential to be a 100-point wine in future, said Jane Anson after sampling Cheval Blanc 2020 as part of her Bordeaux en primeur tastings. Full report and tasting notes coming soon to Decanter Premium.

She gave it 99 points, pending further assessment once bottled in around 18 months. ‘The wine feels full of life, with acidity that pulls the palate forward from the first moment,’ she said.

Cheval Blanc 2020 release analysis: ‘This should absolutely fly’

Cheval Blanc is also the first of the very top names to emerge in the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur campaign.

Its release may offer early clues about buyer sentiment following a relatively successful-yet-narrow campaign for Bordeaux 2019 en primeur wines last year, and signs of Bordeaux garnering greater enthusiasm on the fine wine market in general.

‘The first key release out of the gate for 2020, Cheval Blanc complies with whispered requests from the international trade to keep prices around the same as last year,’ said analysis and research group Wine Lister.

‘Given how well the welcome gesture on pricing worked last year (there appears to be little 2019 left on the market from reliable merchants), and Cheval Blanc’s impeccable quality track record, this should absolutely fly, marking a good start to the campaign.’

Matthew O’Connell, head of investment at Bordeaux Index, told Decanter, ‘Cheval’s somewhat unexpected release this morning appears well-judged price wise and we hope it will set the tone for the campaign.

‘The release ticks the two key boxes of being only slightly (2-3%) above the 2019 release in Sterling currency, and also then being the cheapest top-tier vintage in the market.’

Liv-ex said early reports suggested strong sales demand in general for Cheval Blanc 2020.

‘Cheval Blanc could very well set the pace for this year’s En Primeur campaign – with more major châteaux expected to release in the coming days.’

Liv-ex data showed Cheval Blanc 2020 was cheaper than the highly regarded 2018, 2016 and 2015 vintages.

However, it also said that buyers interested in ‘physical’ vintages might want to look at Cheval Blanc 2014, which was available at a discount of more than 20% on the new release.

Other releases so far include Château Doisy-Daëne 2020 in Barsac. It was released at €24 ex-Bordeaux, equal to the 2019 release price, with UK merchants selling 12 bottles for £290 in bond, according to Liv-ex.

More releases are expected soon. ‘We should release everything in the second part of May and in June,’ Philippe Tapie, president of the Bordeaux Négoce committee for classified growths, told Decanter recently.

Cheval Blanc 2020 release: See Jane Anson’s tasting note

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Bordeaux gears up for 2020 en primeur campaign

Anson: What’s new in Bordeaux in 2021?

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Anson: Bordeaux 2020 harvest – An insider guide

Jane Anson — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 12:58:44 +0000

The Bordeaux 2020 harvest and growing season are an exercise in perspective.

We saw a rainy early season, intense summer drought, heat spikes in early September and late rains during harvest. All of this would have been challenging enough without also contending with Covid-19 related special measures, such as:

lockdown during the early part of the season
new sanitary protocols once everything opened back up again
new harvest teams to retrain when the usual ones were not able to make it
new ways of making harvesters feel welcome when the huge shared lunches and suppers were no longer possible

And through it all the constant feeling of gratitude that the vines continued unperturbed by wider upheaval, and that come harvest time grapes were arriving to the cellars ripe, healthy and (relatively) abundant.

All the same, Bordeaux’s rainy finish, with up to 100mm falling in some areas over a few days, made the end of the 2020 harvest more rushed than expected after months of sunshine and temperatures that, in early September, climbed up to 35°C even 40°C on some days.

‘A great vintage is where everyone succeeds, and it is hard to speak about 2020 in those terms,’ says Pascal Chatonnet, consultant and vineyard owner, echoing a sentiment that I have heard over and again while visiting estates and tasting through vat samples across the region.

It’s too early to give any definitive assessments of course, but what is certain is that whatever happens now 2020 is a vintage that nobody is going to forget. So let’s break down the season, and what likely impact it could have on the wines.

Key takeaways

Warm, early year impacted by a rainy start and finish.
Dry summer with almost zero rainfall in July, and water deficit across both July and August 60% lower than average.
The vines were 15 days earlier than average at budding and flowering, down to 7 days earlier by the end of veraison and harvest.
Yields around 20% lower than 2019.
Early white harvest began mid-August.
Much of the red harvest finished by the end of September.
Sauternes and Barsac due to finish at the end of this week.

March/April

Overall, a mild winter saw bud break around 15 days earlier than usual. Spring had plenty of challenges, though, with hail, snow and strong bursts of rainfall at various times. Two periods of frost were recorded on 29 March and through to early April.

In the end the damage was localised, with most frost damage limited to parts of the Right Bank; the lower sectors of St-Laurent-des-Combes in St-Emilion for example.

At the time, Philippe Abadie of the Gironde Chamber of Agriculture confirmed that the deployment of an array of new anti-frost measures (many brought in since the devastation of 2017) were successful.

The situation was also helped because, in the end, the frost turned into snow – Emeline Borie at Grand-Puy-Lacoste noted that what would have been the start of the en primeur week in April was marked instead by snow falling in Pauillac.

Things cleared up quickly, and overall the month of April was the warmest since 1920. It was very dry in the first half but with more frequent rain for the rest of the month.

There were even a few storms, particularly on the 17th, with bursts of hail that affected certain parts of Entre-Deux-Mers around Grézillac, Branne and Créon, Francs Côtes de Bordeaux, Sauternes and parts of St-Emilion and Puisseguin.

Overall, the April hailstorms were estimated to have impacted between 600ha and 800ha of vines, with the worst affected reporting up to 80% losses.

May/June

Early May was warm and sunny, although marked by frequent rain storms for the first 13 days, with localised flooding in some areas. Rainfall was uneven – up to 200mm around Moulis and Listrac, as well as in Barsac and Sauternes, compared to 20mm in Lalande de Pomerol and 40mm in Pomerol.

Temperatures, however, remained relatively warm, meaning that flowering was early, around 20 May, up to 15 days earlier than average (comparable to both 2003 and 2011), and generally good quality and even.

Fruit set was similarly helped by the stable temperatures and overall at this point yields looked healthy, although consultant Pascal Chatonnet reported that Cabernet Sauvignon was a little more affected by rain during fruit set than Merlot, which translated into reduced yields in parts of the Médoc.

Mildew pressure also became intense in May and particularly June after a rainy start to the month.

Things got more stable later in the month, and the mildew threat, which looked to be even worse than in 2018 in some areas, receded by late June as conditions became hotter and drier.

I was with Thomas Duroux at biodynamically-farmed Château Palmer in early June, tasting the 2019 vintage, and can well remember his anxiety levels – but in the end he is expecting yields of around 32hl/ha, mainly due to the heat spikes of early September rather than mildew in May.

Gonzague Lurton, at Château Durfort-Vivens, also farming organically and biodynamically, commented at the time that in many ways he was better protected than colleagues farming conventionally, because he had learnt from the experience of mildew in 2018.

Similarly, Pascal Chatonnet said his organic plots at Vignobles Chatonnet fared the best, because his team were out there treating the vines more frequently.

July/August

It was the driest summer since 1959, with temperatures in July showing 24 days about 25°C and 12 of those topping 30°C.

There were 316 hours of sunshine in July, 30% up on the average of 249, plus just 3mm of rain compared to an average of 50mm.

As with flowering, colour change in the grapes (veraison) was early, with the very first reddening happening mid-July.

Chatonnet, who consults at Château d’Isssan, reported seeing Cabernet Sauvignon in Margaux beginning colour change on 7 July, the earliest he had seen, and a week earlier than his Merlot in Lalande-de-Pomerol.

Things got so warm and dry that certain terroirs saw blocked ripening, meaning that the advance in the early season slowed down.

As a result, veraison that typically lasts eight to 12 days took up to three weeks or more. Château Jean Faure in St-Emilion told me full colour change took five weeks in total. There were marked differences across terroirs, pushing the expected harvest date back by one week.

This is really where soils and local micro-climates will have come into play. Parts of Pomerol with sandy loam soils suffered in the drought, for example. Clay and limestone soils fared much better, as did gravel areas that are underpinned by clay, as is typical in appellations such as St-Estèphe, Pauillac and St-Julien.

There has also been success reported by several estates who sprayed their grapes with clay during the hottest parts of August to protect the skins.

August was similarly hot and dry in the early parts, right up to 39.6°C recorded at Mérignac on 7 August, a temperature that climbed to more than 40°C in parts of St-Emilion and Pomerol.

Some rain fell in mid-month. There were 67mm over the course of the month, 19% higher than average, largely due to a rainy spell of up to 55mm from 11 to 15 August – although St-Julien reported another heavy rain spell at the end of the month.

Parts of Entre-Deux-Mers lost up to 30% of the crop after a mid-month hail storm around the commune of Baurech.

Overall, sunshine in August was very close to normal, with 233 hours, and the water deficit across both July and August came in at under 60% lower than average, according to consultant Pascal Hénot of Enosens.

The first white grapes were brought in around 15 August, particularly on the grapes intended for Crémant, and the Sauvignon Gris and Blanc on the earliest ripening terroirs. By the end of August, Merlot intended for rosé was also coming into the cellars.

Things were strikingly early at this point – Gerard Perse’s Monbousquet in St-Emilion, for example, brought its first white grapes in at the end of August, a full 15 days earlier than in 2019. His Merlot harvest at Château Pavie began on 21 September, nine days earlier than in 2019.

Château Haut-Rian harvest 2020 (Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Autumn – September/October

Harvest preparations were relatively relaxed, despite having to take into account new protocols to keep teams apart, because the weather at the end of August and into early September stayed fine and hot.

The first 15 days of September saw heat spikes that caused significant yield losses in some cases, particularly as the nights also remained relatively warm.

The earliest red grapes in the Médoc were picked on the week of 7 September, with harvest becoming widespread by 14th.

At this point the heat was extreme, and that made it essential to monitor temperatures and cool grapes down as soon as they hit the cellars.

Potential alcohols were also high in these early lots, particularly for younger vines. Potential alcohol was up to 16%abv in some cases, according to consultant Antoine Medeville.

Azote (nitrogen) levels dropped low as a result, so estates had to be vigilant to ensure yeasts had sufficient nutrition to successfully start fermentation. Overall, however, the quality of the Merlot seems extremely positive.

Cabernet Sauvignons began to be brought in on the week of 21 September, by which time Autumn had very definitely arrived.

Most red harvests had finished up on both Left and Right Bank by the end of September, particularly after forecasts suggested up to 100mm of rain coming in over one weekend. In the end, most people got away with 60mm.

The Mérignac weather station recorded just 9% more rainfall than average in September, with a final count of just over 90mm and with a little more rain falling in the Médoc than on the Right Bank. Pessac-Léognan remained relatively dry.

The early season will definitely have helped here in ensuring sufficient maturity in the grapes.

Edouard Moueix at Ets JP Moueix reported finishing all picking in one week, the quickest ever, with the last few days ‘speeded up by the threat of rain’.

The last grapes at Léoville Las Cases in St-Julien were brought in on 29 September, with potential alcohols of between 13.5 – 13.8%abv.

Sauternes and Barsac began harvesting the first berries the week of 7 September, with far more joining on the week of 13 September, but at this point the picking comprised essentially passerillage (so naturally shrivelled grapes) due to the drought. Although healthy, these grapes are likely to comprise mainly the second wines.

The night of Friday 18 September and through Saturday saw around 5mm of rainfall, which helped to unlock the botrytis for harvesting over the week of 21st. Further rain held up pickings, however, with most estates bringing in another round on 28 September.

By this point around two-thirds of the grapes had been picked, but early rains again in October have meant another period of waiting. Drier conditions returned from 9 October and things are expected to be finished over the weekend of 17/18 October.

‘Patience, patience, patience’, is how Vincent Labergère, of Château Rayne Vigneau, described the sweet wine harvest to a local newspaper.

Yield

Yields are expected to be a little below average, largely because of mildew early in the season and the heat spikes of early September leading to small concentrated berries. David Pernet, of Sovivins, estimates that overall the Bordeaux yield will come in 20% below average.

As ever, the picture varies across the region.

Claude Godin, president of Médoc/Haut-Médoc/Listrac, reported that the heat meant a concentration and subsequent loss of yields of around 20-30%, with final volumes to be between 30hl and 40hl depending on the estate.

Philibert Perrin, president of Pessac-Léognan, expects around 25% lower yields than average, particularly with the red wines, with Jean-Christophe Mau at Château Brown suggesting his white harvest should come in at around 38hl/ha, compared to 48hl/ha in 2019.

These are similar to projected figures from Mayeul l’Huillier at the Graves wine syndicate, although it ascribed some low yields to the hailstorms of April.

Jean-Jacques Dubourdieu, in Sauternes, expects yields to be somewhere between 40% and 70% less than average, but as ever this will vary widely between properties.

Over in St-Emilion and Pomerol, yields seem to vary depending on the sector. La Dominique expects between 35 – 40hl/ha, a little under last year’s 43hl/ha, with Jean Faure closer to 42hl/ha.

Also worth noting that AOC Bordeaux/Bordeaux Supérieur have set their maximum yields lower than usual this year to deal with issues of supply and demand – down to 50hl/ha instead of 54hl/ha for AOC Bordeaux.

The ODG (Organisme de Defense et Gestion) of AOC Bordeaux/Bordeaux Supérieur is also allowing the declassification of 10% of its red wine production into IGP (Vins de Pays) to further relieve the strain of unsold stocks of wine.

Ann-Cécile Delavallade, head of the economic service at the Bordeaux Wine Bureau, estimated that unsold stocks had reached 2.2 million hectolitres for the 2019- 2020 campaign (a rise of 21% in one year), and for Bordeaux Supérieur 1.05 million hectolitres (a rise of 14%).

Style

What does all of this mean for style?

I have tasted through a number of samples from barrel or vats. Those on sandy soils have shown some green notes with underripe tannins, but overall early tastings are full of bright fruits and show great potential.

Across the region skins are thick, with plenty of colour and high levels of tannins – in some cases a little rustic due to the final rains. This means extraction needs to be carefully handled in the cellar.

Edouard Moueix found Petit Verdot was most affected by the drought earlier in the summer, so you are likely to find less of that grape in the blends of the Moueix wines in 2020.

He also reported that the press wine will be used extremely sparingly if at all, because the high tannins upset the balance of the wines in their early tastings.

Antoine Gimbert, at Las Cases, reported similarly powerful tannins that meant they were likely to use less press wine in some cases, ‘but on other plots the press is perfect, so it really is a case of almost following things bunch by bunch’.

Pascal Chatonnet echoes many when he says it is a ‘technical, winemaker’s vintage’, but one where the complexity of Bordeaux’s soil types will show their strength.

‘Small estates on one type of soil may have had difficulties if unlucky, but most big estates in Bordeaux have several soil types, and so are better protected,’ he says.

David Pernet, of Sovivins, is similarly optimistic as to quality, ‘It’s a great vintage with a lot of tannic structure in the Merlot as well as in the Cabernets. Even if the vintage was early with a sunny summer, the flavours remain pretty fresh.

‘[There is a] lot of ripeness but also freshness, especially in the Cabernets. Merlot on limestone on the Right Bank has kept a very good balance, some tension, lots of tannins but elegant in character (closer to 2016 than 2015 I find, with a little more concentration than in 2016, probably because of the lower yield this year)’.

… and Covid

The impact of Covid-19 undoubtedly affected the 2020 season, mainly in terms of manpower. Many estates who usually harvest half by hand and half by machine have done all by machine because of the difficulties in getting sufficient pickers. Others simply had to rearrange things by splitting into smaller groups.

Damien Barton, at Léoville Barton, says, ‘2020 will be the first year ever that we don’t host harvest lunches at Léoville Barton. Instead, it’s like having the sword of Damocles hanging over our heads. In a normal year we have our own pickers who live locally. Many have been coming every September for the past decade or more. Everyone knows each other, and we start the day with a morning coffee, then head out to the vines, have a break mid-morning, then lunch all together, then back out, stopping for one more break before heading home.

‘This year we are using external teams run by contractors who can ensure effective protections of workers, and have employed one person whose entire job is ensuring the right people disinfect their hands at the right time!’.

Over on the Right Bank, at Canon and Berliquet, and for the Moueix family in Pomerol, smaller vineyard surfaces meant they were able to work with their usual picking teams, but protocols still applied that meant the usual convivial harvest lunches were not possible, or only in much reduced form with social distancing rigorously applied.

‘And yet we still had the daily barbeques,’ says Edouard Moueix, ‘with food cooked over vine sarments. And there is still the feeling of satisfaction once all the grapes have been safely brought in to the cellar.’

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