Value claret: Top 30 under £20

That this tasting elicited more than 160 samples should have come as no surprise, given the UK’s affinity and penchant for red Bordeaux. It’s a relationship that has been going strong for more than 800 years, starting with the union of Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine and Henry Plantagenet, who became King of England just two years later.

Despite a decrease in terms of import volume for Bordeaux wine in the UK (down 19% in 2021 due to various issues relating to, but not exclusive to, Brexit, Covid-19 and recent vintage volumes), it has seen an increase of 31% in terms of value, according to the annual report compiled by the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux. Wine lovers may be drinking less, but they’re drinking better.

Scroll down to see a selection of 30 top-value clarets

Bordeaux remains the leader in French exports of AP wines to the UK, representing 20% of the volume and 37% of the value in 2021 (CIVB). In short, Bordeaux is important and very many of us seem to enjoy drinking it. But faced with such an array of bottles on supermarket and merchant shelves, how does one choose? Appellation and stylistic preferences are important, clearly, vintage quality and renown also; but price remains a key motivating factor in consumer purchasing decisions.

Given the breadth of this category, the interest from Decanter readers, and the current economic climate, for this tasting we set the criteria as follows: i) any bottle of the most recent, or widely available vintage; ii) one bottle per producer; iii) must be priced at £20 retail or below.

Scores in total from 163 wines

93pts 5

92pts 17

91pts 30

90pts 32

89pts 29

88pts 28

87pts 15

86pts 7

Plenty to enjoy

Wines were blind tasted in Decanter’s tasting suite in west London. The turnout was astonishing: not only was there a representative spread of regions, but also vintages and price points, with the cheapest wine entered at £6.99.

The final list counted 23 appellations, including Blaye, Castillon, Lalande de Pomerol, St-Emilion (including grand cru), Fronsac, Graves, Pessac Léognan and St-Estèphe, as well as the generic Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur categories, which saw 50 wines entered between the two. The Médoc and Haut-Médoc were well represented, and between them these four broad appellations (including a number classified as cru bourgeois) accounted for 26 of the top-scoring wines. If anyone was in doubt of the quality coming from these areas, this tasting proved otherwise.

With the exception of 2012 and 2013, every vintage from 2010 to 2021 was represented, showing both the value and ageability that these wines offer – we have one 2010 among the top five.

This top 30 selection, perhaps unsurprisingly, consists largely of wines from the most critically acclaimed of the recent vintages: 2019 (7 wines), 2018 (12), 2016 (7) and 2015 (3). All are slightly different in their style and drinkability, with 2015 considered a great Right Bank Merlot vintage and 2016 an exceptional one for Left Bank Cabernet Sauvignon; 2018 yielded rich, powerful and sumptuous wines, while 2019 offers elegance and character with sweetness, concentration and freshness. Indeed, the trio of 2018, ’19 and ’20 is considered a safe bet for many Bordeaux wines, though the 2020s in this tasting were showing too youthful in general to be fully enjoyed right now.

Prices ranged from £6.99 up to £20, with 66 wines priced at £10-£14.99, 86 at £15-£20, which seemed to be a sweet spot for this category, the top five wines ranging from £11.95-£18.95. Twelve wines were entered below the £10 mark, of which five scored 90pts and above. So there really is something for every budget among the value red Bordeaux selection to be found on shelves today.

See the notes and scores for all 163 wines

Bordeaux in numbers: 2021

• Export markets for Bordeaux wines China 54 million bottles, USA 33m, Belgium 25m, Japan 22m, UK 20m

• UK-specific imports by volume 50% Bordeaux, 20% Médoc & Graves, 11% St-Emilion, Pomerol & Fronsac, 3% Côtes, 13% dry whites, 1% sweet whites

• Distribution 55% domestic, 45% export (of which Asia represents 34% of shipments, EU 28%, North America 17%, and other destinations 21%)

• Production: percentage of volume Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur 44%, Médoc & Graves 18%, Côtes 13%, St-Emilion, Pomerol & Fronsac 10%, other styles 15%

• Production Red wine 85%, white 9%, rosé 5%, sparkling 1.5%, sweet 0.5% [figures rounded up]

• Annual production Variable, but average approximately 4.7m hl, equivalent to some 649m bottles

• 18 bottles every second Bordeaux wine sold

Best-buy Bordeaux: Hindle’s pick of 30 top-value clarets

This top 30 was a selection of the highest-scoring wines in our tasting of more than 160 wines, covering a spread of vintages, appellations and price points. I also favoured wines that were more approachable right now and would be perfect to buy and drink today. Some of the others need more time before revealing their full potential; however, many can be cellared too, again increasing the overall appeal of this excellent and much-loved category.

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