Concluding a busy week of releases, Friday (18^th June) saw new entries from shining Saint-Émilion estates, Troplong-Mondot, Valandraud, and Canon, as well as top Pomerol property, l’Eglise Clinet.

Troplong-Mondot 2020 opened Friday’s releases at £72 per bottle. Neal Martin (Vinous) awards the latest release 94-96 points, hailing it "delicious and characterful [...] Excellent", while Ella Lister (Wine Lister) notes a bouquet of "blue plums and black cherries, rounded out with star anise and cardamom". Gaining the largest confidence rating increase of any Bordeaux wine in Wine Lister's latest Founding Member survey (see below), Troplong-Mondot may well be worth investing in for the future.

Results from Wine Lister’s 2021 Founding Member survey show Troplong-Mondot achieves first place for largest confidence rating increase of any Bordeaux wine.

Valandraud followed suit and has been so far offered by merchants for c.£106.50 per bottle. Writing for JancisRobinson.com, Richard Hemming awards the estate its highest score ever given by the critic body (17.5+), while Antonio Galloni (of Vinous) shares his praise, scoring 95-97 and noting "a magnificent effort from Muriel Andraud and Jean-Luc Thunevin". The husband and wife duo have stepped up the storytelling at Valandraud recently, which should encourage demand for its latest release.

Released at £234.29 per bottle, l’Eglise Clinet 2020 entered the market 21% below the current price of the 2019, which has shown strong price performance post-release. The 2020 marks the start of a new era for l’Eglise Clinet, following the passing of its legendary owner and winemaker Denis Durantou last year. With Antonio Galloni and Neal Martin both awarding 96-98 points (the former notes it “very clearly claims a stake for itself among the wines of the vintage”), the 2020 certainly appears to live up to the legacy of the famed Durantou.

Rounding out Friday’s releases, Canon 2020 released at £96 per bottle (2% and 9% below the market prices of the 2019 and 2018 vintages, respectively). Critics praise has once again been strong in this year, with Neal Martin awarding 96-98 points and calling it “the best since the benchmark 2015/2016 vintages", while Ella also proposes that it could be “A new 2015?". With demand for the estate continuing to thrive, the 2020 is worth snapping up.