2020 is an unmissable vintage in our view, for the charm, balance and youthful beauty of its wines. It was a sunny year characterised by drought and a good sized crop (for the majority of producers), with less extreme heat and higher yields than its predecessor, 2019. As a result the wines feel less powerful, but more immediate and even-keeled. Make no mistake, though, these have enough depth and the right balance to ensure excellent ageing potential. These are sun-kissed but juicy, harmonious wines with less alcohol than the 2019s, a difference in some cases of up to half a degree. Producers extol its virtues across the length and breadth of the Rhone with Clusel Roch describing 2020 as like a balance of 2018 and 2016 but better than either; or Jolivet who considers it “juicy and elegant”; whilst in the south Barroche compare it to the great 2012 “similarly round but fresher”; whereas Beaucastel go the whole hog and call it “one of the all-time classics,” referencing the great 1990 and 2010 vintages as comparisons.  

Wednesday saw the welcome return of the UGC (Union des Grands Crus) to London. As ever, Lindley Hall provided the well-ventilated venue to showcase the spectacular 2019s.

Released during the pessimistic outlook of lockdown and economic abyss, Bordeaux provided a rare ray of sunshine in a gloomy climate. Most of the UK trade lobbied to postpone the annual en primeur campaign. We were one of the few dissenting voices. Ultimately, the Bordelais decided to revise the commonly held premise that, “You can’t send barrel samples,” and, rather than tasting in the architectural cathedrals of Aquitaine, we gathered around my garden table. From our first encounters, we knew that 2019 was remarkable. Quality and consistency across the board, even from Chateaux we’d normally circumvent.