25 May 2021

The release of 2020 Château Berliquet this morning is a good moment to note Lisa Perotti-Brown MW's views on the 2020 vintage, published late last week in The Wine Advocate.  She describes the vintage as "an enigma – a vintage that has been more difficult to understand than 2018 or 2019, with far more potential.”  Agreeing with other critics that this is a great year for the Right Bank, she also scores many Left Bank wines highly, although the scores are less uniform than in the previous two vintages.

Berliquet is an excellent example of the 'enigma' of this vintage, a Right Bank wine so accessible and appealing on tasting as potentially to distract from what a great wine it is in the making.  We found it heady and intense, with exceptionally pure fruit aromas (cherry, plum and damson) as well as delicate peony and woodsmoke notes.  With so much charm, it would be easy to overlook what a fine wine this is, with polished tannins and complex mineral notes which continue to linger on the finish.  In this instance, accessibility does not mean a lack of seriousness and Perotti-Brown spots the potential (94-96 points) as does James Suckling (95-96 points).  The drinking dates also point to longevity, ranging well into the 2040s.

Berliquet was bought by the Chanel Group in 2017 (joining their other properties, neighbouring Canon and Rauzan Segla in Margaux) and we have seen each subsequent vintage grow in stature, narrowing the gap with Canon. Winemaker Nicolas Audebert has a very clear vision for expressing the terroir here, which he describes as distinct from Canon, formed by a unique mix of limestone from the plateau and clay.  Released at £435 per dozen in bond and compared to the market price of 2019 Canon (£1150) it offers both great value for drinking and for longer-term investment potential.

Landing in spring 2023.

Limited availability.  To order, e-mail us at sales@richardkihl.ltd.uk 

Producer Profile

Château Berliquet, St.-Émilion Grand Cru Classé

Château Berliquet is a Grand Cru Classé St.-Émilion estate, founded in 1768, making it one of the oldest estates in the region. It was also one of the first estates to sell the wine under its own name, with records dating to 1784.

In 2007 Nicolas Thienpont and Stéphane Derenoncourt started working here as consultants. Optical sorting was introduced with the 2009 vintage and the estate also recently purchased two new back-to-back sorting tables and increased the number of vats in their cellars to allow the estate to vinify on a block-by-block and grape varietal by varietal basis.

In July 2017 Berliquet to the Chanel Group, joining neighbouring Chateau Canon, as well as Chateau Rauzan Segla in Margaux.  Nicolas Audebert manages the property.  The 10 hectares are vines are planted to 75% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. The terroir is clay, chalk and limestone soils. The vineyard has a vine density of 6,000 vines per hectare.  The average vine age is around 40 years. The vineyard is one large, single block of vines, with the best parcels on the limestone plateau.  An average of 3,500 cases are produced each year.