Best smaller appellation 2020 wines tasted en primeur

This is a wine for those who really love going deep-diving into limestone. It performs the acrobatic, trapeze artist feat of tiptoeing high above the...

A burst of ripe berry fruit on the nose, this has the most gorgeous depth of expression. More tannic than in many years, but not...

Denis Durantou estate up on the limestone plateau of Castillon, now vinified by his daughter Noémie Durantou. Deeply coloured, ruby in colour with fleshy fruit,...

Enjoyably slick toasting of cedar and liquorice root, black cherry, silky texture and a good bounce through the tannins. This is expertly done, sleek and...

Extremely juicy, this has grip and power, subtlety and nuance, with a limestone-induced pumice stone texture. Touch of reduction on the nose, but as the...

Bright, blueberry fruit and well-sculpted tannins to ensure vertical lift of the fruit through the glass. I love what the Vignobles K team have been...

Austere in all the right ways, with blueberry and redcurrant juice flowing through coiled tannins. Pretty concentrated overall, this is sappy with a silky texture,...

Pretty big tannins here, this has good depth to the fruits, clean and sappy, with a powerful drive through the palate. This is good stuff;...

Sinewy, saline, finely-boned and full of peony florals and supple raspberry fruits. You are not getting the typical Bordeaux wine, it has a serious feel...

A ton of Cabernet Franc character, offering the nuance and purity of sweet raspberry and redcurrant fruits, alongside peony florals and soft white pepper spice....

Always a densely concentrated Graves that focuses on black fruit in a firm frame, and its suits this vintage. Just the right tug of acidity...

Limestone austerity comes through pretty strongly on the attack in the form of a slate and crushed stone texture, followed by plenty of freshly cut...

An intense and concentrated Fronsac, this is high quality and powerful with blackberry and loganberry fruits and touches of grilled coffee bean aromatics. An excellent...

Cloves and black pepper abound; this is definitely high on the spicy side. Muscular tannins are shot through the high acidities and pulses of energy....

The wine has a vibrant fruitiness, with some chewy but delicious tannins. Somewhat austere, but in a pleasant way. Abundant, highly refreshing fruit and acidity...

Cloves and toasted cedar on the attack, set against brambled fruit notes underneath. Powerful and perfumed, and it grips in the way that Fronsac is...

Slightly reductive, benefiting from some oxygen. Once opened up, the wine shows elegantly a bouquet of spring blossoms with nuanced spiciness – quite charming. On...