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Fragrant and so scented on the nose, inviting and cool. The classic blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc is smooth and supple on the palate, crisp and crunchy yet smooth and silky and also slightly chewy and bouncy. A lovey combination of power and focus, this has drive and sculpt, nuance and detail. Excellent presentation, really fills the palate with juice, energy brightness. Lovely length and overall structure, fels well worked, full but not overpowering, rich but not overly alcoholic - a wonderful presentation and totally delicious. Winemakers Naoko Dalla Valle and Andy Erickson.Decanter Magazine | 99 DECPerhaps there’s a subtle added touch of leafy complexity to the 2020 Maya that the Cabernet Sauvignon doesn’t show, but otherwise, this 60-40 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc is reasonably similar, with black cherries, dark loamy notes, hints of cassis, cedar and vanilla. It’s medium to full-bodied, richly textured and tannic but with a slightly open-knit feel and a ripe, softly wooly finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2020 Maya, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-purple in color. It offers up bright, lively notes of redcurrant jelly, black raspberries, and mulberries plus nuances of wild sage, lavender, and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is lively and refreshing, with fine-grained tannins supporting the vibrant red and black berry layers, finishing long and earthy.The Wine Independent | 97 TWIEven better, the 2020 Maya Proprietary Red Wine checks in as the usual blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, and it’s another full-bodied example of this cuvée that has a brilliant core of both red and black fruits as well as dark chocolate, leafy tobacco, spring flowers, and a kiss of chalky minerality. Structured, concentrated, and perfectly balanced, it doesn’t get any better in 2020.Jeb Dunnuck | 96+ JDSubtle yet transparent blackberry, black licorice and cassis bush. Some sage and lavender as well. Graphite, too. Full-bodied, yet tight and poised on the palate, with tight and refined tannins that are compact in the mouth. They are layered and run vertically down the wine. Turns nicely austere at the end. Very well done for the vintage. Give this three to four years to open up.James Suckling | 96 JSFeatures a cassis and black cherry fruit core flanked by a prominent tobacco note, with a loamy edge driving through as well. The slightly taut finish is underscored by alder and warm paving stone accents. Shows its Cabernet Franc side more than the Cabernet Sauvignon component. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024 through 2035. 700 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Tasted over lunch, the Soldera Case Basse 2020 100% Sangiovese shows a softly textured profile with beautifully polymerized tannins that create a taut sounding board for notes of cassis, small berry fruit, violets and crushed stone. Made with spontaneous fermentation in oversized vats and aged carefully in the family cellars in surrounding quiet and darkness, this soulful wine remains true to the spirit of Sangiovese, defined by clarity and finesse. The 2020 vintage has an accessible, open-knit character that suits it well and clearly distinguishes it from the more austere 2019 and the super precise 2021. In this context, 2020 offers a softer, more delicate interlude between the two.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe most vivid crushed cherry gives way to rose pastille, sweet lavender and nuances of clove and exotic spice as the exuberant 2020 Toscana Sangiovese comes to life in the glass. It displays pure class on the palate. It’s silken and soothingly round with a pretty mix of ripe strawberry and blueberry that swirl throughout, as crisp mineral tones and a contrasting tinge of sour citrus add unparalleled depth. Incredibly complex yet juicy and spry, the 2020 leaves crunchy tannins that firm up the impossibly long finish without slowing its momentum. I don’t recall ever tasting a young Soldera that showed this much energy and verve. It’s already so pleasurable yet has the balance to mature beautifully over the coming decades.Vinous Media | 97 VMTasted from a 65-hectoliter cask, the 2020 Sangiovese is plush and fruity at this stage, although it’s starting to reveal its mineral underpinnings, with dark blackberry notes, graphite, and violets. Medium to full-bodied, it offers a velvety texture, with ripe and refined tannins, a good deal of meaty richness through the mid-palate, and a seamless structure. There’s both purity and refinement across each of the samples tasted. The 2020 showed a good deal of completeness already prior to bottling and I expect it will have a good deal of cellaring potential.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-99 JD

An airy nose freely offers up notes of pepper and white flowers along with plenty of pear, apple and quinine hints. There is fine richness to the very round middle weight flavors that exude a subtle minerality on the saline, focused and mildly austere finale. This is not especially complex, but it is indisputably Chablis-like and is a wine that may well develop more depth in time.Burghound | 89-92 BH

The 2020 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru is far more successful than the Les Clos. It has much more energy and vitality on the nose for a start with fresh green apples, crushed stone, flecks of blood orange and struck flint. Over the course of an hour, you can see it just gain more intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sharpened acidity, quite vibrant and tensile with oyster shell and light spicy notes percolating through on the finish. This is definitely worth seeking out.Vinous Media | 93 VMMore moderate though hardly invisible oak is present on the cooler and more elegant aromas of white flower, spice and mineral reduction. There is a much more refined, if less powerful, mouthfeel to the punchy and almost delicate flavors that culminate in a citrus, sneaky long and bone-dry finale that is youthfully austere. This also appears to have a much better chance at absorbing its wood.Burghound | 91-94 BH

Aromas of dried lemons, grapefruit, beeswax, seaweed and pears. Excellent focus, with a compact, driven and mineral palate. Biscuity touches, evolving to hints of pie crust, too, on a long finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSLike the Preuses, the wood treatment is agreeably subtle and easily allows the restrained aromas of citrus rind, oyster shell and quinine to be appreciated. The refined, pure and borderline painfully intense larger-scaled flavors exude ample minerality on the saliva-inducing, chiseled and impressively lengthy finish. Promising.Burghound | 92-94 BH

This wine is perhaps the most emblematic Givry wine from Thenard, with a ripe mulberry fruit accented with notes of earth, Havana cigar, and smoke. The texture is super dense, and there is plenty of tannin, but a fresh acidity balances all this concentration. Clos St. Peter is of course next to Clos St. Paul, reasonably high on the slope, and it is a two-hectare monopole of Domaine Thénard. An excellent introduction to the appellation.Decanter Magazine | 93 DEC

Marked by oystershell and mineral notes akin to the rugged allure of ocean waves meeting rocky shores, this Gavi transports the senses. Subtle hints of orchard fruit are overshadowed by a dominant mineral profile, echoed in its salty and nutty aromas. Mouthwatering and super interesting, it invites contemplation with each sip.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEClean and fresh Gavi with citrus fruit, sliced apples and hints of savory herbs and minerals. Medium-bodied with vivid acidity and a saltine character at the end. Balanced and attractive. Drink now.James Suckling | 91 JSRich and mouth-filling, this white reveals vanilla, honey, peach, lemon, sage and mineral flavors. Its fleshy texture is balanced by lively acidity, showing excellent harmony and length. Drink now. 2,500 cases made, 600 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Lastly, the 2020 Syrah Seymour’s is a monster of a Syrah that somehow stays pure, focused, and tight. Cassis, graphite, scorched earth, and smoked meat that reminds me of a great vintage of Guigal’s Côte-Rôtie La Turque all emerge from this beauty. Rich, full-bodied, and dense, it has flawless balance, a monster of a mid-palate, and ripe, polished tannins. Hide bottles for 4-5 years if you can and enjoy over the following 30 years. Drink 2030-2060.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDTasted just prior to its June bottling, the 2020 Syrah Seymour’s Vineyard holds a unique spot in the Alban array of red wines, with its gamey meat-driven aromatics the most reminiscent of the Northern Rhône wines that inspired it. These savory elements fuse with opaque fruit compote as charred, smoldering incense and sandalwood complexity develops with time in the glass. The palate is immensely powerful and svelte but avoids overripe character, transitioning to a finish that lifts clear of its fruit-driven core and displays admirable, nuanced, fine-grained tannins. This deserves a few years to unwind in the cellar, but it should age and develop nicely over the following decade and beyond.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPDense and compact, offering pepper, cardamom and licorice details that pave the way, with subtle leather accents to the smooth entry of plum and cassis. This gains intensity as it moves, with a mineral streak carrying additional layers of apple wood and kirsch to the finish around integrated tannins. Drink now through 2038. 485 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2020 I Sodi di San Niccolò is fabulous. It is a rare wine that offers power, finesse and translucent energy at once. All the elements are in perfect balance. I can’t remember a Sodi like this one, a wine that is so complete and alluring right out of the gate. Rose petal, lavender, spice, orange peel and sage open first. What impresses me most about the 2020 is the finesse of its tannin, something I have very rarely seen in Sodi at this early stage. Magical. This is remarkable in every way.Vinous Media | 97+ VMPacked with ripe, juicy cherry, blackberry, pomegranate and floral aromas and flavors, this red is supple and beautifully integrated. Earth, iron and tobacco accents add detail as this winds down on the lazy, resonant aftertaste, showing terrific energy. Sangioveto and Malvasia Nera. Best from 2026 through 2043. 5,000 cases made, 800 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 97 WSA delicate combination of aniseed and exotic spices with fragrant floral scents and ripe red berry fruit. Smells really quite individual, a touch of vanilla and caramel about this too. Clean, supple and alive, this has character from the get go, juicy and precise, thrilling acidity joins massy but fine tannins that give this a buzzy, lifted but filling expression from the get go. Everything is at the fore, and carries the intensity to a long finish. Upfront and so intense, but refined and purposeful. It feels effortless as much as it does intense which is quite a feat. Joyful and with complexity. Too young now but give this a few years at least. I love the graphite and wet stone chalkiness on the finish too.Decanter Magazine | 96 DECDeep and dark aromas of Mediterranean herbs, restrained black cherries and stern, earthy complexity. Firm on the palate, with a full body, velvety tannins. crisp acidity and a chalky finish. Long, toasted graphite aftertaste. Sangiovese and malvasia nera. A wine intended for the long haul, yet ready to drink in a year or two.James Suckling | 96 JS

The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has a straightforward bouquet: orchard fruit and Granny Smith apples with just a touch of petrichor. It’s not complex, but it has more typicité than some of its brethren (even if it needs to shake off some reduction that actually becomes more evident with aeration). The palate is well-balanced with plenty of concentration, real weight and heft in the mouth, citrus peel mixed with lanolin and a hint of fennel. Spicy towards the finish, this lingers long in the mouth. Power and tenderness combined. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMFresh in colour, a lifted perfumed floral nose, on the sharper side. Then some bacon fat as well as lemon balm. Not quite sure what to make of this. No faulting the intensity, but it is not quite harmonious today. Drink from 2025-2030. Tasted May 2024.Jasper Morris | 92 JM

Racy and focused. I like the aromas of lavender, violet and white roses alongside strawberry, cranberry and stone. Medium body, with firm and fine tannins that are long and succulent. It’s fine and polished. Vegan. Needs three to four years to come together.James Suckling | 94 JSAlways a popular choice, the Vietti 2020 Barolo Castiglione (made with a blend of fruit from multiple MGA sites) has a voluptuous approach with dark fruit, cola, wild berry coulis and smoky tar. The wine wears a hot vintage well, with accessible and powdery tannins for near or medium-term drinking. In terms of texture, the Castiglione has a little more brawn and body compared to your standard Barolo. This is an ample release of 70,000 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPFragrant, polished and vibrant right out of the gate, the 2020 Barolo Castiglione displays beautifully-lifted notes of crushed red berry fruit, rose petal, mint, white pepper and orange peel. This classically built, mid-weight Barolo is classy to the core. Like all the 2020s here, it will benefit from time in bottle or a good decantVinous Media | 93 VMFloral, fruity, and appealing, the 2020 Barolo Castiglione is the calling card of the estate for the entry to the Barolo range. Emblematic of the vintage, it’s appealing upfront, with aromas of cherry candies, crushed flowers, apricots, and dusty earth. On the palate, it offers sweet tannins, fresh acidity, and a clean finish, with nothing heavy. It is a lovely and easy-drinking wine already, but it doesn’t lack Nebbiolo character. This will be a wine to snap up on restaurant lists for its value and approachability. Drink 2024-2034. 50,000 bottles.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDA lean, tightly wound red, with cranberry, sour cherry, licorice, eucalyptus and earth flavors. Fresh and stitched with burly tannins, this leaves a juicy, savory finish. Best from 2027 through 2040. 10,330 cases made, 1,800 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The 2020 Chardonnay McCrea Vineyard is powerful and full of personality. It offers aromas of white peach, elderflower, lime peel, meringue and dried mint. Creamy and harmonious, with tangy yet integrated acidity, the medium-bodied palate unfurls layer after layer of candied citrus and flinty sparks, and it finishes with incredible length and spiciness.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPLovely aromas of peach, grapefruit, brioche and dried herbs. Medium-bodied and elegant with great balance. Straw character comes through towards the finish. Delicious, with mildly oily texture. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSPacks a powerful, creamy mix of lemon bar, marmalade and buttery pastry flavors and a lovely sweet cream note to complement apricot, fresh citrus and spice accents. Reveals a whisper of flinty minerality and toasted, salted almond on the finish. Drink now through 2029. 1,340 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

A gorgeous nose of sliced pear, grapefruit, hazelnut and fresh thyme. Medium-to full-bodied with great texture. Rock-salt salinity. Real nuance and delicacy. Firm, but really layered and long. Flinty at the end. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2020 Chardonnay Stone Flat Vineyard is pure and layered with scents of candied peaches, dried herbs, lime candy and jasmine. It continues to offer new aromas with each return to the glass. The palate is powerful and satiny, its concentration balanced by tangy acidity, and it finishes with lots of flinty nuances. It feels youthfully tense compared to some of the other Kistler Chardonnays this vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPFocused and intense, this white is aromatic up front, with fresh-clipped notes of lemon verbena and basil and just a hint of flint and chalk. Packs an incredibly juicy core, with mouthwatering Meyer lemon, yuzu and Honeycrisp apple flavors, plus grace notes of honeycomb and salted lime. The intense finish is focused and long. Drink now through 2030. 900 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe 2020 Chardonnay Stone Flat Vineyard offers a light resinous pine note on the nose, with white peach and apple skin. The texture is lifted and cleansing, with freshness in its notes of red apple, apple blossom, and lemon curd.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe 2020 Chardonnay Stone Flat Vineyard is pretty ripe in this vintage. It offers up scents of apricot, hazelnut, dried flowers, chamomile, sweet spice and orange peel. Medium in body, yet quite extroverted, the 2020 is nicely balanced.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Wow. The purity of fruit and sophistication is out of this world. Peaches, strawberries, bright plums and berries. Full-bodied yet compacted. The tannin structure is there but you don’t see it. It’s tight and resolved with perfect balance and length. A masterpiece. So emotional to taste this. Made from half a hectare. 3,500 bottles made. January 2024 release.James Suckling | 100 JSThis red starts out smooth and almost creamy, displaying cherry, strawberry, earth, iron and eucalyptus flavors. Firm and balanced, with excellent energy and a long, resonant finish that evokes white pepper. Offers brilliant intensity and expression. Best from 2027 through 2045. 300 cases made, 40 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe Bruno Giacosa 2020 Barbaresco Rabajà is a little rounder and softer in personality compared to the extremely focused and linear 2021 vintage. This expression awards dark fruit and lovely concentration and has a medium-plus body on the palate. You can’t say that it is more accessible, because the wine will require more bottle aging, but there is a softness to the fruit that is immediately pleasing.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP

Sinuous and silky with a divine cornucopia of flavours embracing the lithe acidity and feathery tannins: dried strawberry, fig, aromatic herbs and endless morello cherries. Magical.Decanter Magazine | 96 DEC

Takes 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 DECThis 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 RPThe 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 VMA 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+ JD

Based on 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot, the Grand Vin 2020 Château Beychevelle is a stunner that does everything right, offering a monster bouquet of black and blue fruits as well as candied violets, incense, flowers, and toasty oak. A ripe, full-bodied, incredibly sexy wine in every sense, it has a great mid-palate, ripe, velvety tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It’s one of the more up-front, exotic wines in the vintage and should be accessible with just short-term cellaring.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JDThe wine’s structure and serious tannins are, happily, balanced by the rich generosity of the fruit flavors. Together, the two elements of this very fine wine will allow it to develop with weight and concentration.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEDeep purple-black colored, the 2020 Beychevelle offers up vibrant notes of black raspberries, fresh black cherries and cassis, plus hints of wild sage, chocolate mint, rose hip tea and fallen leaves, with an exotic hint of Indian spices. The medium to full-bodied palate offers layers of crunchy black fruits with a firm, grainy texture and just enough freshness, finishing long and perfumed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPThe 2020 Beychevelle opens with the most exotic bouquet imaginable. Wild flowers of all sorts, spice, lavender and inky dark fruit all saturate the palate. As always, Beychevelle is an overt, flamboyant wine, but all of the elements are so well out together. The 2020 is sexy, alluring and impossible to resist. Time in the glass brings out redder tonalities of fruit along with sweet floral notes that add striking inner perfume. Even as a barrel sample, I am so tempted to just drink it.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMSmoke, grilled almond on the nose, even a touch of rubber from an edge of reduction. This has depth to black chocolate and bilberry fruit, it is well balanced and seductive. Enjoyable, it’s pretty broad shouldered but it sits well within the successful run of vintages at Beychevelle. A yield of 47hl/ha. 18 months ageing. 55% first wine. Drinking Window 2029 - 2044.Decanter | 94 DECSweet-berry and tobacco character with blackberries and violets. It’s full-bodied with firm, polished tannins and a fresh finish. Very fine at the end.James Suckling | 94-95 JS

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 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 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 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

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. (Drink between 2027-2050)Decanter | 99 DECThe 2020 Canon is a blend of 68% Merlot and 32% Cabernet Franc, aging for 18 months in French oak, 50% new. It weighs in with 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.53. Deep garnet-purple colored, it bursts from the glass with vivacious notes of Morello cherries, redcurrant jelly, wild blueberries and black raspberries, plus hints of powdered cinnamon, clove oil, star anise and dusty red soil. The medium to full-bodied palate is an exercise in grace, delivering exquisitely ripe, finely pixilated tannins and bold freshness to support the tight-knit black, red and blue fruit layers, finishing long with loads of exotic spices and mineral sparks. An exhilarating triumph!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98-100 RPWow. This is really exceptional with super density of fruit that remains clear and agile. Blackberries, currants, violets and spice, as well as some chalk and salt. It really goes on for minutes. Best of the trilogy?James Suckling | 98-99 JSThe 2020 Château Canon is another brilliant wine in a long line of brilliant wines from this incredible team and consistent estate. Coming from the upper plateau (unquestionably one of the finest terroirs on the upper plateau) and 68% Merlot and 32% Cabernet Franc, it offers a perfumed, ethereal nose of red and blue fruits, violets, white flowers, and unsmoked tobacco. With riveting purity, full-bodied richness, flawless balance, and a great, great finish, it’s going to push the upper limits of my scale. The tannins here are incredible as well, and this beauty should drink well for 20-30 years. Hats off to technical director Nicolas Audebert and his team for another insanely good wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDThe 2020 Canon is a gorgeous, sophisticated wine. Silky and soaring, Canon is vertical in build, with a real sense of explosive energy that give the wine its shape. Rose petal, lavender, mint, spice and ripe red/purplish berry fruit all meld together effortlessly. The 2020 is an especially airy, understated Canon. I can’t wait to see how it ages.Antonio Galloni | 95-97 AG

Fantastic 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 WEThe 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 VMSilky 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 DECI 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+ RP

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 JDA 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 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 RPThis 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 DECThe 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+ VM

One of the biggest successes on the upper plateau is the 2020 Château Clos Fourtet, and it does everything right in the vintage. A magical, perfumed bouquet of red plums, black cherries, white truffle, and white flowers just screams Saint-Emilion, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, flawless overall balance, a dense mid-palate, and a liqueur of rocks-like minerality on the palate. Building incrementally with time in the glass, this is thrilling stuff that should offer some up-front appeal in its youth yet benefit from 7-8 years in the cellar and keep for 30 years or more. Bravo! The blend is 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc that’s still resting in 50% new French oak.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-99 JDThe 2020 Clos Fourtet is a blend of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 15th to 30th September and weighing in with an alcohol of 14.5% and a pH of 3.6. It is being aged for 14-18 months in 50% new oak barrels, 48% second-fill barrels and 2% amphora. Deep garnet-purple in color, it comes bounding out of the glass with ripe, expressive notes of crushed black plums, juicy black berries and black cherry preserves, followed by hints of ground cloves, cinnamon stick, camphor and cedar chest. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam-packed with bright, vivacious black fruits, framed by velvety tannins and bags of freshness, finishing with great length.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPA wine of stature and breeding, the 2020 Clos Fourtet is absolutely breathtaking from barrel. A rush of lavender, graphite, spice, licorice and espresso hits the senses. Vibrant and powerful, yet also remarkably light on its feet, the 2020 has so much of offer. All the elements are so crisp, so beautifully defined. The 2020 is all class. It is one of the most promising wines of this young vintage and a fabulous effort from the Cuvelier family. Don’t miss it.Vinous Media | 96-98 VMPlush 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. Drinking Window 2028 - 2044.Decanter | 96 DECThis is really something with so much tension and focus and a persistent, long finish that lasts for minutes. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and so long. Such polish and finesse. Elegance with power.James Suckling | 95-96 JSThe renaissance of Clos Fourtet continues, even in this difficult vintage. This wine has great fruit, layering black currant with berries. It’s a precise wine, pointing up the structured tannins while leaving room for a juicy, fruity aftertaste. Drink from 2020.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

Extremely floral and fruity with currants and blackberries. It’s full-bodied and very layered with delicious, dense character. Full-bodied with dusty, layered tannins. Rich, but not heavy. Long and chewy on the finish. 55% cabernet sauvignon, 39% merlot, 3% cabernet franc, 2% petit verdot and 1% malbec.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThis 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. Drinking Window 2028 - 2045.Decanter | 96 DECThe walled vineyard of Issan has produced a beautifully elegant wine. It has structure while bringing out bright berry fruits and already integrated acidity. The wine has all the elements for long-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2020 D’Issan is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec, aging in French oak barriques, 50% new. It has an alcohol of 13.29%, a pH of 3.71 and an IPT (tannin index) of 73. Displaying an opaque purple-black color, it has vibrant notes of Bing cherries, boysenberries, ripe redcurrants and juicy black plums, plus hints of pencil shavings, wild thyme, lavender and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate has impressive energy with crunchy red and black fruits and compelling tension, framed by fine-grained tannins, finishing long and mineral laced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2020 d’Issan is the first vintage that incorporates Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec to complement the traditional Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the blend. Pretty floral and savory accents complement a core of ripe red/purplish berry fruit. Medium in body and vibrant, with superb persistence, Issan is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. The purity of the flavors is striking. Harvest took place over three weeks between September 17 through October 2, which is only about a week earlier than normal, so not that displaced relative to what was the norm in much of Bordeaux. Tasted three times.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMMore backward, dense, and concentrated, the Grand Vin 2020 Château D’Issan offers darker currant and cassis notes as well as gorgeous floral, sandalwood, graphite, and chocolate nuances. Medium to full-bodied, voluptuous, and layered on the palate, with sweet yet building tannins, this is a gorgeous Margaux that brings ample depth and richness while still showing the classic elegance of the appellation. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec, raised in 50% new oak, and it’s a selection of only 45% of the total production. It’s going to have some up-front appeal and a broad, lengthy drink window over the following 2-3 decades. Tasted twice.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95+ JD

(Château Duhart-Milon, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) 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. (Drink between 2028-2042)Decanter | 95 DECThis is so refined with beautiful currant, berry and some subtle chocolate and coffee. It’s full and very subtle with fine tannins that have a long finish. Such purity and finesse with structure. Fresh and savory. 72% cabernet sauvignon and 28% merlot.James Suckling | 95-96 JSLots of tobacco, damp earth, chocolate, and lead pencil notes define the 2020 Château Duhart-Milon. Medium to full-bodied, it has a beautifully balanced mouthfeel, loads of blue and black fruits, and ripe yet certainly present tannins. Its relatively plush, rounded style is not too dissimilar from the 2016, but it offers ample structure as well. The blend is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Merlot, and it hit 13% natural alcohol. This is another classic, concentrated, impressive wine from this team.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 JDFine tannins are in suspension from this beautifully structured wine. Its rich fruit is balanced by the freshness of the vintage, the wine has the depth of flavor without too great a concentration. It is fruity certainly, but so structured that it will age well.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEDeep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 Duhart-Milon comes skipping out of the glass with vibrant notes of crushed black cherries, black raspberries and plum preserves, plus an exotic spice undercurrent of cumin seed, star anise and cardamom, with an earthy touch of black truffles. The medium-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating, juicy black fruits with a plush texture and just enough freshness, finishing long and spicy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | (91-93)+ RPThe 2020 Duhart-Milon is soft, pliant and wonderfully seductive. Strong Cabernet aromatics open first, lending quite a bit of savory nuance. Bright red/purplish berry fruit, spice, cedar and earthy notes show the vibrant side of this Pauillac’s personality. The 2020 deftly balances ripeness with energy. It’s a terrific example of the year. Yields were 36.5 hectoliters per hectare, more or less in line with the recent past. The 2020 is the first vintage made in the new cellar.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM