After tasting more than 800 Bordeaux 2020 en primeur samples, Jane Anson has given her full verdict on the new vintage.
Here we present a quick and easy way to see tasting notes and scores for the top 74 wines all with 95 points or above.
| Producer | Appellation | Score | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Château Ausone | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé A) | 99 | This is powerful and blows away much of the competition with its depth and layers. This needs you to pull up a chair, take a beat, and let the flavours unroll. There is so much density to the blueberry, bilberry and smoked raspberry fruits that they start out knitted down, then as the oxygen opens them up the body of the wine widens and becomes fleshier and creamier, adding chocolate and mocha notes. The limestone scrape is there in spades through the finish, and this is a cleverly constructed wine. As ever Ausone is just a masterclass in how to take apart and then put back together a terroir. Great stuff. First year of official conversion to organic farming. 100% new oak, some in 30hl oak casks. Could go up after tasting in bottle, a potential 100 points. | |
| Château Canon | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 99 | This is intense, structured and concentrated yet with an abundance of violet and peony notes that curl up through the tannins, combining halfway through the palate with blueberry, raspberry, tobacco, gunsmoke and sculpted, precise pulses of chalk minerality. There is just so much to talk about with this wine, but the overall impression is of dozens of carefully crafted elements that steal up on you. It's hard not to be convinced by its success - and as ever with Canon you are in no doubt as to how well it will age. Gorgeous. 50% new barrels. 3.53pH. Harvest 4 September to 23 September. 50% new oak. A yield of 40hl/ha. Could go up after tasting in bottle, a potential 100 points. 98-100. | |
| Château Cheval Blanc | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé A) | 99 | Spice, anis, rosemary, blackcurrant leaf, redcurrants, mint and peonies - the full array of aromatics are on display here, and there is an enveloping aspect to the fruit once you get to the body of the wine. The tannins are compact and powerful but they are wrapped in plump raspberry and blackberry brambled fruits. The wine feels full of life, with acidity that pulls the palate forward from the first moment, before austerity kicks in on the finish and closes things in, suggesting an extremely long life ahead. Hard to argue with this. 71% of overall production. The driest year at Cheval Blanc for 50 years (since 1959). Could go up after tasting in bottle, a potential 100 points. 98-100. | |
| Château Margaux | Margaux (1er Cru Classé) | 99 | A brilliant Margaux; one that takes a sigh and then releases the huge floral, eucalyptus and crushed mint whoosh that comes in waves though the palate. You get the concentration of the vintage in an entirely positive light, with a suave softness to the tannins that makes it stand head and shoulders above many others. Plenty in common with the 1996 vintage - the knitted down tannins, the completeness, the juicy blackcurrant purity and acidity on the finish, and the certainty of long ageing. Real clarity of flavour. Alcohol level is lower than both the 2018 and 2019, but tannins and anthocyanins are at the same level as in 2018. 36% of overall harvest, and 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. A yield of 36hl/ha. 98-100. | |
| Château Bélair-Monange | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 98 | The gunsmoke character is immediately evident on the nose, as is richly expressed damson and raspberry fruit. This is pared back and held back right now, elegant, showing a seductive edge without trying too hard. The texture is pure, softly-brushed velvet, these tannins are front and centre but so fine and so precise that they don't get in the way of the fruit. Salinity from the limestone is evident on the finish, bringing a moreish juiciness and you can scrape your tongue against the pumice stone texture. Austere in all the right ways, with just the most incredible depth and layers. Love it. Harvest September 15 to 23. Could go up after tasting in bottle. | |
| Château Calon Ségur | St-Estèphe (3ème Cru Classé) | 98 | A return to form in my eyes for Calon Ségur after the atypical 2018, rippling with elegance, balance and savoury blue fruits of Cabernet, with rose and peony flowers. Concentrated, chiselled and juicy, this has clear personality and equals the great, classically balanced vintages of Calon like 2016. A yield of 33hl/ha, 3.85pH, 100% new oak. Vincent Millet is now overall director as well as technical director, since the departure of Laurent Dufau in 2020. | |
| Château Ducru-Beaucaillou | St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé) | 98 | An amazing Ducru, one of the wines of the vintage. Hugely persistent, chiselled and precise, yet succulent in its berry and cassis fruit character. The slate and pencil lead finish slows things down and grabs hold of you, I love the push-and-pull of the tannins. Always a confident and well-finessed wine, really flexing its muscles in 2020. 100% new oak barrels. 3.83pH. | |
| Château L'Évangile | Pomerol | 98 | The sculpting of L'Evangile that began over the past few vintages continues, and the 2020 is a gorgeous wine. Pristine fruit, silky with a whoosh of menthol. It elevates over the palate, both dense and light, with blueberry and raspberry fruits, and pulses of bitter almond and honeysuckle on the finish that gives focus and spice. Juliette Couderc joined L'Evangile (from DBR Lafite's Long Dai winery) in September 2020 so for the harvest of this wine, working alongside technical director Olivier Tregoat. 50% first wine, with no Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend this year because it was so over-concentrated that it made too much impact. Increased selective harvesting meant going through vineyard plots six times to bring in the grapes as they ripened. A yield of 32hl/ha. In the final year of organic conversion, so this next vintage 2021 will be certified. | |
| Château La Mission Haut-Brion | Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves) | 98 | A kick of black fruit and confident spice right from the first nose, this is an intense and concentrated La Mission, tightly in control, not letting up from beginning to end. The pencil lead and bitter dark chocolate is layered in between the cassis notes in a way that makes you see the Cabernet influence although this is majority Merlot (once again - this is a character of the year, low yields of Cabernet mean Merlot is more featured in the blend than usual; but the intensity of the Cabernets mean that it still has an outsized influence on flavour profile). Grilled coffee beans overtake on the close of play, this is seductive and switches beautifully between the tannins pressing in on the palate and the juice expanding things outwards. This is the wine to go for in the Domaines Clarence Dillon stable this year. Harvest from 7th to 29th September. | |
| Château Lafleur | Pomerol | 98 | I was, to be honest, a little unsure of how the gravels here would react to the dry summer but the first hit of graphite and smoky berry fruit makes it clear Lafleur has taken the vintage in its stride. This is an excellent wine, barely showing its potential right now - it's a big year, with knitted-down tannins, serious and powerful, not austere so much as layered, complex and full of hidden energy. The floral aromatics curl up after 10 minutes in the glass, as does bitter chocolate and crushed mint. | |
| Château Latour | Pauillac (1er Cru Classé) | 98 | There is a ballooning through the mid palate, an expansion of blackberry and cassis, plenty of juice and tension, all carefully handled yet with a subtle generosity to the fruits. A ton of tannins here, no question about it, but they are fine, beautifully muscled, with a saline-edged kick. A bright, dense wine, distinct in its delivery of flavours with coffee bean smoking that deepens as it opens. A top Latour, with energy and persistency, both delicate and powerful. Hard to fault honestly. 83IPT. 32.5% of overall production, 3.8% press. Could go to 100 points after ageing. | |
| Château Montrose | St-Estèphe (2ème Cru Classé) | 98 | A serious wall of blueberry and blackberry compote, and a ton of savoury Cabernet sinew and freshness. This is a great Montrose, inky, broad-shouldered and structured. It needs time to aerate and open in the glass, then you see the precision, the heft, the chiselling of the fruits with a ton of graphite, cigar box and campfire smoke - huge persistency. This will need a long time and will reward patience. One of the few where a 1986, 2016 and 2010 comparison makes sense. A yield around 30hl/ha. 1% Petit Verdot, 3.86pH, IPT 80. 45% of the overall production. | |
| Château Mouton Rothschild | Pauillac (1er Cru Classé) | 98 | The tannins are carefully wrapped up and finessed, slowly but surely building in power and width, with concentrated blue and black fruits through the palate. Cabernet Sauvignon is dominant on the attack, with a deft, savoury and not overly exuberant delivery of flavour. As the slate and saline side builds up, you also feel a slowing down and a tugging back of the tannins. As the wine relaxes in the glass, it becomes more and more signature Mouton, full of exuberance, finesse and pleasure. There is less sweet black cherry fruit than in a year like 2018 or 2019, more on the cassis and bilberry side, it will behave in a more classical manner in the decades to come. 100% new oak. Harvest September 7 to 24. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. Could go to 100 points after ageing. | |
| Château Trotanoy | Pomerol | 98 | Deep plum colour. Pared back and precise on the nose, showing damson, gunsmoke and rose petal. This is all about the crouching fruits and fine but utterly confident tannic structure - it makes you smile involuntarily. There is just so much happening underneath the layers of blackberry fruit - the rose petal from the nose becomes more evident, as does the depth and texture to the tannins. A brilliant Trotanoy, showcasing so much of its personality, and why this is a long-living Pomerol that has menace and bite, but also beauty. There is unquestioned austerity on the tannins at the end of play, but they are drumming their fingers, ready to spring forward. Harvest September 15 to 18, a yield around 42hl/ha. Potential 100 when in bottle. | |
| Petrus | Pomerol | 98 | Extremely powerful, this has the concentration of the vintage no question, but it is oh so slowly dealt out. Despite the clear water reserves in the soils of Petrus, the Merlot still slowed down its ripening over the dry summer - just 30mm of rain here in August - before suddenly accelerating in September. A ton of acidity alongside silky seductive tannins, dense and powerful with violet floral notes streaking through the fruit as it opens. Gorgeous balance with unmistakable personality. Yields here were around 39hl/ha. 3.6pH. Harvest September 5 to 18. Has the potential to go to 100 points when tasting in bottle. | |
| Château Angélus | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé A) | 97 | Supple damson fruits, I love the aromatics on this and the striking fruits. Silky in texture, balanced and elegant, there are big tannins that slowly but surely creep up on you through the palate. This is a sleek, poised, and confidently-constructed Angélus, with depth to the olive, chocolate, cassis body and a crushed mint leaf kiss on the finish. As often with this vintage it is not an exuberant hug, it is more about discreet power and gorgeous stealing-up of flavours and textures giving depth and subtle power. 3.62pH, aged in large sized oak cass and oak barrels. A yield of 37hl/ha. | |
| Château Cos d'Estournel | St-Estèphe (2ème Cru Classé) | 97 | You need to take a little time to let the concentrated flavours seep out, this is a long hauler. The tannins build slowly but surely through the palate, sombre and serious right now, particularly for an estate that is known for its exuberance. The opulence is there if you give it time, and as the tannins elongate and relax, richer notes of bilberry fruits, toasted cedar, salted chocolate, turmeric and black pepper spice arrives. Harvest September 10 to 24. A 3.9pH is the highest since 2003, but any threat of low acidity is balanced by high tannins, and relatively low alcohol. A yield of 39hl/ha (43hl/ha in 2019). | |
| Château La Fleur-Pétrus | Pomerol | 97 | The tannins clamp in on the opening beats of the wine and then spend the rest of the palate gently relaxing to let the juice out from the tight black fruits. The frame is both tactile and fresh, a brilliant La Fleur Petrus full of character and spice, bedded down but with a sense of energy and uplift. Black chocolate shavings shot through with eucalyptus, sage, rosemary, spices and cigar box - all of which really extend through the finish. Harvest September 10 to 20. A yield of around 42hl/ha. Deep gravels over clay. | |
| Château Lafite Rothschild | Pauillac (1er Cru Classé) | 97 | This is pretty much as close to entirely Cabernet Sauvignon as Bordeaux gets (92%) and yet it has an incredibly fine, gentle richness to the tannins. They build up pretty quickly though, so that by the end of the palate you start to feel the closing in and tightening, deftly underscoring how well this will age. The kaleidoscope of flavours and aromatics that Lafite does so well is fully on display, nothing trying too hard, a velvet texture to the tannins where the cassis fruit, earth, crushed stone and graphite is held in from beginning to end. Impressive that even in dry vintages like 2020 with the real concerns over global warming, the top Bordeaux estates can still produce wines of this quality. | |
| Château Larcis Ducasse | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 97 | Great consistency over the past few years at this property but this is really stepping things up a level. With poise and depth of flavour, we are digging down through the layers. Extremely elegant, a wine that is precise and pared back and totally delicious. You can almost feel the points of minerality poking into your tongue, but then they melt into a softer more luxurious whole, with blackberry, cassis and black chocolate. Great stuff. Tasted several times, and every time it shows itself to be something out of the ordinary. A brilliant wine that I thoroughly recommend getting hold of. 50% new oak. A yield of 38.5hl/ha. Owned by Famille Gratiot-Attmane, but with the Nicolas Thienpont team overseeing winemaking. | |
| Château Le Pin | Pomerol | 97 | The aromatics take a few beats to arrive, and then show pure, bright blue and red berry fruits with incredible density and a pure velvet texture. This is a brilliant Le Pin - seductive, with the density and pleasure you expect from this estate, with slow delivery of pure black berry fruits and a toasted coffee and cocoa bean finish with cooler waves of gunsmoke and earth. A wine that you will take your time over, and that will give the best of itself with at least a decade in bottle. Keeps opening and deepening the longer that it stays in the glass. A yield of 24hl/ha (usually no higher than 34hl/ha so this is not so unusual). Sandy/gravel over clay soils. Harvest 14, 16 and 21 September. Malolactic fermentation in barrel. | |
| Château Margaux, Pavillon Blanc | Bordeaux Blanc | 97 | Clear gunsmoke character with slate and graphite, also a ton of white peach, white pear, some sweet mango and a scrape of salinity on the finish. This is balanced and successful, and easy to recommend, completing a strong set of wines at Margaux in the 2020 vintage. 40% of the overall production in the final blend. 3.01pH. Harvest from 24 August to September 1. 100th anniversary of the name Pavillon Blanc (even though they have made a white wine at Margaux for 300 years). | |
| Château Palmer | Margaux (3ème Cru Classé) | 97 | Vivid colours, and the aromatics grab hold straight away. This is intense and concentrated, elegant, balanced and classical, all about the texture which is velvety and seductive with softly-grained tannins. Moves oh so slowly through the palate with dozens of layers to get hold of. The overall feel is precise, slow and seductive, with appellation and estate signature at every turn. Sappy, hawthorn freshness, rosemary, redcurrant, tobacco, cigar box and dark chocolate shavings on the finish. 3.77pH, 78IPT, 55% of overall production, with 13% press wine. | |
| Château Pavie | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé A) | 97 | The Cabernets dominate the blend on the aromatics, and you can really see they are moving the needle on the architecture and sculpting of this wine. A ton of concentration on the nose and upfront, but it is well balanced by damson and blackberry, and has a sense of energy, uplift and clear minerality. This shows the limestone terroir in a way that, with the best will in the world, the more concentrated style of Pavie just didn't do. There is density and glamour, with layers of black chocolate, graphite and liquorice. It is pretty disarming overall, and will age extremely well. 3.61pH. A yield of 31hl/ha, average age of vine 49 years. 75% new oak. | |
| Château Pontet-Canet | Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé) | 97 | Highly successful Pontet, one of the few Pauillacs that, for me, overperforms on its 2019. Inky purple with ruby reflections in colour. Lots of firm but upright tannins, a good dollop of graphite, pencil lead and cassis bud, there is depth through the mid palate shot through with wild blackberry, hawthorn, sage, rosemary and wild mint. It has personality, and is a little old school in the best possible way. Recommended. They have avoided the over-concentrated feel of some Pauillacs in the vintage, while remaining true to the appellation. 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend, 50% new oak 35% amphoras, 15% one-year barrels. First full vintage for Mathieu Bessonnet who replaced the previous long-term director Jean-Michel Comme in 2020. 100% first wine, as it has been for the past four years. 45% will be aged in new oak barrels, 15% one year, 40% in amphoras. The mildew pressure was stressful in the early part of the year, but they had learnt from 2018, and brought in the manpower to get around the whole vineyard in a (very long) day, so their yields ended up being close to normal. | |
| Château Rocheyron | St-Émilion (Grand Cru) | 97 | Peter Sisseck's estate, always for me one of the real sleepers of the vintage, continuing to be under the radar but building excitement and loyalty through sheer consistent quality. This is rich plum in colour, with powerful floral aromatics alongside dense, brushed berry fruits. Sit back and let the quality of this wash over you. It is relatively subdued on the nose at this point but the texture, the fruit quality and precision, the push and pull of intense flavours and gentle featherlike tannins is just so enjoyable. Delicious slate scrape on the finish, and the tightrope feel of a wine that isn't trying overly hard, but just delivering the goods and hanging on with a saline persistency. I love the deftness and clarity of flavour. | |
| Château Smith Haut Lafitte | Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves) | 97 | Powerful on the attack, dense and concentrated at first then brighter on the retro-olfaction with layers of spice, liquorice and flowers. Intense but beautifully precise, with iris and peony aromatics coming in strongly as it opens in the glass. A ton of nuance and complexity, really takes its time, delivering a masterclass in restrained Pessac glamour. Average yields 30hl/ha for the reds. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 60% new oak. Harvest started on September 9 - 30. | |
| Château Troplong Mondot | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 97 | Inky in colour, this is utterly gorgeous, so much purity and definition on the nose. Things start out intense, with crushing tannins, then it steps up and back, with a delicate but juicy slate and crushed rock minerality flooding in. Great physicality, with a push and pull that goes from power to lightness of touch. I assume it will gain a little more weight over ageing, but this is exceptionally well controlled. Crushed blackcurrant and blackberry fruits, with chalky tannins and savoury Cabernet florals. 60% new oak. 3.53pH. The new cellar will be used for vinification from the 2021 vintage, with this vintage aged in the new barrel cellars. No malolactic fermentation in barrel since the 2019 vintage. Just 2mm of rain in July and 30mm in August but the deep clay-limestones at Troplong kept their freshness, and there were no blockages in ripening. Thomas Duclos consultant. | |
| Château d'Issan | Margaux (3ème Cru Classé) | 96 | This is a sinewy, powerful and forward-moving wine with a sense of momentum. Moreish, with the elegance and plump damson fruits that Issan delivers so well, but more muscular than some years with the impact of both Petit Verdot and Malbec that are in the blend for the first time in this vintage. These add layers of spice and the overall architecture is clear. Peony and violet notes add a kick upwards on the finish, this has a delicacy even though it is intense. Less Cabernet in the blend in 2020 than in 2019, as is often the case in the Médoc due to low yields. This new blend in Issan will be seen going forward after the addition of plots from the purchase of Château Pontac-Lynch. | |
| Château Figeac | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 96 | This delivers concentration and intensity, a ton of black fruits, definitely Cabernet dominant in terms of fruit, and its slightly serious character, with a whoosh of juice on the finish. An extremely elegant and controlled wine, with savoury bilberry and loganberry, then peony and tobacco leaf as it opens. Tannins are finely layered but there are a lot of them. Not an exuberant Figeac, but this is rarely a wine that rushes out to seduce, it takes its time and has ageing potential in spades. The gravel soils in the drought of the summer meant the grapes slowed their ripening process, although only the youngest vines suffered blockages, and that combined with the high Cabernet content of Figeac means lower alcohols than the past few years, giving a classic balance and a feeling of effortless success. 75% of the production went into the first wine. Harvest September 4 to October 1, a full five weeks. Their final yield here was around 37hl/ha, (higher than in 2019 at Figeac, which was 34hl/ha). As with on the Left Bank, the Cabernet Sauvignons were the lowest yield (30hl/ha), with tiny berries so had to be careful with the extraction. First vintage in the new cellars. | |
| Château Haut-Bailly | Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves) | 96 | Rich in texture and colour, this has clear layers and complexity, a wine that you want to take your time with, slow down and enjoy. One that will take its time to age also. This has a precision and a clarity to the aromatics, and a gentle buzz of minerality that gives a physical reaction in the mouth. Less exuberant than the 2018 or 2019, making this a vintage that suits the style of Haut-Bailly. A slight austerity to the tannins on the finish gives a blueberry redcurrant edge. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend (now around eight years old), usually co-fermented with the Cabernet Sauvignon (sometimes with Cabernet Franc). IPT similar to 2016, 2010, 2005, but with a softness that comes from extremely ripe tannins. Strong potential for upscoring when it bottle. | |
| Château Haut-Brion, Haut-Brion Blanc | Pessac-Léognan (1er Cru Classé) | 96 | Grippy fresh, green-tinged flavours, a little more evident than in the Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, here you get more angular acidities, and yet it works. Sauvignon-dominant flavours and aromatics of rosemary, mint, turmeric, lime blossom and steely citrus. Excellent persistency and a deliciously mouthwatering finish. Harvest from 20th to 27th August. | |
| Château Haut-Brion | Pessac-Léognan (1er Cru Classé) | 96 | Concentrated, powerful and precise; this takes a grip and holds on, layers of liquorice, grilled coffee bean, chocolate, blackcurrant pastille, cassis bud and a more steely wet stone edge that gives a much needed balance to the richness of the overall feel of this wine. Gunsmoke curls out of the glass after half an hour - this is going to need serious ageing, impressive and powerful stuff. Harvest from 7th to 29th September. | |
| Château L'Eglise-Clinet | Pomerol | 96 | Noémie Durantou has taken over from her late father Denis with this vintage, and has produced a L'Eglise Clinet that is dark ruby in colour, and needs time in the glass as it is built and muscular. You need a little patience for the cassis, bilberry and raspberry fruits to arrange, enjoy instead the silky, velvety texture that stops the tannins being too restrictive and allows the palate to slowly expand. Not as expressive as in some vintages, but still exudes quiet confidence. A yield of 42hl/ha. Harvest from September 8. | |
| Château La Conseillante | Pomerol | 96 | There are some beautifully fragrant floral aromatics here with concentration through the mid palate and effortless balance. A little more width and opulence in the 2019 perhaps, but here you get precision and purity, and a feeling of 2010 levels of concentration. An elegant 2020, bright, confident, bursting with life. 70% new oak. A yield of 39hl/ha. 3.67pH. Gravel and clay soils, and to keep freshness they left crop cover on the old vines but on the young ploughed it into the soil so as not to have too much competition for the water. Lowered canopy also but kept shade and leaves around the bunches to protect from the sun. Picked early morning from 7am to noon, harvest of Merlot September 4 to 17, and the Cabernet Franc on September 21 and 30. | |
| Château Léoville Poyferré | St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé) | 96 | Rich and concentrated with violet reflections and a wall of tannins. Well structured, it sets its feet deep in the ground and will need time to soften and develop. Good quality with depth. The tannins are far more present than the alcohol, setting it apart from the 2018. A yield of 35hl/ha. Harvest september 14 to 30. Planted blend (not 2020) 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. | |
| Château Léoville-Las Cases | St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé) | 96 | A subtle intensity where the power steals up on you through the palate - this is an excellent example of what Las Cases can deliver. Intellectual, concentrated and reined in for the foreseeable future. You get the full array of serious St-Julien character - pencil lead, cigar box, cassis bud, bilberry, earth and granite-edged tannins, this needs time. Very little press wine was used because this has such a plainly evident natural intensity. Needs time, but knowing how this estate is a slow burner even in generous vintages, you are going to need a lot of patience for this vintage to reach its drinking window. Impressive, not yet showing its heart. May be upscored once in bottle. This is 1% less than 2018 and 0.5% less than in 2019 in terms of alcohol. 3.65pH. A yield of 34hl/ha. | |
| Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion | Pessac-Léognan | 96 | Clear violet edging to the colour, vibrant and enticing. This is elegant and full of personality, with high floral aromatics, a ton of dark fruits, and a blueberry dominance that gives a classic Carmes Haut Brion feel. Slightly austere, slightly bitter, both in the best possible expression of those terms, where it is mouthwatering and moreish. A juicy salinity ensures this is a wine that doesn't overpower, its flavours are revealed slowly and carefully, tugging backwards, with a texture that heads towards linen rather than silk - meaning that you don't glide through, you carefully step through well-placed tannins and fruits. There is clear delicacy here, and with 55% whole bunch fermentation - the highest level that they have done to date. 3.62pH (they harvested this at almost 1% ABV higher), fermented with their own natural yeasts. Highest percentage of the two Cabernets on recent record (before 2010 Carmes was regularly at 50% Merlot). Strong candidate for the score moving upwards when in bottle. | |
| Château Lynch-Bages | Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé) | 96 | The lowest amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend on recent record but the signature of Lynch Bages is very much in play here - tons of liquorice, grippy and charismatic cassis and blueberry fruit with a velvety texture layered with blackcurrant pastilles and rich dark chocolate. This is easily one of the best Pauillacs that I have tasted in the vintage, totally gorgeous. The 22hl/ha yield meant I was worried that it would be too concentrated, but it pulls it off, although you've got to assume that they will need to be careful over ageing. Lower alcohol than both 2018 and 2019, a more classical balance in fact. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.73pH, 75% new oak, 18 months in barrel. | |
| Château Pichon Baron | Pauillac (2ème Cru Classé) | 96 | Intense, concentrated, rippling with power while still delivering finesse. A muscular Pichon Baron, layered with liquorice and chocolate shavings. Unmistakably Pauillac, and hugely Cabernet dominant, with savoury spice notes of grilled cumin and the same muscular, saline-backed tannins that you find in Les Griffons, just here with more definition and depth. 70% new oak for 18 months, 48% of overall production. Harvest September 14 to 30. Yields on the old vines here just above 30hl/ha. | |
| Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande | Pauillac (2ème Cru Classé) | 96 | Softer and silkier than many Pauillacs in the vintage, this is a clear success. Hugely silky and seductive, with grip, power and finesse. One of the best of the appellation, with finessed tobacco, heather and plump blueberry and cassis fruit, expertly managing the low 30hl/ha yield. 60% new oak. Tasted twice. | |
| Château Rauzan-Ségla | Margaux (2ème Cru Classé) | 96 | Tumeric and cumin spices alongside concentrated cassis and bilberry fruits, this has a powerful structure where the tannins layer up through the palate. There is no question that this is intense, and a reflection of the low yields of the vintage, but Rauzan Segla manages what it always does, which is to take the foot off the pedal at exactly the right moment, and allow the juice to come rushing in. The push and pull of muscular tannins and deft supple acidity gives an extra layer of success. Should be ready to drink a little earlier than the biggest years such as 2016 or 2019, but this will still age for decades. 1% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. Harvest began September 8, a yield of 30hl/ha. 60% new oak. Tasted twice. | |
| Château Smith Haut Lafitte | Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves) | 96 | This brings together depth and power, concentrated and hugely saline right from the start. Rich in texture, with layers of stone fruits from nectarines to white peaches, with a steely edge that squeezes through the fruit, holds interest and adds persistency. A delicious white wine with the point of bitterness on the finish adding another dimension. Average yields 29hl/ha for the whites. 50% new oak. Harvest started August 20, one of earliest on record, through to September 9th. Certified organic (AB) as of 2019 in the vineyard. | |
| Château Trotte Vieille | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 96 | Excellent grip and tension through the palate, a well-judged and well-balanced Trottevieille, doing exactly as well as expected in a vintage that favours clay and limestone soils that keep freshness and focus. Elegant and sleek, plenty of tight blackberry fruit and a mouthwatering finish. Expands through the mid palate and then closes in on the finish, a confident wine where you feel the terroir is pulling the strings not the winemaker. Tasted twice, loved both times. | |
| Château Valandraud | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 96 | This is excellent, broad-shouldered with ample depth to the brambled fruits, liquorice, cigar box spice, with a gorgeously saline finish. Chalky, grippy tannins keep tugging you back into the body of the wine. The tannic grip is helped by a linen rather than silk texture that stops things being overly smooth and instead adds depth and interest to the powerfully knitted body, as do white flowers on the aromatics as it opens. Good stuff. 100% new oak for 24 months. A yield of 49hl/ha. Thunevin has sold a 50% stake in Valandraud to the Lefevre family at Sansonnet (also the new owners of Villemaurine, so a busy year for them). | |
| Clos Fourtet | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 96 | Plush damson and blueberry on the nose, there is juice and a tightrope walking concentration of fruits. An excellent Clos Fourtet, with a juicy edge where the magic of limestone in dry summers is very much showing through. A yield of 40 hl/ha. 14 to 18 months ageing in underground limestone cellars. 2021 sees 20 years of the Cuvelier family at Clos Fourtet and this is an excellent wine to showcase what a brilliant job they have done here. Score could go higher after barrel ageing. | |
| Le Dôme | St-Émilion (Grand Cru) | 96 | Sappy, intense, beautifully fresh florals and well defined tannins, with the signature muscled broodiness of Le Dôme. There is a gorgeous chalkiness on the finish giving clear uplift without taking away from the generosity of the blueberry and raspberry fruit. New cellars, designed by Sir Norman Foster, will be opening fully for the 2021 harvest, and there is a hope that Le Dôme will be classified in next year's 2022 ranking (if so, this 2020 vintage would have the right to put it on the label). 80% new oak, | |
| Château Beau-Séjour Bécot | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 95 | Velvety rich deep blue fruits, this is powerful and measured, fruit-forward and yet subtle, layered blueberry and raspberry with smoked almonds and mocha on the finish. Sleek and finessed fruit flavours, a sense of forward motion from beginning to end and a burst of freshly-grated minerality on the finish. Extremely good quality. This is the second to last vintage in the new cellar, before building a new cellar for 2023 vintage. They have done a lot of work in the vineyards studying the terroir to understand how smaller sectors and zones within each plot reacts, and this work of studying the plots will help to inform the new cellar. Harvest September 8th to September 29th. 3.5ph. A yield of 42hl/ha. 16 months ageing in 65% new oak barrel, 35% in vats, amphoras and 20hl oak tanks. Thomas Duclos consultant. | |
| Château Certan de May | Pomerol | 95 | This is pretty sombre, with a more Left Bank feel than many, really get the savoury and pared back dark berry feel of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, ensuring that the pressure from the tannins is to the fore. As it relaxes in the glass, a grilled coffee bean and liquorice note comes out. This is a lovely and powerful wine that takes its foot off the pedal at the right moment. Has personality and sets itself apart. Really enjoyable, in the Gazin-style in that this is subtly powerful rather than over-exuberant. New cellars at Certan de May, harvest of Merlot September 11 to 16, and the two Cabernets September 28 and 29. | |
| Château Clinet | Pomerol | 95 | Deep cherry damson red in colour, clear depth. Touches of kicking spice right from the start, I like the surprise of the battle between richness and bitterness. It feels like a heavy blanket of fruit which is burrowing down but then kicks off to let the air in alongside velvet stroking tannins, very Pomerol with coffee and chocolate. Feels confident and powerful, good stuff, if broad shouldered. A yield of 38 hl/ha. Will see at least 16 months in barrel. Tasted twice, also at Pomeol Seduction; and this is a big, seductive wine. | |
| Château Cos d'Estournel, Blanc de Cos d'Estournel | Bordeaux Blanc | 95 | Touch of reduction on the nose, gunsmoke and flint, this is gastronomic and serious, the fint and citrus flavours are hidden at first. A brilliant one-two punch with the first and second wines in the Cos stable this year. | |
| Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, La Croix Ducru Beaucaillou | St-Julien | 95 | So much purity and definition, this is a beautiful wine with clarity of flavour. Touches of grilled almond and rosemary, mocha, smoke and coffee bean, there is so much freshness, with juice rushing in between the muscles and a mint leaf finish. 3.78pH, 60% new oak. Yields were 25-30hl/ha. In a year where second wines in the Médoc have sometimes suffered from over-concentration, La Croix de Beaucaillou is a standout success. | |
| Château Duhart-Milon | Pauillac (4ème Cru Classé) | 95 | Restrained and sombre at first, but carefully constructed, with a rippling muscular texture, full of firm tannins with bright acidities underneath. Like the precision and the slightly austere cool blue fruits, pencil lead and liquorice root. Elegant, precise, feels very Pauillac in its density combined with fine tannins that have life and lift on the finish. Harvest September 9 to 29. First vintage in the new cellar. | |
| Château Fonplégade | St-Émilion (Grand Cru Classé) | 95 | Beautiful aromatics, vibrant, full of clarity and bright fruit delivery. Plum, blueberry, bursting with juicy life. Keeps delivering on the palate also, sprightly and vibrant, and soaked in limestone, wet stone personality. Has good depth of flavour, with a kick on the finish. Will age well, this is great stuff, a brilliant example of St-Emilion limestone. A buy! First year certified biodynamic with Biodyvin (certified organic since 2013). A yield of 35hl/ha. | |
| Château Giscours | Margaux (3ème Cru Classé) | 95 | This is an excellent Giscours, extremely precise, well drawn and seductive. There is both concentration and spice, and a vivid sappy feel to the raspberry and bilberry fruits, all drawn out through the palate as the slate texture kicks in. Plenty of things to keep track on here, not least that this is now the only estate in Margaux owned by the Albada family, as they have sold du Tertre. The focus is now entirely on Giscours, and I would expect to see a concerted effort to raise the visibility of the property. Changes include Thomas Duclos as consultant since 2019, and vineyard choices such as intra-plot harvesting, meaning going in waves through the plots picking individual vines when they are at full ripeness. Plus, Jerome Poisson is the new technical director (a French Canadian, who worked in Napa, Italy, Chile, Cognac and Alsace), replacing Lorenzo Pasquini. 50% new oak for ageing. A yield of 35hl/ha. | |
| Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste | Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé) | 95 | Enjoyable, powerful, concentrated, not the most generous of GPLs but they have captured the essence of Pauillac, and it's hard to resist. Sappy juicy finish, full of cassis, mint leaf and pencil lead along the way with a clear tightness to the tannic frame. A yield of 31hl/ha. 75% new oak for barrel ageing. | |
| Château Gruaud-Larose | St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé) | 95 | Elegant yet driven with gentle power, nothing going overboard or trying too hard. This takes a beat, then it comes strongly - evident spice and flesh, full of raspberry, blueberry, blackcurrant pastille, fennel, hawthorn and liquorice. The tannins build up through the palate and press in on the final moments. Virginie Salette winemaker since 2017. A yield of 32hl/ha. Vinify at around 22-23°C, so an extremely low and slow extraction. Harvest was from September 14 to 29. A big shouldered St-Julien but with a wide nuance of flavours. | |
| Château Hosanna | Pomerol | 95 | Here the focus is on taut, tight and knitted-down fruit. Keeps its integrity and purity through the palate, so think blueberry and blackcurrant, concentrated but with juice and precision. The underlying flavours are spice box, cigar, gunsmoke, with a texture of slate and crushed stone, showcasing both power and minerality. Overall the feel is architectural - pointed, austere, closed down but extremely precise and impressive. Harvest September 17 to 20, yields around 42hl/ha. | |
| Château La Dominique | St-Émilion (Grand Cru Classé) | 95 | Another successful vintage for La Dominique, ruby colour with violet reflections, this has the measured delivery of succulent damson and black cherry fruit, clearly gong for a gourmet-feel with grilled butterscotch and cocoa beans. It totally works - has firm tannins, cooling blue fruits and freshness through the middle, no dip in the mid palate and waves of secondary aromatics. Serious, and a clear progression of the past few vintages. | |
| Château La Fleur de Gay | Pomerol | 95 | This is seductive and silky and totally delicious. Powerful rose petal and violet notes, a ripped muscular texture, smoky, juicy and full of definition. A mouthful of Pomerol goodness. Axel Marchal consultant. | |
| Château La Gaffelière | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 95 | An run of successful vintages at La Gaffeliere, and this again proves why it is an estate to watch, striking an expert balance between power and finesse. Offers a ton of cassis, blackberry, black cherry and damson fruits, licorice root and crushed stone, just gorgeously juicy and stretches out across the palate. Austere tannins at this point, plenty of limestone character, a little tight on the finish but with a velvet texture and promises to age with grace. A yield of 42hl/ha. | |
| Château La Mission Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc | Pessac-Léognan | 95 | Fragrant white flowers, touches of lime blossom and slate-filled citrus. The acidity is fresh, but this is more about texture, and it is extremely successful. Harvest from 19th to 28th August. The minerality, together with freshly cut rosemary and sage notes, is accentuated as it opens, which is an excellent indicator of how well this wine will age. Deft winemaking, as ever, proving why this is one of Bordeaux's best loved white wines. Tasted twice. | |
| Château La Violette | Pomerol | 95 | As ever this is silky, seductive and broad shouldered. Essence of Pomerol and yet entirely itself. Michel Rolland and Mikael Laizet consultant. A yield of 30hl/ha, just 1.7ha | |
| Château Lassègue | St-Émilion (Grand Cru) | 95 | A measured yet powerful grip holds interest from beginning to end of the palate. This is just dripping with salinity from crushed stones, graphite and slate - a physical presence that balances beautifully with the fleshy black cherry and damson fruits, and the chocolate shavings. An excellent quality Lassegue, hard hitting and muscular but with pace and persistency. 52% new oak barrels (from 15 different forests - always a key signature of this estate's ageing policy). 3.6pH, average vine age between 50 and 60 years old. | |
| Château Pavie Decesse | St-Émilion (Grand Cru Classé) | 95 | Balanced, sleek and poised, plenty of character, a real push and pull, it expands and contracts, the oak is well masked and there is a sense of energy. This is an enjoyable wine, easy to recommend, but I think this may be the first vintage where I have thought that its sibling Pavie is a clear step up. 80% new oak, 3.53pH, from up on the limestone plateau. A yield of 17hl/ha. | |
| Château Pavie Macquin | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 95 | There is a richness here, a powerful spread of black fruits, that grabs you from the start. Perhaps less razor precision than the Larcis Ducasse (also part of the Nicolas Thienpont stable) but more width and depth of flavour. This has texture and brambled power, sappy saline on the finish, touches of austerity, graphite laced through with grilled cassis and aniseed. Some reduction at this point, will clear over barrel ageing. Tasted several times, and each time the pumice stone and chalk of limestone grips on and will not let go. A yield of 31hl/ha. | |
| Château Talbot | St-Julien (4ème Cru Classé) | 95 | This is a great Talbot, a real success for the château. Subtle and deft touches throughout, from the smoked turmeric notes that lace the black fruits to the finessed aromatics that accompany the body of the wine. Balance and freshness, and a saline edge to the finish that is extremely moreish. Three years with Jean-Michel Laporte as director and he is doing great work. | |
| Château Tertre Rôteboeuf | St-Émilion (Grand Cru) | 95 | This is a powerful, deeply focused and intense. Plenty of spice, cassis pastille, intense muscular tannins, fairly closed and austere right now, but a real sense of lift and juice becomes clear after 10 minutes of opening in the glass. Harvest began on September 21st, the earliest since Mitjavile arrived at the estate. Recently had the beautiful 1998 of Tertre Roteboeuf, and it is easy to see that this vintage also will allow the limestone terroir to become clearer with bottle age. | |
| Château Vray Croix de Gay | Pomerol | 95 | This is juicy, measured, full of life and has striking fruit, vibrant with a crushed mint finish. From the first moments it shows a freshness and a momentum that gives the abundant tannins a flexibility. Biodynamic farming here. New owners Suravenir Assurance of Calon Ségur, but still Penelope Godefroy as technical director. | |
| Clos du Clocher | Pomerol | 95 | Beautiful depth to the aromatics on the nose; this is an extremely well controlled and well delivered wine, with a ton of plump raspberry, blueberry and loganberry fruits with texture and juice in them. The depth of flavour that you expect from Clos du Clocher is here in spades, chewy, tangy tannins build up on the finish to give an insight into how well it will age. After a few minutes in the glass, things broaden and soften, and the Pomerol signature seduction comes in, as do waves of violets. A yield of 45hl/ha. 60% new oak. 3.62pH. | |
| Domaine de Chevalier | Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves) | 95 | Concentrated ruby red colour, a little subdued on the nose, built with structure and power, concentrated and should age well. Classical, powerful, not exuberant, an impressive Chevalier that has tannins and fruit and freshness, nothing shouting too loud. As it opens, you see a peony floral edge that is very attractive. Easily among the best in Pessac. A yield of 38hl/ha. | |
| Domaine de Chevalier | Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves) | 95 | An excellent white with precision, flesh and confidence, sure to age well. A ton of white pear and some soft pepper spice keeps up the pace and lift from beginning to end, and the intensity continues to build after the wine has left the palate - a sure sign of something special happening. A yield of 43hl/ha. Tasted twice. Unusual for me to score the red and white Chevalier at the same level, but both are extremely successful in this vintage. | |
| Vieux Château Certan | Pomerol | 95 | Concentrated and complex flavours with a silky, velvety and supremely seductive texture, alongside a ton of energy, freshness and juice. It has dense muscular tannins, and is going to age beautifully. As it opens you get the aromatics coming out, and the Merlot fleshy fruits become generous and welcoming, opulent without being tiring. A little less Cabernet Franc in the blend than normal because one of the three plots has currently been pulled up before replanting. Harvest September 14 to 29. 3.77pH. A yield of 30hl/ha because of the dry weather through the summer followed by the flashes of heat in September, among lowest ever (similar to 2010). |