I’m nearly at the end of my Bordeaux 2020 primeur tastings. I say nearly because, while I have not a single sample remaining untasted in my office, a few châteaux have held off sending samples until this week, and I know at least one which is not sending until next week.

Even with a few outstanding samples, it is clear that I have tasted the vast majority of the wines. My garage is now empty of bottles, and while I still have a couple of runs to my local recycling centre to complete (the one pictured below was my fifth), my views on the vintage are pretty well formed, and it is time to get writing and publishing. This post is really just to lay out what subscribers can expect.

I start tomorrow (May 4th… no Star Wars jokes please) with my six-part guide to the vintage, kicking off with an update on the adventures of Monsieur Propriétaire (because it just wouldn’t be the same without him – I know some subscribers are keen to learn of the outcome of ‘The Arcachon Affair’, but be warned – Monsieur Propriétaire has had bigger problems to cope with) followed by a guide to the growing season and harvest, some over-arching thoughts on the wines of 2020, and as always a quick guide to the pros and cons of buying Bordeaux en primeur.

Thereafter I will publish one or two appellation-specific reports each day, looking at all the major left- and right-bank appellations, as well as combined reports on minor appellations and generic Bordeaux. I will start with St Estèphe (as usual – some habits are hard to break), and will finish up with my thoughts on Sauternes and my Primeur Picks.

Naturally, given that some samples are still en route, it is possible that some barrel samples will arrive after the publication of the relevant report. If this happens, I will add the notes and scores retrospectively, and highlight the addition in a blog post here, just as I did with my 2019 primeur reports.

I aim to have everything completed by Sunday May 16th, hopefully before the majority of wines have been released. Well, there’s a first time for everything! (3/5/21)