2020 Bordeaux Tasting for Inexperienced Palates

WINE TALK
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First: A confession. I have been buying Bordeaux futures at varying levels for several years (+/- 8), but I don’t really know what I am doing.

Likely my own fault, but I have not had access to tasting groups or local retailers with tastings or significant knowledge. But, we know we love good wine, we have a great place to store wine, and I enjoy the research and hunt that is part of the en premieur campaign. So, thanks in small part to subscriptions to several reviewers, and in large part to following several people on here on WB, I have jumped in with both feet.

But… I have never really tasted most of the wines I am buying because they are “too young.” I wanted to change that.

Specifically, I wanted to better understand the flavor profile of left bank vs. right bank, and within that, the profile of specific AOCs. And, I was curious to see how our tastes aligned with various reviewers at this early stage.

So, this past weekend I organized a tasting for my immediate family (me, my wife, and my three early-20s children). I wanted wines all from the same vintage, and roughly in the same price range.

The 2020s have just arrived, so I decided to go young, and start there. Below is the line-up. (I have included the EP price I paid (incl. shipping and tax: not trying to start a religious war, that is just how I do it), and a few reviewer scores, and the wine blend for further background.

Right Bank
Clos Fourtet, St. Émillion
$116
AG: 98 NM: 95 WK: 94 JD: 97+ JR: 16+ JL: 98
90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc

Château Clinet, Pomerol
$99
AG: 95 NM: 94 WK: 94 JD: 98 JR: 16.5+ JL: 98
80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon

Left Bank
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion; Pessac-Léognan
$130
AG: 100 NM: 94-96 WK: 97 JD: 96-98 JR: 16.5+ JL: 99
40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot

Château Pontet-Canet, Pauillac
$109
AG: 95+ NM: 95 WK: 92+ JD: 97+ JR: 17.5
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot

Château Brane-Cantenac, Margaux
$75
AG: 96 NM: 96 WK: 94 JD: 97 JR: 17 JL: 97
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Carmenère

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For the tasting, I poured two glasses of each via Coravin, and let them rest in our cellar (+/- 62 degrees) for 3 hours before serving. (We are all family, so we shared glasses.)

Given our rank amature status, we did not attempt to score (especially at such a young age…) but below are our rudimentary notes, and favorites.

Clos Fourtet: This was the universal least-favorite of the night, agreed without hesitation by all of us. Nothing wrong with it per se, and we would have been fine if served the wine, but compared to the others the flavors were incredibly muted and light. Tannins were harsh, and it came across as very acidic. None of us were able to call out any particular flavors. Given the pro reviews/scores one must assume this was shut down already and/or will improve significantly with age.

Château Clinet: This, on the other hand, was the favorite of three tasters, and a top three pick of all of the others. Beautiful flavors of mint, herbs and tobacco, complemented by an oddly pleasing damp concrete profile.

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion: Such a unique wine, which was appreciated by some of the tasters, and less so by others. Top pick from one (me), number two from another, and number three for the other three. What made it unique for me were the strong umami and soy-like flavors, complemented by beautiful red fruits and tobacco.

Château Pontet-Canet: The Pontet-Canet was appreciated by everyone, but not a favorite. The consensus fourth choice. Very rich, dark fruits and tobacco. One described it as being almost like drinking a stout beer. Some sweetness and chalk.

Château Brane-Cantenac: This got one first place vote, and three second-place votes, and a close third place. When the notably lower price point was revealed, everyone was impressed. Bright blackberry fruits, with smokey and tobacco flavors, and deep earthy flavors. “Just yummy.”

Overall consensus: The Clinet, LCHB, and Brane-Cantenac were all great. The Pontet-Canet was fine, but not quite in the same league. The Fourtet was a real head scratcher…

So… what did we learn? I wish I could say for sure. We love good wine, and this sure was fun! But, It is not clear to me that one bank stood out, one region stood out, or one reviewer stood out. And, it is certainly possible the bottle variation, or certainly the young age of these wines, played a major role in our notes and rankings.

It will be fun to try to repeat this tasting as family in 10+ years!

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Nice! That looks like a fun tasting. Good for you for trying those wines and sharing your experience. I am familiar with, and as you know, I like all those wines, for different reasons. Clos Fourtet in its youth can be very mineralistic, so you could be experiencing a lot of salt, limestone, or chalk sensations making it appear dry. Else, it is just not your thing.

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Nice tasting and great notes.

I think the difference between the appellations is overstated, and I always look askance at notes saying “this was clearly a Paulliac because x,y,z. “

I’m not saying the differences aren’t real, just real hard for folks to accurately divine blind.

And I’ve seen countless experienced tasters confuse left and right bank wines, though that should be easier.

I’d be interested what you think after repeating the same experiment with more mature wines.

Thanks for sharing.

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Thanks Brady. I would definitely be interested in trying this with more mature wines. My personal cellar needs to mature a little more before I can do that on my own, but it may inspire me to source some bottles for a similar tasting…

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Interesting, thank you Jeff. It could be that mineralistic element. All five of us were quiet and taking our own notes during the initial tasting, and all came to the same conclusion about the Fourtet. So, I am inclined to think it was more than just “not preferred” by a single taster, since we all had the same impression. But the heavy minerality could be part of it.

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Nice! I bought 2020 and am super excited to try them as well.

If you liked Brane-Cantenac, Giscours was similarly delicious, if a bit more plushy. They should be fun to compare side by side

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It’s not just the “minerality”; it’s the pH of the Clos Fourtet. Because it is grown on limestone, whereas all the others are on variations on the theme of gravel, the pH is much lower, even when the fruit is very ripe, and so the perception of tannins is very different. Lower pH / higher acidity => augmented perception of tannin.

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Very interesting, and very helpful, thank you William!
I would gather that high acidity means it should age well, and integrate over time?

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Nice tasting, Mark. Thank you for posting your notes!

We had the Clinet at the UGC tasting in January, and really liked it. It is usually a crowd-pleaser at the UGC. Also agree with you on the Brane Cantenac. It has been an annual purchase since the 2014 vintage for us and the 2020 continues the streak of excellent vintages for them. Markus mentioned the Giscours as another Margaux that you may like, and I would add the D’Issan. They usually cost a little less than the Brane Cantenac, and the quality is very good.

Cheers!

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As the tannins melt with age, the acidity + tannin effect no longer applies, and wines made from these sorts of soils can become very sweet and suave while remaining very precise.

I tend to think the 2019 Clos Fourtet will age better than the 2020, however, as its aromatics are brighter and a less baked than the 2020’s.

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Gets mine also in that line up. And yet it sits behind 2019.

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Beautiful photo (as always!!) Johan!

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