Bordeaux Barrel Samples 2020

[Jenise]

So the other day I got an email from a friend who happens to be the luxury wine chooser for one of the earliest and most successful internet-only wine sellers. Did I want a bottle of the 2020 Pape Clement, which house he knows I love? He had an extra, and oh some others too, come by and take any and all you want. He mentioned some names. Nothing else of the Pape Clement level but he mentioned decent stuff like Cantenac Brown, Figeac and a few others.

WHOA.

Going to be a fun opportunity. Any tips for tasting Bordeaux this young?

[David M. Bueker]

It’s barrel samples like at any winery. 100% new oak and grapey as hell.

[Jenise]

Yahbut these aren't coming out of barrels. They're in bottles with labels on them; I kind of figured they would show differently OF COURSE, but would decanting be required?

[David M. Bueker]

Yes they are in bottle, but they are representative blends, and would normally still be in barrel right now.

I would taste a bit first. They might be wide open.

It's also key to know if they have gone through malolactic fermentation yet. By this point the answer probably is yes. If not, expect them to have a tart, harsh acidity similar to cooking apples (sourness in apples comes from malic acid). Be sure to taste and spit unless you want a case of severe heartburn. You might want to bring some Tums with you just in case.

-Paul W.

With the many tasting opportunities available in Belgium, I often used to sample young Bordeaux GCs and leading bourgeois growths in barrel samples but it was more from intellectual curiosity than for pleasure. I rarely enjoyed the experience because of searing tannins and undigested wood. I marvel at the professionals' ability to make judgements on them and, rather less, at their aptitude for writing lyrical TNs about the experience. That said, the last vintage which I tasted in this way seems to have been 2007 and it is more than possible that the recent trio of warm vintages, 18, 19 & 20, will be more approachable than those of the early/mid 00s.

On the other hand, I have found some Burgundy barrel samples quite delightful to the extent of wondering how long after bottling it would take for the same wines to become just as enjoyable, if ever.

[Jenise]

Tim, thanks to the same friend, I tasted the '19s he received last year incl several First Growths. They were both hard and harsh and he admitted that at the time. The 20's he says are much more approachable. And that's like ALL I know. We're going to open the Pape tonight, I'll report back.

[Jenise]

Okay so painfully young 2020 Bordeaux barrel samples not fun at all. I'm reminded that I've read about the art of tasting wine so young and interpolating the wine it's going to be some day out in the future--definitely not in my wheelhouse of talents, such as they are.

Okay so painfully young 2020 Bordeaux barrel samples not fun at all. I'm reminded that I've read about the art of tasting wine so young and interpolating the wine it's going to be some day out in the future--definitely not in my wheelhouse of talents, such as they are.

Same with me!

I'm a bit surprised that you place Pape-Clément at a higher level than Figeac.

[Jenise]

Tim, it's a case of personal preference not a reflection of industry regard, but neither did I think my preference for it was out of line with the world view of those two wines, either.