St-Estèphe second growth Château Cos d’Estournel’s 2020 release was being sold by the trade for £1,800 per 12-bottle case, according to Liv-ex, 31.6% higher than the current market price of the estate’s 2019 wine.
According to Decanter’s Jane Anson, the 2020 Cos is ‘a long hauler’. Awarding it 97 points, she said: ‘The tannins build slowly but surely through the palate, sombre and serious right now, particularly for an estate that is known for its exuberance. The opulence is there if you give it time.’
Liv-ex suggested Cos wines from 2016, 2014 and 2019 as alternatives, but also highlighted the release of the 2020 in a special bottle to mark the 20th anniversary of Michel Reybier’s acquisition of the estate, and a reported 25% reduction in volumes versus 2019. ‘Its commemorative bottling and reduced volumes might add to its allure,’ Liv-ex said.
Also released were the 2020 Blanc de Cos d’Estournel at £96/bottle – a ‘gastronomic and serious’ wine, said Anson, giving it a 95-point score – and second wine Les Pagodes de Cos, which was being sold at £372/case, equal to the current market price of the 2019, and was described by Anson as ‘precise and confident’.
Château La Fleur-Pétrus’ 2020 wine, which was being sold by merchants at £1,950/case, scored 97 points with Anson, who said: ‘The frame is both tactile and fresh, a brilliant La Fleur-Pétrus full of character and spice, bedded down but with a sense of energy and uplift.’
Liv-ex pointed out that the 2020 release price was 17% up on the current market price of the Pomerol estate’s 2019 wine, adding that the 2019, 2015 and 2012 vintages looked ‘better value by comparison’.
Decanter Premium exclusive: Bordeaux 2020 releases and prices
Turning to St-Emilion, Clos Fourtet’s 2020 wine was being sold by merchants at £78.25 a bottle, up 14% on the 2019, reported Wine Lister.
The wine secured a 96-point score from Anson, who praised its ‘tightrope walking concentration of fruits’, adding: ‘An excellent Clos Fourtet, with a juicy edge where the magic of limestone in dry summers is very much showing through.’
‘At £78.25, the 2020 enters the market at a 23% discount on the 2018, while offering a higher average critics’ score,’ added Wine Lister. ‘Achieving the highest perceived quality since the 2016 vintage, this may well garner attention of St-Emilion lovers and beyond.’
Château Pavie-Macquin’s 2020 wine has been released at €57.60 per bottle ex-négociant, or £57.50 from merchants, 21.1% higher than the current market price of the estate’s 2019.
Liv-ex highlighted 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2019 as potentially good-value alternatives, while Anson gave the 2020 a score of 95 points, observing: ‘There is a richness here, a powerful spread of black fruits, that grabs you from the start.
‘This has texture and brambled power, sappy saline on the finish, touches of austerity, graphite laced through with grilled cassis and aniseed.’
