Bordeaux 2020 Primeurs: The Rest of the Right
Following on from my extensive report on all the left-bank appellations in the 2020 vintage, I come now to the right bank. Having already covered St Emilion, in three instalments, and Pomerol, in just one, this still leaves us with plenty of other right-bank appellations. And in a vintage which favoured Merlot over the Cabernets, and with difficult wet-then-dry conditions which produced better results on limestone than it did on more gravelly or sandy soils, there should be plenty here to interest us.
The number of appellations put under the spotlight here is higher than on the left bank. I commence with a small handful of wines from the Côtes de Bourg appellation, before continuing on with the different versions of Côtes de Bordeaux. Among this latter number are a few wines with the generic appellation, but more notably a swathe of wines from Blaye, Castillon, Francs and Cadillac (which I know is not on the right bank but it makes sense to include it here alongside its right-bank peers). After a look at the wines of Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac, it is then on with Lalande-de-Pomerol and the St Emilion satellites, including Montagne, Puisseguin, Lussac and even a lone representative from St-Georges. All in all this report encompasses 139 tasting notes.
Limestone rules among my favourites, which were led by two top cuvées from the Fronsac appellation. I have been following the wines of Jean-Noël Hervé for a few years now, and the 2020 Château Moulin Haut-Laroque does not disappoint. It has a very fine depth of flavour, with a dense and sinewy concentration, and it could hold its head high alongside many grander names. So too could the 2020 Château de La Dauphine, from an estate where quality has improved greatly over the last decade or so. New owners, new investment, a focus on the best limestone terroir for the grand vin and conversion to biodynamic viticulture have no doubt all contributed to the high quality of this cuvée.
