Glaude Danivet, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France 2020

Despite its warmth, 2020 is a Bordeaux vintage where freshness was eminently possible -- and freshness is a quality increasingly associated with ambitious wine-making in St Emilion, as the era of ultra-ripeness draws to a close. (This, remember, is the highest in altitude of all Bordeaux’s major sub-regions.) Our judges were impressed with this wine's depth of colour allied to its vibrant, zesty yet sweetly ripe blackcurrant and plum scents. On the palate, it is deep, concentrated, lively and dramatic in style, with pithy acidity bringing as much structure to the wine as its relatively gentle and accessible tannins. It's still young, but a few years in the cellar will see the wine begin to round out as the blackcurrant and plum soften and ease. The oak integration is skilfully managed, too, in this excitingly pure St Emilion.

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