Vin-X experts appraise ‘great vintage trilogy’ wines for investors and collectors at a land-mark trade tasting.
An exclusive trade tasting featuring some of the key Bordeaux Chateaux for investors took place in London this week and provided a great opportunity to appraise some of the key wines from the 2018, 2019 and 2020 trilogy of vintages, lauded by critics as a ‘rare great.’
For wine investors the trilogy represents an important collection strategy and those looking to add Bordeaux to their portfolios should certainly consider curating verticals of key wines from these vintages.
Two of our expert Fine Wine Portfolio Managers Guy Bolland and Edmund Cole, ‘hot-footed it’ to Bishop Partridge Hall in Westminster for the event on 11th October. The elegant ambiance and panoramic views of Westminster's iconic landmarks provided an outstanding back-drop for representatives from some of Bordeaux’s great estates to showcase their wines from the 2019 to 2022 vintages.
Ed and Guy were delighted to meet and catch up with representatives from Chateaux Canon, Leoville Poyferré, Montrose, Pontet-Canet, Rauzan Segla and Smith Haut-Lafitte which recently hosted King Charles’ visit to Bordeaux.
Guy commented “We made a beeline to Montrose as last year they had run out of their Grand Vin by the time we got there. The highlight of the day for me was their 2021 vintage, which as Romain explained, despite the youth of the vintage, their use of latest technology produced a balanced and well-structured wine, which I look forward to enjoying in years to come.
Overall, I found the younger offerings in the room most appealing, naturally the heralded 2019s and 2020s will develop with age. Meeting our friends Justine from Chateau Pontet-Canet, Claire of Leoville Poyferré, and Camille at Smith Haut Lafitte, was a pleasure as always. With Chris Robshaw in the Vin-X fold, The Rugby World Cup was a hot topic as you could imagine with quarter finals coming up.”
Ed summed up the event “It was a fantastic experience having exposure to these top estates. There were notable stylistic differences with the elegance of Rauzan Segla from Margaux alongside the powerful wines from Chateaux Montrose and Pontet-Canet, presented by Romain and Justine.
Smith Haut-Lafitte was the standout producer for me on the day. Speaking with Camille, Smith Haut-Lafite are always looking to push boundaries with their biodynamic practises as well as producing their barrels in house to maintain full control of the winemaking process. Their 2019 vintage demonstrated the complex layers expected from a high-quality Bordeaux, well-structured and balanced with significant potential to age. They were also showcasing the celebratory 2020 vintage which marked the 630th anniversary of the estate in tandem to the 30th year of Monsieur Cathiard's ownership of the Chateau. Their Sauvignon Blanc dominant barrel-aged whites also brought a point of difference to the tasting.”
Details on the Tasting Notes and Critic Scores of the key wines reviewed by Ed and Guy were as follows:
Chateau Canon (St Emillion, Premier Grand Cru Classe)
| Vintage | Critic Scores | Tasting Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 98 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 98 Antonio Galloni, 97 Wine Advocate | Presented a stalky, dark fruit nose with vanilla, pepper, balanced racey acidity, firm tannin, and a structured palate showing potential for ageing, highlighted by plum, black cherry, liquorice, and spice. |
| 2020 | 100 Wine Advocate, 100 Antonio Galloni, 99 Lisa Perrotti-Brown | Exhibited youthful red fruits, cloves, smooth mouthful, grippy tannin backed up by high acidity, with notes of cedar, tobacco, and coffee. |
| 2021 | 96 - 97 James Suckling, 94 – 96 Wine Advocate, 95 – 97 Antonio Galloni | Leather and oakey undertones were prominent, alongside stewed red fruit, high acidity, mild grippy tannin, though lacking a bit in structure with a slight herbal note. |
| 2022 | 97 – 99 Lisa Perroti-Brown, 96 – 98 Neal Martin, 96 – 99 Antonio Galloni | A youthful fruity palette, silky palate with star anise, spice, peppery notes, cloves, and brown leather. |
Chateau Leoville Poyferre (St Julien, 1855 Second Growth)
| Vintage | Critic Scores | Tasting Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 97 Antonio Galloni, 96 Neal Martin, 96 Wine Advocate | Dark fruit, caramel, truffle nose, pronounced structure, cassis/kirsch, earthy, balanced to age. |
| 2020 | 97 Antonio Galloni, 97 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 96 Neal Martin | Celebrating the 100th anniversary of ownership with special edition labelling. |
| 2021 | 95 – 96 James Suckling, 92 – 94 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 93 – 94+ Wine Advocate | Black fruit nose, strong grippy tannins, earthy, smokiness, tobacco, flint.. |
Chateau Montrose (St Estephe, 1855 Second Growth)
| Vintage | Critic Scores | Tasting Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 100 Antonio Galloni, 98 Neal Martin | Evident structure, right balance to age, right level of fruit and new oak, acidity on finish, cloying tannins/unripe. |
| 2020 | 100 Wine Advocate, 99 Neal Martin, 99 Antonio Galloni | Youthful, racy acidity, fresh red fruit, subtle tannin. |
| 2021 | 95 – 96 James Suckling, 94 – 96 Wine Advocate, 94 – 96 Antonio Galloni | Oak-driven, fruit in background subtle, balanced due to winemaking technique. |
Chateau Pontet Canet (Pauillac, 1855 Fifth Growth)
| Vintage | Critic Scores | Tasting Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 99 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 99 James Suckling, 96 Antonio Galloni | Higher alcohol, stalky, firm/balanced tannins, silky smooth fruit, vanilla and chocolate nose, blackberry/cassis on palette, tertiary notes on finish - smokiness, charred wood, coffee bitterness. |
| 2020 | 96 – 98 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 95+ Antonio Galloni, 95 Neal Martin | Prominent structure, mix of red and dark fruits, grippy tannins, balanced acidity, mocha, tobacco, black pepper. |
| 2021 | 95 – 96 James Suckling, 93 – 95 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 93 – 95 Antonio Galloni | Fresh red fruit, earthy, more acidity, youthful, lean, unbalanced. |
| 2022 | 99 – 100 James Suckling, 97 – 99 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 95 – 97 Antonio Galloni | Black fruit, liquorice, dark chocolate, smooth tannin, balanced acidity, structured, charred wood smokiness. |
Chateau Rauzan Segla (Margaux, 1855 Second Growth)
| Vintage | Critic Scores | Tasting Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 98 Lisa Perroti-Brown, 96 Wine Advocate, 96 James Suckling | High alcohol content, stalk herbaceous, ripe red fruit, spiced pepper, cinnamon, stewed plums, caramel, and liquorice. |
| 2020 | 98 Wine Advocate, 97 Antonio Galloni, 96 Neal Martin | Featured a farmyard/leather tackroom nose, vibrant red fruit, smooth palette, mild spice, and a chocolatey finish, showcasing an elegant style. |
| 2021 | 94 – 97 Antonio Galloni, 94 – 96 Neal Martin, 93 – 94 James Suckling | Floral nose, shoe polish, oaked cedar, charred wood, racy acidity, subtle fruit, overwhelming oak, high acidity, smooth tannin. |
| 2022 | 97 – 99 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 96 – 97 Wine Advocate, 95 – 97 Neal Martin | Promising young structure leaning towards longevity, red fruit, little oak, subtle closed nose, cloves, black pepper finish, chalky tannin, minerality mouthfeel, black cherry, liquorice. |
Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte (Pessac-Leognan)
| Vintage | Critic Scores | Tasting Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 99 Lisa Perroti-Brown, 99 James Suckling, 96 Neal Martin | This vintage showcased black fruit, herbs, stewed plums, dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel, toffee, tobacco, and a cinnamon finish, embodying a well-structured and balanced youthful acidity with silky mouthfeel. |
| 2020 | 100 Jeb Dunnuck, 98 Lisa Perroti-Brown, | Marking the 630th year of the chateau and 30th vintage under Cathiard ownership, this vintage revealed star anise, cassis with a powerful mouthfeel of stewed black fruit and a spicy, earthy, coffee, flinty finish accompanied by chalky tannins. |
| 2021 | 96 – 97 James Suckling, 92 – 94 Lisa Perroti-Brown, 93 – 95+ Jeb Dunnuck | A complex aroma profile with black truffle, fennel, star anise, and blackberry, leading to a grippy tannin structure and coffee bitterness, culminating in a charred woodiness on finish. |
For more information on investing in Bordeaux wines and the current market opportunities, contact our expert team on 0203 384 2262.