The red wines in 2019  Whether you’re in Pauillac or Pomerol, Saint-Estèphe or Saint-Emilion, 2019 is a vintage big in colour, concentration and tannins.The wines are packed with fragrance and flavour, with a welcome level of freshness that producers had not anticipated in the weeks leading up to harvest.   Left Bank   “I would say that 2019 is great for all varieties,” says Philippe Bascaules, Managing Director of First Growth Ch. Margaux. “Merlot is in the style of 2018 – concentrated and very ripe; Cabernet Sauvignon is in the style of…2019! Fresh, elegant, and very well-balanced between opulence and vivacity.” But if he had to make comparisons, he sees a combination of characteristics of the lauded 2009 and 2010 vintages: “2009 for the texture, concentration and silkiness; 2010 for the freshness.”   It’s a similar story a little further up the Médoc in the appellation of Saint-Julien. “Tasting the wine at this stage reminds us of the 2009 vintage with its sunny characteristics and that creamy unctuosity but the drop in temperatures from the beginning of harvest time gives this vintage a freshness in the expression of these aromas,” says Sara Lecompte-Cuvelier of Ch. Léoville Poyferré.   The blending components of a Bordeaux wine go beyond the grape varieties and picking dates. It’s also important to take into account the soils. On the Left Bank, the cooler, clay-rich soils provided grapes with greater freshness while the gravel-dominant sites provided richer, riper fruit. In Saint-Estèphe, the teams at Chx Montrose, Calon Ségur and Phélan Ségur, credit the appellation’s higher proportions of clay for negotiating the prolonged dry spells and bringing balance to these ripe wines.   Right Bank   On the Merlot-dominant Right Bank, you can expect plenty of colour, abundant tannins and generous fruit. However, the good pH levels have maintained a greater sense of freshness than the sumptuous 2018s, providing balance.  In Saint-Emilion, producers on the limestone plateau and clay-limestone hillsides, home to its most revered vineyards, fared better than those on the free-draining sandy plain during the long dry periods. Expect a little more freshness than in 2018 – site and picking date dependent – but with plenty of dense, rich fruit.    Maylis Marcenat, whose family estate Clos de Sarpe sits on clay-limestone, says: “2019 is going to be a very good vintage for us, a classic Bordeaux vintage but with greater smoothness,” she says. “It has slightly less alcohol than 2018 and greater balance. The tannin texture reminds me of 2016 but it has a freshness of its own. It’s a vintage that reminds me of 2001 and I am sure of its aging capacity.”   In neighbouring Pomerol, the appellation delivers on its classic rich, dark fruit and trademark chocolatey tannins. Omri Ram, Ch. Lafleur’s winemaker, believes that 2019 however is fresher than 2015 and not as massive. While the two vintages have similar concentration of tannins and a high level of solids, 2019 is much more communicative than the 2015 was at this early stage. “2015 is a difficult vintage to taste young but the 2019, although sharing similar characteristics, is more open but has the same seriousness, the same depth, creaminess and balance,” he says.  The dry white wines  in 2019  ”It is great in white and red. This is the strength of this vintage. The white wines show a great richness: [they are] fresh, balanced and suave,” says Olivier Bernard, the head of Domaine de Chevalier, a Graves estate renowned for both its whites and reds.   In the University of Bordeaux’s annual vintage report, Professor Laurence Gény-Denis and his team said: “Despite an exceptionally hot summer that was sometimes incompatible with the greatest dry white vintages, the absence of early and excessive water stress produced perfectly balanced, aromatic grapes with good acidity and not overly high sugar levels. Their composition is ideal for producing wines with outstanding ageing potential.”   It was a relatively early kick-off for the dry white harvest to avoid stressing the vines, which means a very small reduction in average alcohols versus 2018 at around 13.7%.The team at Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte explained that the Sauvignon Blanc, which makes up 90% of its lauded white blend, has an element of fatness – but not at the expense of freshness. While the average pH of Bordeaux white in 2019 is marginally higher than in recent vintages, it remains low at a pretty zesty 3.2.  The sweet white wines in 2019  For sweet wines, things were a little more challenging. Dry, warm weather delayed the onset of noble rot but rainfall in late September allowed perfectly ripe grapes to develop botrytis cinerea and berry concentration rapidly increased. The majority of the grapes were harvested in several days, just before heavy rains in mid-October.   Eric Kohler of Domaines Barons de Rothschild, which owns Ch. Rieussec in Sauternes, adds: “September’s rains were very beneficial – as they were in 2017 and a first window opened on 8th October to pick perfect botrytised grapes for the Grand Vin – with a special mention to some lovely Muscadelle. It then became more challenging due to development of sour rot/acid. The team worked like gold diggers to really sort the best possible grapes until 21st October.”  Comparing 2019 to other vintages  Comparing vintages is like comparing children. Every vintage, like every child, has its own DNA but that doesn’t stop us looking for similarities and differences, providing an anchor in a sea of claret.   The scientists at Bordeaux University do the hard graft, compiling data from around the region to give us in-depth analysis of the region and its vital statistics. Put your lab jacket on, here comes the science.   The data shows that Cabernet Sauvignon berries were the smallest since 2010. Packed with tannin and colour, these small berries have created wines that are deeply coloured and rich in tannin. The tannins are also ripe and the fruit is rich with high sugar levels at harvest equating to some fairly weighty alcohol levels on a par with 2018 and 2010. Acidity is critical to maintain balance and compares with 2016 while pH in the Cabernet Sauvignon – critical to stability and another indicator of freshness – is lower than 2018 and sits in the ballpark of 2015 and 2016.   Based on the wines coming out of their stable from Pomerol to Pauillac, Eric Kohler, technical director of Domaines Barons de Rothschild’s Bordeaux estates, which includes Lafite-Rothschild, Duhart-Milon and Nénin, says: “Our gutfeel is that just as there will always be a discussion between 2009 and 2010, that we will have the same between 2018 and 2019; 2018 being closer to 2009, and 2019 being closer to 2010.”   When it comes to Merlot, once again the dry, sunny weather has led to small berry sizes; tannin levels are sandwiched between the impressive 2018 and 2015/2010s. The ripeness levels are comparable to 2010 and 2016, but the total acidity is a touch lower than these two vintages.   Jean-Baptiste Bourotte of Pomerol’s Clos du Clocher, whose 2019 is comprised of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, says, “The question is if the alcohol is fairly high – for Bordeaux, because other regions have long been used to these levels – can we still find the balance and elegance that makes classic Bordeaux? On the earlier plots, the liveliness has been maintained with a pH of 3.6 and the tannins are ripe and abundant, which means there’s no perception of high alcohol in the mouth and you’ll find that the 2019s are balanced in a true-to-type Pomerol way.”  

The 2019 vintage in Bordeaux is special. Although, with the Covid-19 outbreak, we were unable to make it out to the region, we interviewed producers and tasted wine samples in the UK. Here’s everything you need to know about the year 

Everything you need to know about the 2019 vintage in Bordeaux – a year that produced exceptional wines

Full report on the 2019 vintage in Bordeaux

Bordeaux 2019 vintage report

Talking to producers about the 2020 vintage in Bordeaux, their excitement is palpable. Dramatic gesticulation and unabashed grins made for little modesty, but there is also a certain amount of relief. This was not an easy season for the region’s vignerons – a rollercoaster of a year that really put them to the test (and that’s without taking the global pandemic into account).  You can read more about the conditions in our piece on the growing season, but – in brief – it was a vintage of two halves. The season started with a mild, wet winter and spring, with the growth cycle around 10 days earlier than normal. “It was a very, very precocious vintage,” Daragh Quinn at Ch. Fieuzal explained. The damp conditions led to mildew pressure, demanding winemakers’ presence amongst the vines to stave off the threat (especially for organic or biodynamic producers).  From mid-June, the weather shifted dramatically, becoming dry and hot, resulting in some vine stress. Mid-August rain provided some relief on the Left Bank (less fell on the Right), while cool nights in late August and September were key to preserving aromatics and acidity. Harvest was swift and early, with the whites picked from mid-August, the Merlot from early September and Cabernet following from the middle of the month. There was a little rain towards the end of harvest, welcomed by some producers in the Médoc to plumpen the extremely concentrated Cabernet berries.  The resulting crop was beautifully ripe, but with particularly small berries – something that means yields were impacted. “The frustration is the volume produced,” Damien Barton-Sartorius of Léoville and Langoa Barton explains. “I’m a farmer talking – we like a good quantity.” For him, the yield was down around 20%. At Lafite and Duhart-Milon, the reduction was around 15%, a little lower at L’Evangile where mildew had more of an impact. Angludet was hit hard, with just half the normal crop – something that surprised Benjamin Sichel – but this was an exception rather than the rule, with a reduction of 20 to 30% on 2019 the norm.  So, how did winemakers handle the vintage? First and foremost was managing the extreme growing season. Getting out amongst the vines to spray and protect against mildew was essential. Most left larger canopies in place to offer much-needed shade for the fruit during the hot summer conditions. Picking dates were key to preserve acidity, and many also chose either to pick in the early morning – allowing both the fruit and pickers to enjoy cooler conditions – or chill the fruit on arrival at the winery. This helped preserve the delicate aromatics and enabled producers to control fermentations better.   The small and concentrated berries meant there was a higher than usual skin-to-juice ratio, and the potential for a lot of tannin. It was therefore all the more important that extraction was gentle, especially as the seeds weren’t necessarily ripe as Edouard Moueix (of Ch. Bélair-Monange and La Fleur-Pétrus) highlighted. As Guillaume Pouthier at Les Carmes Haut-Brion told us, it was about “passive extraction” which he did entirely via infusion for the first time this vintage. Lafleur has never pumped over as little as they did in 2020, but it simply wasn’t needed with the perfectly ripe fruit, Cellar Master Omri Ram explained: “Aromatic compounds, ripe tannins, flesh, it all came out of the grape so easily.”  On paper, it’s tempting to think that the 2020s were destined to be big, bold, super-ripe and tannic. Fortunately – and much to many producers’ bafflement – it’s not so. While in some ways the vintage could be compared to the similarly hot 2003, the wet start was key – supplying the vines with essential reserves to get them through the warm, dry summer. Similarly, the mid-August rain was a godsend for the gravel soils on the Left Bank.  In short, the 2020s are very good and, in some cases, outstanding. Surprisingly elegant, the wines combine the ripeness and density of a warm year, yet with a wonderful freshness and aromatic precision. On the Left Bank, the alcohol levels are modest (notably Lafite is a mere 12.8%, while few sit above 13.5%) – something attributed by some to the August rain. The fruit is ripe yet with a real refreshing crunch to it. There’s a vibrancy and saline acidity that makes the wines moreish. These classical expressions of Claret are, as one winemaker noted, wines that will appeal to the English palate. “It’s quite incredible, the freshness,” Vincent Millet, Calon Ségur’s General Manager, said. He noted that these are wines with “beaucoup d’éclat” – wines that leap out of the glass.  “I just love the 2020,” Nicolas Glumineau at Ch. Pichon Comtesse told us. “It’s full of energy, exploding out of the earth. Full of minerality.” Thomas Duroux at Palmer captured it nicely, describing the vintage as having a “Latin flair” yet also a class and restraint. Antoine Gimbert (Léoville Las Cases, Nénin and Potensac) put it similarly: “flamboyant and subtle at the same time”. Pauline Vauthier at Ausone highlighted the long ageing potential of the vintage – having the requisite length, minerality and freshness.   On the Right Bank, the wines are plusher, the alcohol levels consistent with recent vintages (most at 14 to 14.5%), but there’s still a restraint and elegance on show. While there’s plenty of concentration and structure, the tannins are seamlessly ripe (making them relatively approachable for cask samples) and they are aromatically expressive, often with a distinct floral imprint. Noëmie Durantou Reilhac (Ch. l’Eglise Clinet) emphasised how important she felt élevage was for the vintage. It “would have been very charming, very seducing – but not as deep as it could be. The élevage brought that deepness to that very juicy, flashy fruit,” she said. Pierre-Olivier Clouet at Cheval Blanc feels it’s a wine that will need time, describing the tannins as “a little academic”. For him, the dry conditions “explain perfectly why the wines are so dense, so powerful, so intense”.  It is important to note that this not a totally homogenous vintage. The challenges of the growing season meant that only those who could and did put in the requisite vineyard work excelled. The dry conditions meant that terroir held even more importance than normal. Cooler, water-holding clay and limestone soils were an advantage; the well-drained gravels that house much of the finest Cabernet sometimes struggled. It is for this reason that the Right Bank seems to have really shone, and it’s arguably a Merlot vintage – but that isn’t to say there aren’t some superb Cabernet-led wines. Saint-Julien, Margaux and Saint-Estèphe are the most consistent on the Left Bank, while the top names in Pessac-Léognan have over-performed. The finest Pauillacs are glorious – pinpoint, precise examples of what this commune does best.   Justine Tesseron at Pontet-Canet was one of many to agree that 2020 is the “third in a trilogy of top vintages”. Given the year’s unusual conditions, comparisons have proven hard. Pierre-Olivier Clouet at Cheval Blanc feels 2020 has a palate like 2010 or ’11, with the nose of 2015 or ’09. The wine reminds Noëmie Durantou Reilhac (Ch. l’Eglise Clinet) of 2015. At Léoville Las Cases, Jean-Hubert Delon compared it 1988. Vincent Millet at Calon Ségur feels it is like 2016, except with more density. While in numbers it’s similar to 2010, Haut-Bailly’s Véronique Sanders feels 2020 is a very different wine – with a “contrast between power and this elegance”.  “It’s very close to 2019 – very classic,” Nicolas Glumineau (Pichon Comtesse) said. “To me it has something like the energy of the 2019, and the uprightness and strength of the 2016. It’s a great wine, I’m sure about this.” The term “classic” comes up time and again – something Jean-Sébastien Philippe at Lafite also proposed, versus the more modern 2018 or 2019. At Ch. Margaux, Philippe Bascaules described it as a more concentrated 2019, or a fresher 2018, but feels all three vintages are of the same, high quality.   From our own tasting, we can’t help but agree – this is another very good vintage to follow on from 2018 and ’19. Great? Maybe. The best properties – wherever they’re based – have made brilliant wines that sit comfortably alongside the best vintages in recent memory. Although not every wine reaches such heights, the balance between power and freshness is impressive – and sets them up for a long life in the cellar. Overall, however, there’s a classicism and elegance to the 2020s, with expressive and delicate aromas that make these wines utterly seductive. We can’t wait to watch them evolve in bottle.   The vintage in brief  Very high quality, with some exceptional wines Complicated growing season with a wet start and hot, dry summer  Ripe yet surprisingly fresh wines  Classical and aromatically expressive  Right Bank more consistent than the Left  Excellent wines to be found in every commune  Yields are down by 20-30%  Read more about Bordeaux, including our breakdown by commune

The 2020 vintage in Bordeaux was not easy – but the resulting wines are undeniably very good. After several weeks’ tasting and talking extensively, we give an overview of the eventful year and the impressive wines it produced 

After several weeks’ tasting and talking extensively, we give an overview of the eventful year and the impressive wines the Bordeaux 2020 vintage produced 

Bordeaux 2020 vintage overview

Bordeaux 2020: vintage overview

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