Bordeaux is back in London with the Autumn 2024 trade tastings in full flow!
Merchants, critics and the press are attending a series of trade tastings with Bordeaux Chateaux representatives to review recent vintages.
The Vin-X team attended the Bordeaux Grands Crus Classés 2020 to 2023 tasting on 8th October hosted by the Wine & Spirits Trade Association. This provided a superb opportunity to compare some of the top estates from the region across the four most recent vintages.
Focusing first on the Bordeaux Right Bank, the spotlight was put on Saint-Emilion and Pomerol appellations.
Overall, the wines seemed to be drinking much younger, with many showcasing developed fruit characteristics especially the slightly more aged 2020’s. The jump in fruit concentration from 2021 to 2020 was most noticeable, with many wines forming more compote, and baked fruits aromas with this additional year of maturation.
The stand-outs of the Right Bank wines tasted included Château Canon La Gaffelière 2022 and Chateau Canon 2021, both showing exceptional potential to age gracefully over time.
Chateau Montrose was the prominent Left Bank producer on the day, in our team's view, with wines that displayed a beautiful subtle elegance across all the vintages. Validating much of the well-deserved praise the estate has received in recent years, the 2021 ‘took the crown’ of the tasting overall.
Pauillac’s Pontet-Canet’s wines displayed strong typicity and style across all vintages, with a distinctive and enticing earthiness and strong ageing potential.
The 2020 vintage excited our experts most from this Fifth Growth and they highlight it as one to keep an eye on in your cellar in the coming years.
Another top wine of the tasting was the exceptional Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2020, which has been highly praised by wine lovers and critics over the years and will no doubt continue to do so.
See the Vin-X team’s Tasting Notes for more detail and we look forward to reporting on more tastings in the coming weeks.
For more information on the fine wine market and current performance, see our latest Report and speak to a member of our expert team on 0203 384 2262.