If you are seeking character-driven, early-drinking, soft, earthy red wines with a touch of smoke or fresh, crisp, bright, fruit-filled white Bordeaux wines with character that sell for a song, you should take a serious look at 2020 Graves. Savvy consumers should take notice here as there are a lot of good wines to choose from.
For a detailed report on the 2020 Bordeaux growing season and harvest
The following 2020 Graves Bordeaux red and white wines were tasted in my home office in non-blind conditions.
2020 Brondelle – Soft, fruity, fresh and juicy with round tannins and gentle, soft cherries, cocoa and plums in the earthy, savory, tinted finish. You can enjoy this on release. 87-89 Pts
2020 Brondelle Blanc – Creamy lemons, mango and yellow tropical fruits on the nose and palate. Drink this summer quaffer in its youth. 87 Pts
2020 Cerons – Herbaceous with citrus accents that accompany the bright, crisp, spicy, medium-bodied fruits on the tart, green olive-filled palate. 83-85 Pts
2020 Cerons Blanc – Light, bright, fresh, simple, lemon-filled white wine for early drinking consumption. 86 Pts
2020 Chantegrive – Showing an unusually deep color, the wine is equally packed with smoky, dark red fruits, savory herbs and spice. Medium-bodied, sweet and juicy, with ample fruit on the palate, the wine is already accessible and easy to drink. This is a serious value wine that savvy shoppers should pay attention to. 88-90 Pts
2020 Chantegrive Blanc – Notes of lemons and green apples pop from the nose while loads of energetic, sweet, yellow citrus and spice hit your palate. Juicy and fresh with good lift, this will be easy to like on release. This is a solid white Bordeaux wine value. 90 Pts
2020 Chantegrive Caroline – Honeysuckle, lemon rind, pomelo, spice and tangerine all make an appearance on the nose and refreshing, zesty, sweet, creamy palate. This is going to be great to enjoy on a hot sunny afternoon. 90 Pts
2020 Clauzots Blanc – Apples, pears, lemons and honeysuckle on the nose and on the forward, sweet, creamy, fresh palate. This will be best in its fruity youth. 87 Pts
2020 Clos Castelot Bussac – Medium-bodied, with soft, bright, fresh red fruit, herbs and tobacco. Light in style, soft and elegant in nature, drink this on release and over the next few years. 85-87 Pts
2020 Clos Floridene Blanc – Bright, crisp and fresh with bracing acidity and lift to the tart lemon, lime and green apple-dominated nose and spicy palate. 90 Pts
2020 Clos Floridène – Bright, juicy, sweet, soft, polished and fresh, the wine is medium-bodied, easy to like and even easier to drink, finishing with ripe, lifted, savory herbs, plums and minerality. 87-90 Pts
2020 Crabitey – Earthy ripe berries with a strong herbal note and cocoa on the nose and palate, the wine is forward, juicy and a bit strict in the medium-bodied grainy finish. 86-88 Pts
2020 Crabitey Blanc – White peach, lemon oil and green apple notes dominate in this fresh, creamy, fruity, forward wine. 88 Pts
2020 des Fougeres Clos Montesquieu – Light, bright, early-drinking, easy, red fruit-oriented daily quaffer, which should be drunk up over the next year or two. 83-85 Pts
2020 des Places – Medium-bodied, crisp, bright, red berry, oriented wine with a vibrant, though light character. Drink this over the next few years. 84-86 Pts
2020 des Places Blanc – A bright shot of lemons and green apples in a forward, fresh, early-drinking style that will be at its best over the next few years. 87
2020 Dorleac Révélations d’Hubert de Boüard – Medium-bodied, soft textured, lightly fruited wine with earthy red fruits on the palate and in the finish. You can drink this on release. 85-87 Pts
2020 Ferrande – Cigar box, cocoa dusted cherries and herbs come through nicely on the nose. Medium-bodied, soft, silky, fresh and sweet, there is a touch of chocolate and black raspberries in the dusty finish, which is quite nice. Fruity and forward, this will be easy to like on release and should be at its best in the first 10-12 years of its life. 88-90 Pts
2020 Ferrande Blanc – With all its bright lemon and green apples, the wine is lively, sweet and refreshing with a vigorous, creamy lemon finish. This is a superb value-priced white Bordeaux wine. 90 Pts
2020 Haura – Forward, medium-bodied, earthy red berry filled wine that lacks distinction, making it an easy-to-drink, simple quaffer. 85-87 Pts
2020 Le Prelat de Pape Clement – Medium-bodied, soft, silky and fresh, with refined, polished red fruits accompanied by touches of tobacco, espresso, spice, and cocoa are found here. Forward, early-drinking and already charming, you can enjoy this on release. 87-89 Pts
2020 Le Prelat de Pape Clement Blanc – Bright pomelo, crisp green apples and waxy lemons with a gorgeous crispy and refreshing acidity that carries all the way through from start to finish. 90 Pts
2020 Lesparre – Ripe, soft, polished, sweet, fruity, medium-bodied, plummy wine, with a peppery, savory, green olive tint in the finish that will be perfect on release. 86-88 Pts
2020 Mejean – Tobacco leaf and cocoa topped dark cherries are on the nose. On the palate, the medium-bodied wine is round, sweet, earthy and open with a touch of cigar wrapper in the mid-palate and ripe, dark red fruit finish. The wine blends 80% Merlot with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. 88-90 Pts
2020 Peyrat – Medium-bodied, fresh, earthy, sweet, red berry filled wine with soft texture and chewy tannins in the finish. You can enjoy this almost on release. 86-88 Pts
2020 Peyrat Blanc – Freshly squeezed grapefruit with flowers makes a nice entry in the perfume. Light, bright, crisp and with a nice, slightly honeyed sweetness to the juicy, yellow citrus on the palate, this well-priced wine will be ready to go on release and over the next few years. 88 Pts
2020 Portets – Soft, fruity, medium-bodied, elegant, sweet and round, the wine is ready to go with its black currants, cocoa and tobacco core. Drink this over the next 8-10 years. 87-89 Pts
2020 Rahoul – Medium-bodied, soft and silky, with a core of sweet, perfectly ripe, elegant, smoked red fruits and tobacco leaf nuances, this is going to be even better with a few years of age. 89-91 Pts
2020 Rahoul Blanc – Lemon, grapefruit and green apple nuances are all over the place here. The wine is sweet, fresh, creamy and crisp with a blast of juicy Meyer lemon rind in the zesty finish. This is already showing just great. 90 Pts
2020 Roquetaillade La Grange – Round, lush, polished and with loads of ripe blackberry and currants on the nose and palate, the wine is plush, fresh and already quite easy to drink. 88-90 Pts
2020 Saint-Robert – Showing a good depth of color, you find smoky red fruits, silky, soft, tannins and a medium-bodied, fruity, refined finish. 87-89 Pts
2020 Saint-Robert Blanc – Green and Golden Delicious apples, waxy lemons and flowers come through easily, finishing with bright, crisp, juicy apples and lemon peel notes in the sweet, lively finish. 90 Pts
2020 Villa Bel-Air – Lighter-styled Graves with a fresh, moderately smoked red berry character for early drinking pleaser. Enjoy this over the next few years. 85-87 Pts
The next report focuss on all the best 2020 wines from Haut Medoc, Moulis and Listrac appellations.