Vintage 2020: Bordeaux Rolls Out Another Classic

Well, here we are. Another lockdown en primeur campaign. It worked last year. Can Bordeaux pull it off again?

Before we look at the 2020s and what they taste like, let’s put them in context. It’s the third of three very good years – again. There was 1988, 1989 and 1990, and then there was 2008, 2009 and 2010; now there is 2018, 2019 and 2020. Do you see a pattern here?

But there hasn’t been a vintage that wasn’t at least good since 2013. What has happened in the market, in a nutshell, since then is this: the primeur campaign for the 2015s, the 2016s were overpriced, and the 2017s were not such a big hit. But the 2018s and 2019s sold very well; and the 2019s were the first lockdown campaign, when Bordeaux, along with the rest of the world, was uncertain of what to do. In the end it released lower quantities, cut the prices by an average of around 20 percent, and had a successful campaign.

This year, with no hordes of critics and buyers flying into Bordeaux to taste, the châteaux were pretty efficient in sending out tasting samples – which arrived in good condition – and anyone lucky enough to live there could travel from château to château to taste. At the time of writing Cheval Blanc has already released its price – about 20 percent up on 2019 – and is already trading at a premium on the secondary market. Last year’s campaign was compact; this year’s will probably be focused on May and June.

Should you buy? The wines I have tasted (not as many as usual) have been very good, and notable for their tension and elegance. They are concentrated, focused and refined. Tannins are high; at Château Margaux they reckon it’s one of their record tannic years. But the tannins are so silky, so integrated, that even at this stage they do not glue your mouth up in the way that primeur tannins can do. Jean-Philippe Delmas of Château Haut-Brion talks about their energy: “My father says, when a vintage is great, it is great from birth and forever.” His father, of course, made the wine at Haut-Brion before him – it’s a family tradition.

Whether a vintage in Bordeaux is great, very very good, excellent or whatever word you want to use is, in a sense, a matter of semantics these days. Most people are saying that perhaps the 2019s are a shade better, that the 2020s are a bit heterogeneous – but there’s no question that they are delicious. Will Hargrove at Corney & Barrow reckons that 2019 has more “X-factor: the dial is turned higher, there’s more concentration and richness”. That will be the vintage you’ll open in 10 years’ time when you want to impress, he says. But 2020 has subtlety, harmony, balance. It has great freshness, good acidity, and alcohol is not too high for these days; the wines don’t feel hot or alcoholic, and the over-extracted weight and oakiness of yore is not in evidence.

It was a warm year, with a long, hot, dry summer preceded by a lot of rain. The most successful terroirs were those that could cope with first, that waterlogging, and then a drought: they had to be able to dole out the water slowly to the vines. Says Guy Seddon of Corney & Barrow, the most successful spots included Saint-Julien, parts of Pauillac, the plateau of Pomerol and the limestone of Saint-Émilion, the last of which acted rather like the clay of Pomerol in this respect.

The Right Bank has certainly made good wines. Merlot was very successful in 2020 on both banks. Cabernet Franc was good, too. Where Cabernet Sauvignon was picked slightly too early it might be less good. You’ll see Petit Verdot and Malbec popping up in a few more wines than usual, too, because lots of winemakers have been examining what these grapes might have to offer with climate change: Corney & Barrow relate that even the Moueix family have planted some Petit Verdot, following a meeting in Pomerol to discuss such things. Somebody apparently suggested that Syrah might be the way forward, and the Moueixs said no, it should be Petit Verdot instead – and then felt obliged to plant some.

Apart from that, blends are not a big surprise. At Haut-Brion and La Mission they reflect the proportions of each grape in the vineyards; Quintus has slightly more Cabernet Franc than usual. But selection was crucial everywhere. At Moueix they even removed some of the outer berries in each cluster to give the inner berries more chance to ripen. There was, as we’ve said, a lot of heterogeneity.

A promising outlook

But the campaign is opening at a moment when confidence is high across the world. US tariffs have been lifted and trade is getting back to normal. Last year one of the reasons the campaign went well was that the châteaux restricted the amount they sold en primeur. This year it is difficult to predict how much they will release. The 2020 vintage is already on the small side because of the heat, though of course this varies from château to château. Palmer has said it will sell half and keep half; others, suggests Will Hargrove, will keep back 30-40 percent. The Moueix and Mitjavile stables, he says, will do as usual and sell “the vast majority” of their wine. Jean-Philippe Delmas isn’t saying what he will do.

© Alamy
| Château Phélan Ségur had a particularly successful vintage.

The elephant in the room, of course, is the spring frosts, the results of which are still being assessed. It looks as though Bordeaux has come off better than Burgundy – that maritime influence makes a difference – and that the best terroirs are the best terroirs for a reason. It’s the lesser terroirs that will have suffered more. Says Delmas: “Haut-Brion and La Mission lost less than 5 per cent. In Saint-Émilion there was no impact on the hill, but the valley lost about 30 percent.” They have some plots in the valley, but they gave them up, because they make third-quality wine and it wasn’t worth spending the money on them. “The temperature was negative after midnight, and we had to spend all night outside putting out candles. It was a nightmare for everybody. It was all very sad; a fight without the sensation of winning, and losing more every night. At the end, vintners were crying because they had no more money for candles.”

You might argue that there is nothing like the prospect of a short vintage to come to concentrate interest on the vintage currently for sale. Says Hargrove: “It’s not a good business model if you have six years in a row and then put the price up because the next year is small.”Well, we’ll see. The point is that 2020 is lovely, but not better than 2019. They should age well, but they will be approachable quite early; Delmas talks about Haut-Brion being drinkable in about five years’ time. Less French palates might want to give them 10, but you don’t have to put them away for a generation.

The market this year is tentative, and will evolve in the coming weeks. What nobody wants is a bubble that bursts – or that falls flat.

The wines

Wine-Searcher’s wine director David Allen MW was at an En Primeur tasting this week. Below are some of the highlights.

Château La Gaffeliere

Deep, dark, ruby red, not quite opaque. Ripe black-cherry fruits with chocolatey aromas. The acidity is lively and the alcohol is balanced. The deep, rich, black-fruit core has a taught, cedary structure. There is reasonable length, but the wines dense fruit will open spectacularly with age. 

Château Gazin

Dark, deep, almost opaque ruby red. The aromas and flavors are a classic Pomerol combination of dark black-cherry to olive fruit, cocoa, earth and truffles. Medium bodied & velvet-textured, this is a beautiful wine with balanced alcohol, ripe fruit & fresh acidity that gives an enduring finish.

Château Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge

Opaque red black color. Intense, deep, dark-fruit is subdued by coffee, cocoa & toast aromas. Powerful, brooding dark-fruit on the palate has plenty of very fine dusty, earthy tannins. Alcohol is balanced and lively acidity lifts the fruit to reveal meaty/truffley notes on a long, harmonious finish.

Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc

Pale greenish-yellow color. Restrained aromas are a touch grassy but not overly green. Done dry with crisp acidity, green pea-pod and delicate guava, the fruit has a mineral edge. Alcohol doesn’t intrude and the finish is very long, harmonious and finely crafted. 

Château De Fieuzal

Deep, dark, virtually opaque purple-red color. Plenty of cedary new oak combined with juicy redcurrant and cassis on an intense, complex nose. The smooth, dense palate is loaded with juicy dark cherry and currant fruit. Plentiful cedary oak adds cocoa and coffee notes to a dense fruit core. The wine is fresh with a little alcohol warmth, and the finish combines lingering cedar with ripe black-cherry fruit.

Château Poujeaux

Medium to deep ruby-red color with a classic nose of leafy cassis fruit. The wine is typically mid-weight with a fine, drying tannic structure playing against juicy redcurrant fruit. The alcohol is balanced, acid is lively and the flavors last very well.

Château d’Issan

Medium to deep ruby red – not opaque. Aromas are lifted, elegant & floral. Delicate red fruit with violet top notes. The acidity is lively and the alcohol balanced. The flavors last very well. A beautifully balanced, delicate, classic wine from Margaux.

Château Beychevelle

Deep, dark, almost opaque red-purple color. The Lifted aromas are of blackcurrant and chocolate. The palate is fresh and smooth textured with beautifully integrated oak, cassis notes, lively acidity and touches of leafiness. The alcohol gives a touch of warmth. There are fine tannins and a lovely depth of dark fruit on the finish, which persists well. 

Château Langoa-Barton

Deep, dark, ruby-red, not quite opaque. Fruit aromas are restrained red-fruit juicy cassis. Mouthwatering acidity gives lift and length to the fruit. The alcohol is balanced. Tannins are velvety, dense and earthy, surrounding a ripe core of dark fruit. The finish is balanced, persistent and has good tannic grip.

Château Léoville-Barton

Deep, dark, not quite opaque ruby red color. The aromas are cedary with restrained fruit. Palate is quite dense and closed with plentiful smooth, fine, cedary, almost dusty tannins. Full-bodied and brooding, with balanced alcohol, it displays a core of dense, dark impenetrable fruit throughout its long finish.

Château Léoville Poyferre

Deep, dark, virtually opaque red/black color. Classic restrained aromas of cassis. The palate is very harmonious and smooth, fine and cedary. The fruit has leafy touches, chocolatey notes and liquorice-like concentration. The structure is taught, alcohol is balanced and there is an excellent core of deep, dark fruit that last well. 

Château Talbot

Deep, dark almost opaque ruby-red with purple rim. Plenty of toast, cedar, coffee and cocoa aromas with lifted fresh black-fruit and redcurrant hints. Lively, open, juicy red cherry fruits with olive & blackcurrant. Lifted acidity, balanced alcohol. Lovely balance on the finish. Lasts very well with clean grip at the end. 

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Medium to deep ruby-red, not opaque. Aromas are restrained cassis and plum. The palate is mid weight, fresh, balanced and extremely harmonious. The structure is very silky, with a dense cassis and black-fruit core. Balanced alcohol lets the fruit core linger on an exceptionally long, fresh finish.

Château Phélan Ségur

Medium to deep ruby-red, virtually opaque. Lively red-fruit aromas with leafy touches. Lovely fresh acidity and very fine structure. The fruit is dense and chocolatey but has dazzling, lively, juicy mulberry, redcurrant and dark fruits. Dense and vibrant with balanced alcohol and superb length.

Watch David Allen tasting Château Phélan Ségur here.