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As we went to press, the annual Bordeaux en primeur tastings were taking place. Our correspondent Jane Anson tasted more than 800 wines from the 2020 vintage, and has given about 10% of these a score of 95 points or more, including five at 98-100pts.
The hazards of growing and harvesting during a pandemic, several spells of troublesome weather, and of course travel restrictions that prevented many tasters from visiting Bordeaux provided a unique set of obstacles, but the châteaux were better prepared than last year.
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. ‘This vintage has seen some of the lowest yields of recent years,’ said Anson, ‘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.
‘You’ll hear many comparisons to 2016 and 2010 because of the 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 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 there seems to be more in common with the 2018 than on the Left Bank.’
We’ll be publishing highlights from Anson’s en primeur 2020 report in the next issue, with further scores, tasting notes and analysis available at decanter.com/premium.