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2020 bordeaux en primeur
2020 Bordeaux En Primeur
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☔⛅No-one knows what the weather is doing at the moment. 🍷Our Mystery Cases are a great way to try new wines and ensure you have something great drinking on-hand come rain or shine. 🍾Each case contains twelve different wines and includes at least one bottle of Champagne. Visit the link in bio and select DAVY's MYSTERY CASES for more. #greatbritishsummer #winetasting #davyswine #winetime #mixedcase #wine #winedown #winestagram @davys_wineshop @davysoflondon BUT WHAT ABOUT THE WINES? In short, excellent wines have been made in all appellations, however, we found in our tastings that the Merlot based wines on the right bank were showing a much more consistently with generous fruit from the heat of the vintage - more careful selection is needed on the left bank, but choose well and 2020 will reward you. ▶️Full-bodied and balanced wines with a wonderful crunchy freshness. ▶️Similar in style to the 2019s, perhaps a little more generous fruit and slightly less consistent. ▶️Julien the most consistent and elegant of the left bank communes, some very impressive and typical Pauillacs. ▶️Estephe good all round while Margaux appears quite inconsistent (not unsurprising for one of the largest appellations on the left bank). ▶️Pessac & Graves is consistently very good to excellent – easiest wines to taste and generally the most harmonious left bank samples, along with St Julien. ▶️Pomerol & St. Emilion show the warmth and charm of the vintage, with ripe open and hedonistic wines – the grapes here tend to ripen earlier and may have avoided the September heat wave which had the potential to over-concentrate, later ripening grapes. 🔗The complete Davy's 2020 Bordeaux En Primeur vintage summary is now live (link in bio) #enprimeur #tradetasting #bordeaux2020 #2020bordeauxep #davysfinewine #finewineinvestment #wineinvestment #finewine #bordeaux #bordeauxep #bordeauxenprimeur #bordeauxwine #bordeauxwines #winesofbordeaux @bordeauxwinesuk @vinsdesaintestephe @vinsdebordeaux @vinsdefronsac @sauternes_barsac @vinsdumedoc @davys_wineshop @davysoflondon THE BORDEAUX GROWING SEASON It is often said in wine regions like Napa, where there is naturally more sunshine, that there is no such thing as a bad vintage. With 2020 marking the third excellent Bordeaux vintage in a row after 2018 and 2019, is this a sign of things to come for Bordeaux? We’ll have to wait and see, though 2020 suggests that the vines are adapting, as the wines show beautiful harmony. Here's our summary of the 2020 growing conditions. ▶️A similar pattern to 2016, 2018 and 2019. Challenges of lockdown and managing people not inconsiderable. ▶️Mild winter with temperatures around 2°c above the 30-year average – vine cycle begins early. ▶️Wet spring raises the threat of mildew. ▶️Second half of May was warm and dry which led to early flowering. ▶️This was followed by a dry hot summer – from 18 June to 11 August there were 54 days of drought. ▶️Lots of rainfall, but mainly through thunderstorms in May, June and August. This meant rain hit different appellations at different times. Rainfall in 2020 is 15% above the 30-year average. ▶️The best wines seem to have come from terroir capable of excellent drainage and the capacity to handle hydric stress – particularly Pomerol, St. Emilion and parts of Pauillac and St. Julien. ▶️Warm and dry harvest. Merlot picked from mid-September and Cabernets a week later, during a late heat-wave. ▶️Average volumes are down 10% against 2019, although some communes lost up to 25%, through a combination of frost, mildew, drought and small berries. 🍷🇫🇷The complete Davy's 2020 Bordeaux En Primeur vintage summary is now live (link in bio) and we'll be sharing some highlights here over the coming days. #enprimeur #tradetasting #bordeaux2020 #2020bordeauxep #davysfinewine #finewineinvestment #wineinvestment #finewine #bordeaux #bordeauxep #bordeauxenprimeur #bordeauxwine #bordeauxwines #winesofbordeaux @bordeauxwinesuk @vinsdesaintestephe @vinsdebordeaux @vinsdefronsac @sauternes_barsac @vinsdumedoc @davys_wineshop @davysoflondon EN PRIMEUR TASTINGS IN 2021 Bordeaux’s largest professional body, the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGC for short) were swift in preparing for another vintage to be sampled outside of Bordeaux and we, along with several other UK Merchants, received a selection of over 125 samples from the UGC. Along with more samples which came direct from the châteaux, these were tasted and re-tasted during the week commencing 26th April. ‘Well, is it any good?’ is often the first question we’re asked, followed quickly by ‘how much will it cost?’ In short, 2020 is an excellent vintage - the third in a row. It will sit comfortably alongside 2018 and 2019 and shares some of the same traits, although they all show some fascinating differences too. In all three of these vintages, we have found characteristics we have never tasted before – this trilogy of vintages will amaze wine-lovers for decades to come. Last year’s En Primeur campaign was in doubt until the last minute – it was difficult to see how there could be a campaign in such difficult global circumstances. However, the generous discount given to the prices against previous vintages coupled with the quality of the vintage saw a very successful campaign take place and we are hopeful for similar this year. Early reports were of another great year with slightly reduced yields and similar consideration given to pricing, which would presumably see demand equal to last year. 🔗The complete Davy's 2020 Bordeaux En Primeur vintage summary is now live (link in bio) and we'll be sharing some highlights here over the coming days. #enprimeur #tradetasting #bordeaux2020 #2020bordeauxep #davysfinewine #finewineinvestment #wineinvestment #finewine #bordeaux #bordeauxep #bordeauxenprimeur #bordeauxwine #bordeauxwines #winesofbordeaux @bordeauxwinesuk @vinsdesaintestephe @vinsdebordeaux @vinsdefronsac @sauternes_barsac @vinsdumedoc @davys_wineshop @davysoflondon 🍷🇫🇷 It’s the time of year where focus turns to the latest releases from Bordeaux, arguably the world’s most renowned wine producing region. The 2020 Bordeaux En Primeur campaign begins in earnest this week, with some excellent wines from Pessac and St. Estephe - a small number of releases were made last week. These wines are offered while still completing blending and elevage at their respective châteaux and will not arrive in the UK until the spring of 2023, or thereabouts. ‘An outstanding quality level from first growths to petit Châteaux’ @james.suckling The complete Davy's 2020 Bordeaux En Primeur vintage summary is now live (link in bio) and we'll be sharing some highlights here over the coming days. #enprimeur #tradetasting #bordeaux2020 #2020bordeauxep #davysfinewine #finewineinvestment #wineinvestment #finewine #bordeaux #bordeauxep #bordeauxenprimeur #bordeauxwine #bordeauxwines #winesofbordeaux @bordeauxwinesuk @vinsdesaintestephe @vinsdebordeaux @vinsdefronsac @sauternes_barsac @vinsdumedoc @davys_wineshop @davysoflondon Tomorrow is World Sauvignon Blanc Day and we're hoping there will be at least some sunshine in our showery spring weather. Any excuse to open a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. At Davy's we're proud to sell many great sauvignons, including from the grape's home in France to less traditional (but equally enticing) sauvignon blancs from Tuscany. However, we'd like to highlight the work being done by Little Beauty to spread the word about Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. The grape is an unparalleled success in that region, leading to an incredible range of styles. Little Beauty produce great examples of highly drinkable, yet gastronomic sauvignon blanc. Swipe across to see some of the awards their wines have won as well as a great pairing to celebrate tomorrow in fine style. #davyswine #crackingwine @littlebeautywines @nzwinegrowers @nzwineeurope #littlebeautywines #lovelittlebeauty #proudlykiwi #madewithlove #sauvignonblanc #WSBD #sauvignonblancday #singlevineyard #nzwine #marlborough 📩BE THE FIRST TO KNOW 🍇As mentioned yesterday the offers for Bordeaux 2020 have begun to be sent to our Fine Wine subscribers. 🇫🇷Today's offer took us to Ch. Tour Saint Christophe, a small, exciting St. Emilion property that has benefitted from the investment from owner Peter Kwok, who purchased the estate in 2012. Vines of up to 50 years of age are across 20 hectares, situated between those of Troplong Mondot and Tertre Rotebeuf, on the plateau around the village of Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, and are planted to 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Vineyard management follows organic and biodynamic practices, and a proportion of the wine is aged in new French oak barrels. We have built a wealth of knowledge and excellent relationships with growers across the globe since 1870 and we can offer you access to the world's finest wines. 🍷Buying wines En primeur is a great way to secure stock of the most sought-after wines, at the best prices, while still in the barrel. Please visit our link in bio to 'Explore buying wine 'En Primeur' 📨While there why not sign up for Fine wine newsletters and be the first to know about the latest releases. #enprimeur #tradetasting #bordeaux2020 #davysfinewine #finewineinvestment #wineinvestment #finewine #bordeaux #bordeauxep #bordeauxenprimeur @chateautoursaintchristophe 📨BORDEAUX 2020 IS GO 🍷We're happy to announce the first offers for Bordeaux 2020 have been released to the Davy's Fine Wine mailing list. These emails are an education in themselves, offering detail about the producer and the wine, from the virtual pen of our Head of Fine Wine, Ben Grosvenor. Case in point: 🍇 Getting ready to kick off our 2020 Bordeaux coverage this evening with @domaineslaujac and an en primeur Zoom tasting, hosted by Martin Everett MW. Following a tasting of over 125 barrel samples this week and tonight’s tasting, our thoughts on the vintage and standout wines will be available on our website from next week. To subscribe to our mailing list for alerts and updates on all things 2020 Bordeaux En Primeur, click on the link in our bio. #Bordeaux #BordeauxEnPrimeur #Bdx2020 #davyswinemerchants WHAT IS WINE SEDIMENT? Throwback to our series of #WednesdayWineQuestions posted on our blog in 2020. Q. I’d be interested to know why you get sediment in some wines and a lot more in some than others. A. (via Katya Sapozhnikova DipWSET, Wholesale division) While most people think of sediment in red wines, it can be found in whites too. Sediment in wine usually comes in two forms – what are called ‘tartrate crystals’ from tartaric acid which is natural in grapes; or microscopic ‘leftovers’ from fermentation, i.e. dead yeast cells, particles of grape solids etc. Tartrate crystals are more common in white wines because they form when the wine is exposed to cold temperatures and obviously white wines are generally chilled. Microscopic leftovers are more common in reds – red wines are likely to have extensive skin and lees contact before, during and/or after fermentation. To avoid the formation of tartrate crystals in the bottle, white wines are often stabilised in the winery i.e. chilled and the crystals removed. Reds are often filtered and fined. However, with more and more winemakers opting for fewer winemaking interventions, many wines are made without stabilisation or heavy filtering. These winemakers often believe these techniques strip their wine of valuable aromas and flavour characteristics. So, sediment even in younger wines may indicate that the wine is made more ‘naturally’. Sediment is also a by-product of ageing, with ‘phenolic molecules’ combining in the bottle and falling to the bottom; but that would not normally happen in wines that are less than 10 years old and it’s most common in big reds such as Bordeaux, Barolo, Australian and Californian Cabernet Sauvignons. You asked about variation in the amount of sediment in a bottle. There are many factors which can affect this, revolving around the production and maturation methods. Finally, it is worth noting that both types of sediment are harmless. In older wines it can just be gritty and a bit unpleasant so it’s a good idea to leave an old wine that you are planning to open upright for at least a day before you open it. That will allow the sediment to fall away naturally.

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