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Savory, smokey and dusty, the 2020 Syrah en Cerise is firm, mineral-driven and expressive with potpourri and dark red fruit aromas, hints of pink and green peppercorns and a spicy and mineral essence. Medium-bodied, the palate gives way to a balanced and spicy core of dark red fruit with savory flavors of sage and wild brush before offering notes of umami and dusty flowers across the mid-palate. The wine continues to open and evolve, revealing more spicy and savory notes before ending with a soft hint of iodine and leather. Enjoy with food.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

Here too there are ample spice elements adding breadth to the poached plum and black cherry liqueur aromas. The succulent, round and delicious flavors possess good if not truly special mid-palate density before concluding in a moderately austere, balanced and firmly structured finale. Patience advised here too as this powerful effort should age effortlessly.Burghound | 90-92 BHNotes of cherries, sweet berries, raw cocoa and spices preface the 2020 Volnay 1er Cru Santenots (Domaine Louis Jadot), a medium to full-bodied, lively and vibrant wine, built around tangy acids and powdery tannins. As readers may remember, this parcel is situated quite near the route nationale, from the lower part of this large premier cru.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91 RPThe 2020 Volnay Les Santenots 1er Cru has a concentrated nose, one that feels a little "hemmed in", does not quite flow like the other Volnays from Jadot. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, quite bold and muscular, but missing the elegance that I seek from this vineyard.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

Plum, blueberry and wet-stone aromas. Full-bodied with soft tannins. Juicy and fruity on the palate with a flavorful finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 91 JSThe floral 2020 Paulucci Malbec matured for 12 months before being bottled. It shows the textbook Malbec notes of red and black berries and violets. The palate is juicy, with fleshy fruit and fine tannins.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPThe 2020 Malbec Paulucci comes from Ugarteche, Luján de Cuyo and was half aged in 15% new barrels. It presents clear notes of ripe plum with hints of spice and an oaky framework. The 2020 is terse and smooth in the mouth with an expansive flow that contains a few, young characterful tannins. Delivers long-lasting flavor for the price.Vinous Media | 90 VM

A blend derived from lieux-dits Roche, Roilette, Garants and Moriers, Hoppenot’s 2020 Fleurie Origines bursts with aromas of cherries, raspberries, rose petals and spices. Medium to full-bodied, lively and layered, with a fleshy core of fruit, succulent acids and melting tannins, it was already showing well despite having been bottled just a few days before I tasted it.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

The 2020 Musigny Grand Cru has a well-defined bouquet with red cherries, blackcurrant, touches of animal fur and black truffle - very complex and intense. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, wonderful depth and cohesion, the acidity perfectly judged. The 30-40% stems here lends a discrete peppery note on the finish to what is one of the best Musigny that I have tasted from Jadot in recent years. Stunning.Vinous Media | 97-99 VMThere are two barrels of the magical 2020 Musigny Grand Cru (Domaine Louis Jadot), a striking wine that soars from the glass with scents of blood orange, rose petals, wild berries, sweet soil tones and musk. Full-bodied, ample and enveloping, it’s vibrant and multidimensional, with a deep, layered core and a long, resonant finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RP(Maison Louis Jadot Musigny Grand Cru Red) Much like the Amoureuses, the dazzling nose of plum, black raspberry and floral scents is super-spicy with its combination of anise, sandalwood, clove, hoisin and dried orange peel nuances. There is both outstanding volume and even better intensity to the more mineral-driven, concentrated and focused flavors that exude a touch of bitter pit fruit character on the hugely long, balanced and highly complex finale. This is very classy juice that should age gracefully for the better part of two decades. (Drink starting 2037)Burghound | 93-96 BH

The 2020 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is very pure and harmonious on the nose with plush black cherry and cassis fruit, well-integrated oak and a floral aspect that becomes more prominent with time. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and fresh, lightly spiced with quite a vivacious, mineral-driven finish that retains superb definition. This is very impressive and bloomin’ delicious (already!)Vinous Media | 96-98 VMA wine with huge potential is the 2020 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru (Domaine Louis Jadot). Unwinding in the glass with notes of raspberries, red cherries, vanilla pod, exotic spices and raw cocoa, it’s full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with an immensely concentrated core, powdery tannins and a tightly wound profile. This will be among the slowest to evolve of all the wines in the cellar, and also among the most long-lived.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96+ RP(Maison Louis Jadot Bonnes Mares Grand Cru Red) Very generous wood and menthol nuances still allow the liqueur-like aromas of red currant, violet and range of spice elements to be appreciated. There is first-rate power and punch to the moderately dense and beautifully textured flavors that display superb length on the sappy finish where the only nit is a hint of warmth. (Drink starting 2037)Burghound | 93-96 BHThe wine is massive, with grippy tannins, full body and an interminable finish. ’A great vintage to taste in 20 years,’ according to winemaker Frédéric Barnier. The 0.27ha Jadot parcel (owned by the house itself) is in a strip that goes from the top of the vineyard to the bottom, and thus includes both terres blanches (white marl) and terres rouges (red clay). The fruit character is black plum and cassis, with a firm, mineral and earthy element. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040.Decanter | 96 DEC

(Maison Henri Boillot Bonnes Mares Grand Cru Red) A cool, pretty and quite floral-suffused nose speaks mostly of red currant, plum, earth and a hint of just sliced fennel. The sleek, tautly muscular and enveloping big-bodied flavors exude a lovely tension that is also present on the dusty, serious, very compact and clearly built-to-age finale. This excellent effort should amply repay extended cellaring. (Drink starting 2035)Burghound | 95 BHAs with all the reds at Boillot, the Bonnes-Mares is fermented in small casks (fermentation integrale). Here the technique seems to dominate the fruit, giving it a ripe fig character, with notes of smoke, earth and chocolate, and a slightly soupy feel. Produced with grapes sourced from the Chambolle side of Bonnes-Mares, Drinking Window 2025 - 2040Decanter | 93 DEC

Deep rich and inky purple. An explosion of heady very dark cherry fruit, not an ethereal style of Chambertin at this stage in its life. All the body is there, a sumptuous wave of fruit and then, bless me, the elegance of this great vineyard does start to come out behind. Perfectly judged ripeness, really very fine indeed. | 95-97 JMThe nose shows lush blueberry and cassis fruit, without excessive influence from the small cask fermentation. There is a lovely tension on the palate and a silky tannic line that leads to a pleasantly lingering finish. Although the fruit is purchased (from Damoy), the team at Boillot is able to pick the grapes themselves. The grapes are completely destemmed and fermented in small 228-litre casks. Drinking Window 2025 - 2050.Decanter | 95 DEC(Maison Henri Boillot Chambertin Grand Cru Red) Cool but very ripe aromas include notes of mocha, dark berry liqueur, earth and a hint of the sauvage. The sleek, intense and mineral-driven broad-shouldered flavors manage to display both good richness and delineation on the more overtly austere, compact and sneaky long finale. This is definitely not a candidate for early drinking. (Drink starting 2032)Burghound | 94 BH

Ripe and attractively fresh aromas include those of black cherry coulis, spice and violet. The very rich and generously proportioned medium weight flavors possess a succulent mid-palate that contrasts somewhat with the textured and lingering finish where the supporting tannins are a bit raspy. (Drink starting 2027)Burghound | 88-91 BHThe 2020 Chambolle-Musigny Village, whose malolactic finished at the beginning of September, matured in 25-30% new oak, has a much more defined and fresher nose than the Bourgogne Rouge with lively black cherry and crushed strawberry scents. The palate is ripe and sweet, yet nicely controlled, the oak neatly integrated with quite a precocious tart finish. Maybe it just needs a little more persistency, but this will do nicely. (This blend includes 20% whole bunch. I tried a 40% whole bunch that is being trialled in three barrels. I actually preferred this, so it will either be blended together or bottled separately - no decision has been made yet.)Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

The 2020 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru has a very pure and quite precocious bouquet with black cherries, crushed violet and peony aromas, actually not unlike a Romanée-Saint-Vivant in style. Thet palate is succulent on the entry with candied orange peel infusing the mainly black fruit that merges into more red fruit towards the velvety finish. Quite gorgeous. (Drink between 2026-2048)Vinous Media | 94-96 VMA fresh and unusually expressive nose features notes of red and dark cherry, white pepper and a hint of kirsch. The delicious and intense middle weight flavors possess fine depth and persistence on the equally youthfully austere finale that is also sufficiently austere to easily repay 12+ years of cellaring. Fine quality here. (Drink starting 2032)Burghound | 92-94 BH

The 2020 Morey-Saint-Denis Village, which contains around 15% whole bunch, had only finished its malo a month prior to my visit. It has a dense, intense, blackcurrant and cassis-scented bouquet that will need time to mellow. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and fleshy but the black cherry fruit is framed by fine tannins and the finish is so silky smooth that you cannot help falling for its charms. (Drink between 2025-2040)Vinous Media | 90-92 VMThere is a top note of kirsch to the earthier and spicier aromas of red and dark berry liqueur. The delicious, round and caressing flavors possess very good punch while exuding a refreshing salinity on the dusty and palate coating finale. (Drink starting 2027)Burghound | 88-91 BH

The wine has impressive ripeness, with a rich plum fruit and an earthy edge. There is a lovely intensity on the palate, which shows a concentrated extract, fresh acidity and firmish tannins, giving the wine good complexity and lead to a lingering finish. Jessiaume has almost a quarter of the vines in this preeminent premier cru of Santenay, right under the iconic windmill. Just over 4ha are planted to Pinot on the oolitic limestone soils. Picking started on the 23rd of August, the grapes were destemmed and fermented on native yeasts before ageing in cask (20% new).Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040Decanter | 95 DECWafting from the glass with aromas of sweet red berries, rose petals, dark chocolate and sweet soils tones, the 2020 Santenay 1er Cru Les Gravières is medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy, with succulent acids, powdery tannins and an attractively seamless profile.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPThe 2020 Santenay Les Gravières 1er Cru has an open nose with red berry fruit, leather and truffle scents, a little rustic in style. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins, nicely balanced yet I feel it is closing up on the finish and will need time.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The entry-level red 2020 Sierra de Toloño was produced with Tempranillo from Rivas de Tereso, fresh and energetic, representing the high-altitude vineyards produced in a simple way. It has 13.5% alcohol and a medium body with good freshness, clean berry flavors, vibrant acidity and fine tannins. 35,000 bottles produced, the largest production by far. It was bottled in July 2021 after eight months in neutral barrels.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

The 2020 Côte de Brouilly is already very expressive, bursting with aromas of ripe berry fruit, plums and cherries mingled with hints of raw cocoa and spices. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it’s rich and fleshy, with powdery tannins, lively acids and a sapid finish. In style, this is more muscular than the more elegant 2019, but both represent benchmarks for Beaujolais in their respective vintages.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

The incredibly young and juicy 2020 Garnacha was produced with grapes from different villages, Corella, Cintruénigo, Fitero and Lerga, hence a regional blend that for the first time contains grapes from the cooler Lerga that adds lower pH, more freshness and complexity to the blend. They do a soft extraction in stainless steel using 20% full clusters and indigenous yeasts, achieving a wine with moderate alcohol (13.47%) and good freshness (pH 3.47). I felt like the wine had gone one step up in complexity and depth from the previous vintage; it’s precise, harmonious, elegant and nuanced and keeps varietal purity. It’s medium-bodied and has very fine tannins with herbal freshness, reminiscent of acid berries and bay leaf. This is a steal! One to buy by the case... 137,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

The 2020 Cos d’Estournel is composed of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot. The harvest took place September 10–24 with a yield of 39 hectoliters per hectare. The alcohol weighs in at 13.46% with a pH of 3.9 and an IPT (total phenolic index) of 80. It is being aged in French oak barrels, 55% new.Deep purple-black in color, it pops with explosive scents of ripe red and black currants, black cherry preserves and black raspberries, followed by sparks of violets, wild sage, pencil lead and clove oil, with emerging hints of iron ore and damp soil. The medium-bodied palate has amazing elegance and grace contrasted by jaw-dropping energy, featuring a firm frame of finely grained tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with a whole firework display of mineral nuances. I love the way this Cos d’Estournel shimmies and shines—a unique vintage signature expressed so beautifully at this estate!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPThis is a very refined, polished Cos with superb finesse and length. Medium-to full-bodied, very fine and persistent. Really long with beautiful tannins. Rich, but fresh and linear. Yet, the alcohol is around 13.5%. 62% cabernet and 38% merlot.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThe Grand Vin 2020 Château Cos D’Estournel is based on 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot that was brought up in 55% new French oak. An inky-hued, concentrated, yet flawlessly balanced wine, it has gorgeous cassis and dark currant fruits, medium to full-bodied richness, ripe, building tannins, and just a wonderful sense of purity and elegance backed up by ample concentration. It stays tight, focused, and seamless, and is a brilliant example of the vintage. The 2020 hit 13.4% natural alcohol with a pH of 3.9 and an IPT of 80.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97+ JDYou 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). Drinking Window 2027 - 2044.Decanter | 97 DECPowerful, ripe fruits show exceptional quality and a velvety character that’s allied to a ripe structure. With the freshness so typical of the vintage, the wine seems open and fruity but surprises with its density.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2020 is a gorgeous wine from a very unusual year in which the Merlot is a bit more prominent in the blend than usual because of dehydration in the Cabernet. Even so, the 2020 is a wine of mid-weight finesse more than opulence. All the elements are impeccably balanced throughout.Vinous Media | 94-96 VM

A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, brought up in new oak, the 2020 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou offers a gorgeously pure nose of crème de cassis, graphite, crushed stone, toasty oak, and lead pencil shavings. Full-bodied, concentrated, and structured, it reminds me of a hypothetical mix of the 2010 and 2016, offering serious concentration paired with a gorgeous sense of precision and purity. It’s going to take a decade of cellaring to hit the early stages of maturity (it will have some up-front appeal if you’re interested) yet evolve for 50 years or more. Along with the Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, it might be the wine of the vintage from the Médoc.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-99 JDReally perfumed and complex with blackberries, blackcurrants and flowers. Gorgeous cabernet sauvignon character. Full-bodied with really fine, polished tannins. Superb length and intensity. Very compact and seamless. Ethereal. Just goes on and on.James Suckling | 98-99 JSThe 2020 Ducru Beaucaillou was picked from 11-30 September, matured entirely in new oak for an expected 18 months. It has a very succinct bouquet, not one that leaps from the glass and demands attention, but it unfolds slowly, at its own pace, revealing enticing scents of blackberry, cedar, iris petals and crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit. There is a saline spine that runs through this Saint-Julien from start to finish, a quite enormous structure that exerts grip towards the finish. It is not a Ducru-Beaucaillou that goes out to deliver finesse or understatement, but one that you will have to cellar for a few years, pull out and have the superlatives ready. This is an immense and cerebral Ducru-Beaucaillou from Bruno Borie and his team.Vinous Media | 96-98 VMAn 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. (Drink between 2029-2045)Decanter | 98 DECThe 2020 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, aging for approximately 18 months in 100% new barriques. It has a pH of 3.83, 13.5% alcohol and an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 90. Opaque purple-black colored, the nose slowly unfurls to reveal tantalizing scents of crushed blackcurrants, wild blueberries and boysenberries, leading to suggestions of chocolate mint, star anise, red roses and unsmoked cigars with a waft of cedar chest. The medium-bodied palate delivers impactful, muscular black fruits with a firm frame of ripe, fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RP96–98. Barrel Sample. The tannins are dense while the texture shows a dusty suspended character that gives the wine great charm. Yet, having said that, the concentration will give this wine long term aging both from the acidity and the structure.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WE

The 2020 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse is one of the most harmonious young wines I have tasted here in some time, maybe ever. All the elements are so well put together. The tannins that can usually be so fierce when the wine is young are totally covered by layers of inky dark fruit. Graphite, wild herbs, lavender, chocolate and gravel add layers of aromatic nuance. In the glass, the 2020 towers with its imposing, vertical structure and pure pedigree.Vinous Media | 95-98 VMThis is a very cool and refined young Bordeaux with crushed-berry, walnut, mushroom, chocolate and salt character. Some wet earth, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with very integrated tannins that are polished and poised. Energetic, long and precise at the finish. 81.5% merlot and 18.5% cabernet franc.James Suckling | 97-98 JSDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse) wafts out of the glass with a glamorous perfume of red roses, kirsch, garrigue and black raspberries, giving way to a core of ripe blackberries and juicy black plums, plus earthy hints of truffles and tar. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely laden with loads of very finely packed and fragrant red and black fruit layers, framed by multilayered grainy and satiny tannin textures and amazing freshness, finishing fantastically long and mineral laced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RPA blend of 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Château Beausejour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) should end up being up with the top wines in the appellation. Showing the more straight, focused style of the vintage, it has a monster of a mid-palate, full-bodied richness, building tannins on the palate, and incredible minerality on the finish. Loaded with cassis fruit as well as lead pencil and graphite notes, this dense, powerful beauty almost requires a fork. It’s brilliant all the way and will have 30-40 years of longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97+ JDTakes time to fully show itself - perhaps more than ever this year, as there is so much noise surrounding an estate that was overseen during the growing season and vinification by the team under Nicolas Thienpont, but given its final blend by new owner Josephine Duffau-Lagarosse, who will also take care of ageing from this point. Things kick off with a raspberry and damson softness that is quickly overtaken by iris, peony, white rose aromatics, giving a push-and-pull between flowers and fruit on the attack. As the palate opens out, blueberry and raspberry fruits dominate, as do fennel and almond notes, giving a spicy kick before a saline-drenched mouthwatering finish. As ever with Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse, the wine combines delicacy with laser-like focus, and a build up of tannins that you barely notice until they kick back against the fruit. Takes a good few minutes before the softness that I found on the opening returns as the mid palate widens out, and the richly textured Merlot becomes dominant after a clear Cabernet Franc hit on the attack. It’s going to be fascinating watching what happens over the next decade at this estate, but the quality and potential of this terroir is unmistakable. Drinking Window 2029 - 2045.Decanter | 97 DEC

Extremely floral and beautiful with blackberry and blackcurrant aromas that follow through to a full body with a solid core of fruit and loads of dark fruit, sweet tobacco, bark and earth. Chewy, fine tannins. Perhaps the best of the trilogy years.James Suckling | 96-97 JSThe 2020 Brane-Cantenac is deep, fleshy and savory. Strong Cabernet accents open first, leading to a core of inky dark fruit, lavender, spice, mint and chocolate. There is some new oak that needs to integrate, but time should take care of that. I especially admire the sense of classicism and energy here. This is a superb showing from Brane-Cantenac and the team led by Henri Lurton.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMDeep purple-hued, the 2020 Château Brane-Cantenac is another remarkable 2020 in the making. Beautiful blackberry and cassis fruits as well as notes of chocolate, lead pencil, and flower all define the nose, and it has the vintage’s pure, focused, surprisingly fresh profile while still being concentrated and textured. The balance is spot on and the tannins are polished as well, so it should have some up-front appeal, yet smart money will be on giving this at least 4-6 years of bottle age.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 JDFrom what is one of Margaux’s leading estates, this wine is structured and initially firm. Then it reveals luscious black fruits and succulent acidity that gives the wine a fine perfumed character, dense texture and the promise of some serious aging. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEViolet-edged, lovely vibrant colour. A low-yield wine that has kept an impressively fresh core, with expressive fruits and a vibrant grip through the centre of the wine. Powerful, tight tannins and the concentration becomes clearer in the glass, a ton of bilberry, sage and rosemary aromatics, with a generous helping of graphite and crushed stone. All of these wines are going to need very careful ageing - although the reasonable alcohols should help. A yield of 31hl/ha. 18 months ageing in a mix of new oak barrels and amphoras. 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère completes the blend. Tasted twice. Drinking Window 2028 - 2044.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2020 Brane-Cantenac is composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carménère and 1% Petit Verdot. It weighs in with 13.7% alcohol and a pH of 3.71. Deep purple-black colored, it has a beautifully expressive nose of fresh redcurrants, blackcurrant jelly, kirsch and rose oil, plus hints of tobacco leaf, wild sage and crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled with a plush texture and plenty of freshness supporting the red berry and earthy flavors, finishing fragrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RP

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. Drinking Window 2029 - 2048.Decanter | 98 DECThe 2020 Calon-Ségur is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. It is aging in 100% new French oak barrels for an anticipated 18 to 20 months. The alcohol is 13.8%. Displaying a deep purple-black color, it straight away springs up with bright scents of freshly picked black raspberries, kirsch and blackberries, needing considerable swirling to reveal a vast array of nuances—rose oil, cardamom, iron ore, graphite, lavender and aniseed. The medium-bodied palate has a solid structure of firm, ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness supporting the tightly wound red and black fruit layers, accented by lots of mineral and floral sparks, finishing with impressive length and depth. Beautiful, beautiful wine!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97+ RPThe flagship 2020 Château Calon Ségur is also brilliant and certainly brings up the intensity, depth, and richness, although it’s nowhere near the exotic, almost over-the-top style of the 2018. Gorgeous crème de cassis, tobacco, roasted coffee beans, lead pencil, and sappy herbs all define this beauty, which is full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and has incredible purity of fruit. It might have some up-front appeal as well, yet smart money will hide bottles for at least 7-8 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JDTobacco and tea aromas with currants and wet earth. Full-bodied and chewy with blackcurrant flavor. Tannins build on the finish with lots of structure and intensity. Quite muscular.James Suckling | 95-96 JSThe powerful tannins of this wine cannot mask the beautiful fruits and acidity. Rather the tannins enhance them, giving structure to the wine’s fine blackberry fruitiness that leaves a refreshing character at the end. With this structure the wine will take its time and will need to age for many years.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2020 Calon Ségur is a dark, brooding wine that is going to need a number of years to become approachable. Black fruit, gravel, smoke, chocolate, leather and licorice give the 2020 its distinctly virile feel. In two separate tastings, the 2020 has come across as quite potent and forbidding. This sample is more convincing than a sample I tasted this past spring, but I still don’t see Calon-Segur as having reached the level that has become customary over the last few vintages.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

The 2020 Cantenac Brown is an outrageously beautiful wine. Ample, vertical and soaring in its intensity, the 2020 is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. Punchy red berry fruit, lavender, spice, mint and rose petal abound. What I like most about the 2020 is the way it balances fruit intensity with vibrancy and energy. Cantenac Brown is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage.Vinous Media | 94-97 VMFantastic depth of fruit with layers of firm, chewy tannins that are medium-grained and long in the mouth. Full and dynamic. One of the best ever.James Suckling | 96-97 JSThis grand estate that recently changed hands has produced a seriously promising wine. Bold black fruits and dark tannins are just beginning a fine interplay, reinforced by the wine’s acidity. Expect a good future for the wine. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEI loved the 2020 Château Cantenac Brown, a pure, medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured Margaux that shines in the vintage. Offering up lots of classy cassis fruits as well as spicy oak, violets, and flowers, it has plenty of mid-palate depth, outstanding balance, and a great finish. There’s no trace of the often firm chewy tannins found in this appellation in 2020, and it’s unquestionably a beautiful wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 92-94 JDDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Cantenac Brown slides effortlessly out of the glass with pronounced notes of licorice, tar, tapenade and fertile loam over a core of warm cassis and plum preserves, with a waft of charcuterie. The medium-bodied palate is refreshing, bursting with crunchy black fruit and herbal sparks with a well-managed, grainy texture, finishing long and earthy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93+ RPSilky with touches of caramel, chocolate, blueberry, raspberries and boysenberries - all those autumnal fruits that have texture and acidity to them, with the signature gloss of Cantenac Brown. Clear peony, violet notes also. A linen texture that slows the passage of the wine through the mouth. Retasted at UGC and this is again good quality, the austerity on the tannins is marked right now, but there is plenty of life ahead here. New owner Tristan le Lous as of 2019, and this wine also includes the new 9.5ha vines of vines from Château Charmant and la Galiane (bought in July 2020). The fermentation was conducted at temperatures 4-5 °C lower than average to preserve fruit. 60% new oak. Harvest 10 to 30 September. Drinking Window 2028 - 2044.Decanter | 93 DEC

Pure crème de cassis, tobacco, black cherries, lead pencil, and a wonderful sense of minerality emerge from the 2020 Clos Du Marquis, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a pure, elegant texture, plenty of ripe tannins, and the vibrant, focused, lengthy style of the vintage front and center. It’s going to need 4-6 years of bottle age, possibly more, but the balance, purity, and precision are all brilliant. The blend is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, raised in 40% new French oak. The technical information checks in with the alcohol at 13.57%, pH of 3.76, and an IPT of 84. This will be a long-lived Saint-Julien!Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 JDThe 2020 Clos du Marquis is composed of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, weighing in with an alcohol of 13.57%, a pH of 3.76 and an IPT (tannins index) of 84. The Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested from the 26th to 29th of September, the Merlot from the 11th to the 16th of September and the Cabernet Franc from the 18th to the 29th of September. Deep purple-black in color, it bursts from the glass with flamboyant notes of crushed blackberries, ripe, juicy plums and blackcurrant pastilles, with suggestions of licorice, red roses and espresso. The medium-bodied palate is completely coated with perfumed black fruits, framed by firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Simply gorgeous.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPA tighter, more linear red with blackcurrant, olive and floral character. It’s medium-to full-bodied with a firm, racy finish. Tight. Sweet tobacco. 61% cabernet sauvignon, 6% cabernet franc and 33% merlot.James Suckling | 94-95 JSFragrant black currants give a classic wine that shines with the Cabernet Sauvignon. Its density comes from concentration, offering the potential of density without weight. The wine will age well.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2020 Clos du Marquis is plush, sensual and inviting, with soft contours that make it a real pleasure to taste today. Inky red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, rose petal, mint and cedar all take shape as this sexy Saint-Julien shows off its allure. All the elements are so nicely balanced. In 2020, only 25 of the 46 hectares of the property were used for the Grand Vin.Vinous Media | 91-93+ VMThis has the most gorgeous savoury fruit edge, a brilliant Marquis with a sappy chalky quality, concentrated and intense but still keeps the St-Julien balance. 40% new oak. Drinking Window 2024 - 2036.Decanter | 92 DEC