For a detailed look at the 2020 St. Emilion vintage with growing season and harvest information, as well as producer quotes, please see 2020 Saint Emilion Pt 1 A-G
The following 2020 Saint Emilion wines were all tasted in my home office in non-blind conditions.
2020 Haut Brisson – Espresso, smoke, earth, incense and red fruits create the nose. The wine is medium-bodied, fresh, spicy and fruity with a touch of dusty cocoa that rides along with the cherries and red plums on the palate and the finish. Give this a few years to develop before pulling a cork. The wine is aged in 35% new French oak barrels. 91-93 Pts
2020 Haut Rocher – Very fruity nose with an array of ripe black cherries, blueberry and blackberries is the first thing you notice. On the palate, the wine is soft, silky, fresh, sweet and elegant, with more of those ripe, sweet, round, polished fruits with a dash of licorice in the medium-bodied finish. 89-91 Pts
2020 Haut Veyrac – Medium-bodied, sweet, fresh, vibrant, red and black fruits, creamy texture and a soft, polished, lifted finish with loads of ripe, juicy berries on the mid-palate and in the finish are found here. This will be just great to enjoy in its youth. 90-92 Pts
2020 Haut-Sarpe – Dark in color and round in texture, the wine offers a core of chocolate, licorice, oak and plums on the nose and palate. The mid-palate and finish deliver a ripe, sweet fruit and chocolate coated endnote. 90-92 Pts
2020 Jean Voisin – Soft, silky, polished, elegant and fresh, the wine is medium-bodied and forward, with sweet, ripe plums, crushed rock, and cocoa in the endnotes. This should be delicious on release, and it will easily provide pleasure for at least 12 or more years. 91-93 Pts
2020 Jean Voisin L’Esprit – Floral, fruity, medium-bodied, forward, early-drinking, soft, cherry-filled charmer for near-term consumption. 86-88 Pts
2020 L’Archange – Medium-bodied, supple, silky and vibrant, with loads of ripe, sweet, juicy plums, chocolate-covered cherries and minerality in the finish. 90-92 Pts
2020 L’Eclat de Valentin – Dark, rich, lusciously textured, polished, ripe, sweet fruits, licorice, espresso and savory accented fruits are found on the nose and palate. This is going to be just great with a few years in the cellar. 90-92 Pts
2020 Jean Faure – Richly colored, the wine is soft, vibrant and medium-bodied. The perfume easily displays its bouquet of flowers, dark cherries and spice. The wine is elegant, refined and silky on the palate, leaving you with earthy, spicy, fresh and savory, dark red fruits on the palate and in the finish. 91-93 Pts
2020 l’Hermitage Lescours – With smoky fruits, spice and espresso on the nose, the medium-bodied, round wine is oaky at the moment. So, allow it time to come together before all the sweet, red fruits really start to show. 89-91 Pts
2020 La Commanderie – Medium-bodied, with smoky, licorice, herb, espresso and spice accents on the nose and palate. Soft and sweet, with a beautiful purity and elegance to the kirsch and red plums on your palate, you can drink this on release or give it a few years of age. 90-92 Pts
2020 La Confession – Dark in color, the wine shows off its licorice, black cherry, wet earth, flower and spearmint centric nose with little effort. Lush, round and polished, with silky tannins and sweet, ripe, soft, pure fruits, licorice and toasty oak on the palate and in the finish. This will be even better with 5 years of age. 93-95 Pts
2020 La Croix Younan – With a strong oaky presence, the wine is round, fruity, forward, medium-bodied and easy to drink, finishing with espresso, toasted oak and fresh, red fruits. If the oak integrates, it will be a better wine. 87-89 Pts
2020 La Croizille – Black cherries, licorice, smoke, chocolate and black raspberries are all over the place here. The wine is soft, round, polished and fresh, with an elegant, plummy finish. You can enjoy this with just a year or two of aging. 90-92 Pts
2020 La Dominique – The nose pops with its black raspberry, floral, licorice, espresso, earth and crushed rock aromas. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, soft, silky, fresh, clean and pure. The tannins are silky, with endnotes leaving you with a trail of sweet, refined red fruits. Give it 3-5 years in the cellar, allowing it to fill out and it will be easy to taste over the next 2 decades after that. 93-95 Pts
2020 Relais de La Dominique – Medium-bodied, forward, soft, light, fresh and easy to imbibe. You can enjoy this on release without hesitation. 86-88 Pts
2020 La Fleur St.Emilion – Dark in color, with layers of opulent, ripe, rich fruits on the nose and palate. This is already quite nice to taste and will only get better with a few years of age. 90-92 Pts
2020 La Fleur d’Arthus – Bright, fresh, savory and chewy, with vibrant red fruits, flowers, coffee bean and freshness on the mid-palate and in the finish. 89-91 Pts
2020 La-Fleur-Morange – Deeply colored, the wine shows its licorice, black cherry, plum and chocolate nose quite easily. The wine is round, full-bodied, stony and fresh, with a blast of espresso and cocoa topped black cherries in the finish. 92-94 Pts
2020 La Fleur Morange Mathilde – Fresh, bright, juicy and packed with mineral-driven, sweet red fruits, savory herbs, dark chocolate and crushed rocks. The wine is medium-bodied, energetic and requires just a few years of cellaring before it is ready to drink. 90-92 Pts
2020 La Grave-Figeac – Medium-bodied, ripe, juicy, sweet and fresh, there is a wealth of flowers and roasted red and black fruits. Silky and lush, give this just a few years in the cellar and it will really start to shine. 90-92 Pts
2020 La Marzelle – Polished, soft, silky and fresh, the black and red fruits taste as good as they feel. Medium-bodied, rich, ripe and fleshy, the fruits are fresh, round and polished. La Marzelle continues to be an estate on the rise. 92-94 Pts
2020 La Mondotte – Intensely colored, the aromatic profile, with its licorice, blackberry, bitter chocolate, plum liqueur, crushed rocks and stones get noticed quickly. On the palate, the wine is concentrated, full-bodied and intense. Picture a giant gulp of ripe black plums, blue fruits, licorice, cocoa and broken stones with salt, coating your palate and expanding for at least 60 seconds. Not much wine is made here. In fact, the production was about 1,200 cases. Still young, give this stunner at least a decade and drink it over the next 3 decades or longer. 98-100 Pts
2020 La Reverence – Medium-bodied, floral, fresh and fruity, with a bright, savory, licorice-tinged, soft, red and black plum-filled finish. 89-91 Pts
2020 La Rose Pourret – Medium-bodied, soft, polished, fresh and fruity, the wine shows a cool mint accent on top of all the sweet, fresh, ripe cherries and plums on the palate and in the juicy lifted finish. 89-91 Pts
2020 La Serre – Full-bodied, silky, fresh and packed with chocolate, black and red plums, licorice, oak and crushed rocks, there is serious vibrancy and depth of flavor here. Polished lively and long, with sweetness and purity to the fruits that linger, this is the best vintage of La Serre I have ever tasted. 93-95 Pts
2020 La Tour Figeac – Quite floral in nature, the medium-bodied wine presents its refined take on black raspberries, cocoa, plum, smoke, spice and licorice. Silky, polished, fresh, and elegant, this is top vintage for La Tour Figeac. 92-94 Pts
2020 La Tour du Pin Figeac – Medium-bodied, vibrant, lively, floral, fresh and elegant, here you find flowers, crushed rocks, touches of spice, leaf and red fruits. The savory, medium-bodied, wine is already expressive, leaving you ample chewy fruits and herbs in the finish. 90-92 Pts
2020 La Voute – Almost opaque in color, the wine is equally dark on the palate. With a nose that starts off with liqueur scents of blackberry, plum, licorice, cocoa and cherry, the wine hits your palate with layers of lush, ripe, deep, vibrant fruits, silky tannins and waves of sweet, dark berries in the finish. 92-94 Pts
2020 Laforge – Oak, smoke, cherries, licorice and incense permeate the nose, while the medium-bodied palate kicks in with its soft, fresh display of plums, kirsch, espresso and licorice. Forward, polished and close to ready to drink on release, give it 2-4 years and it should be even better. 90-92 Pts
2020 Laniote – Licorice, smoke, underbrush, spice and red pit fruit aromas come together on the nose. Medium-bodied, forward, soft, round and fruity, with a nice, sweet, fresh jolt of spicy red plums in the finish. 89-91 Pts
2020 Laplagnotte-Bellevue – The wine is medium-bodied, savory and forward, with a chewy, herbal, red cherry finish. This will be best in its youth. 86-88 Pts
2020 Larcis Ducasse – Pungent aromas of flowers, licorice, crushed rocks, oak, dark cocoa, black, red and blue fruits focus your attention. The wine offers a mineral-driven, full-bodied blast of silky, flamboyant, luscious red fruits with salty tannins. The fruit coats your palate, lingers and seamlessly expands, finishing with licorice, sensuously textured red and black fruits, espresso and oyster shell. This is on the way to developing into one of the best vintages ever produced by Larcis Ducasse. 98-100 Pts
2020 Larmande – Chocolate mint, savory herbs, plums, smoke and licorice define the nose. Fresh, silky and juicy, this elegantly textured wine is medium-bodied, refined and fresh, finishing with loads of soft, sweet, polished red and black plums with a spicy kick. This is another nice step up in quality here. 91-93 Pts
2020 Laroque – Dark garnet in color with purple edges, the wine is lush, rich and concentrated. Opulent in texture, with layers of velvety, red, black and blue fruits, crushed rocks, chocolate and licorice, there is a gorgeous sense of purity, richness, length and freshness here. The wine shows elegance and refinement as well as layers of fruit on the palate and in the finish. 94-96 Pts
2020 Laroze – Plums, spicy black raspberries and flowers fill the nose. Medium-bodied, silky, long and fresh, with an elegant, dark plum and spicy chocolate finish that lingers. I really like the energy, sweetness and length in this vintage. 92-94 Pts
2020 Le Chatelet – Earthy, tobacco, thyme, black raspberries, flowers, toasty oak and cherries lead the way to the medium-bodied, soft, fruity, easy-to-like mid-palate and polished finish. This is a nice step up for this normally underperforming wine. 88-90 Pts
2020 Le Dome – Flowers, incense, crushed stone, smoke, thyme and red pit fruit aromas get the wine started in the right direction. Full-bodied, fresh, lively, rich, silky and mineral-driven, there is purity, lift and richness, leaving you with a gorgeous, elegant, seductive wave of cherries in the end note that lingers long after the wine has left the glass. 96-98 Pts
2020 Le Merle de Peby Faugeres – Deeply colored, the wine pops with its nose of licorice, coffee bean, spearmint and dark cherries. Round, soft, medium-bodied and sweet, with juicy red fruits, cocoa and licorice on the back end, this finesse-styled wine is going to be delicious on release and is perfect to enjoy while waiting for the Grand Vin to develop into maturity. 90-92 Pts
2020 Le Prieure – Floral in nature, with a strong sense of minerality, the wine is fresh, elegant, silky and vibrant, with sweet, ripe, juicy, plums, cherries and spice on the palate and in the long, salty, vivacious finish. I really like the length and purity along with all the crushed rocks and stones you find here. 93-95 Pts
2020 Les Gravieres – Deep, dark garnet with purple edges in color, the seductive wine is pure velvet on the palate. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated and sensuous, the fruit is perfectly ripe, expressing a gorgeous sense of purity on the mid-palate which manages to carry all the way through to the long finish. Clearly, this is the finest vintage of Les Gravieres ever produced! If you can wait 5 years or so before opening a bottle, this will be an even better wine. 94-96 Pts
2020 Leydet-Valentin – Roasted black and red fruits with smoke, flowers and espresso on the nose and palate. The wine is savory, earthy, fresh, lush and gritty, with a cool savory touch to the espresso-tinged, ripe, red fruits in the finish. 90-92 Pts
2020 Lif – Richly-textured, sensuous and silky, the wine opens with flowers, licorice, plums, spice box, roasted nuts and black, red and blue fruits. Opulent, fresh, long and velvety, the wine is refined, complex and concentrated. The fruit coats your palate, yet retains its freshness, lift, elegance and purity. The over 50-second finish leaves you with layers of vibrant, black and red fruits, savory herbs, minerality and spicy cocoa. This remains one of the new stars of St. Emilion and is a wine to follow before prices jump. The wine blends 84% Merlot with 16% Cabernet Franc, 14.8% ABV, pH 3.52. 97-99 Pts
2020 Louis – Dark, round and filled with deep, sweet, lushly textured black fruits, licorice, smoke, coffee and spice, the fruit is silky, sweet, long and fresh. Opulent and juicy, this is a beautiful, hedonistic wine for pleasure seekers. 91-93 Pts
2020 Lucia – Dark in color, you find chocolate mint, fruit cake, plums and cherries galore in the nose. On the palate the wine is round, lush, polished, sweet and fruity, with an opulently textured, chocolate and cappuccino drenched finish. 91-93 Pts
2020 Lynsolence – Deeply colored, the wine offers up its bouquet of flowers, licorice, chocolate-covered plums and cherries with ease. Lusciously textured, with good concentration, silky tannins, freshness and elegance to its array of fruits, the seductive finish is created by layers of sweet, juicy, vibrant cherries with a touch of exotic spices. 93-95 Pts
2020 MagrezFombrauge – Opaque in color, the wine quickly shows off its licorice, blackberry liqueur, flowers, chocolate, espresso and black cherry nose. Full-bodied, rich, opulent and concentrated, the velvety finish is lush and long. Give it 7-9 years to allow the oak to integrate and for the wine to better come together and it will be a hedonistic treat for at least 2 decades or longer. 95-97 Pts
2020 Mangot – Deeply colored, the wine opens with flowers, espresso, licorice, smoke and black cherries coated with chocolate. Silky, fresh and polished, the wine is rich, round and fresh, with a gorgeous sweetness, lift and purity in the fruit. 92-94 Pts
2020 Mangot Todeschini Distique 13 – Almost inky in color, the wine unfurls with nuances of smoke, licorice, oak, blackberry and black plums. Rich, full-bodied and concentrated with all the right stuff, the wine offers length, density, opulence and hedonistic texture, leaving you with a long wave of black fruits, silky tannins, espresso and dark cocoa notes that stick with you. 94-96 Pts
2020 Mauvinon – Cherries, kirsch, black raspberries, savory herbs and spicy note create the core of this medium-bodied, soft, fresh, early-drinking charmer. There is a nice savory touch in the red berry finish. 89-91 Pts
2020 Milens – Flowers, cherries, licorice and spice offer a complex set of aromatics. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, fresh, sweet, ripe and juicy. There is lift and a cool spicy touch to all the soft, silky, plums and cherries in the finish. 90-92 Pts
2020 Moine Vieux – Black raspberries, plums, kirsch and floral notes open this medium-bodied, soft, juicy wine. Bright, fresh and fruity, with an herbal, savory touch, this should be ready to go on release. 87-89 Pts
2020 Monbousquet – Elegant, fresh, supple and long, the ripeness and purity in the fruits stand out. Medium-bodied, floral, juicy, lush and fresh, there is real length, complexity and character here. The wine is a blend of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and is aging in 50% new French oak. The reduction in the oak helps with the freshness, texture and refinement here. 93-95 Pts
2020 Mondou – Deep and dark in color, the wine quickly exudes flowers, licorice, espresso, black cherry liqueur, smoke and boysenberry aromas. With velvet tannins, concentration, richness and a flashy, fleshy style, this hedonistic wine delivers the goods. Voluptuous in character, give this at least 5-7 years before opening a bottle, if you can wait that long. 92-94 Pts
2020 Monlot – Licorice, flowers, espresso, smoke, mint and plums create the nose. On the palate, the wine is soft, silky and vibrant, with layers of sweet, ripe, juicy plums, crushed stone and spice. This is a property that has been on the upswing over the past few vintages. I am sure they will keep up the good work. 91-93 Pts
2020 Montlabert – Medium-bodied with loads of soft, silky, fresh, sweet, savory red fruits, espresso and licorice. The finish adds a touch of spice and leafy herbs for additional complexity. 91-93 Pts
2020 Montlisse – Smoked fruits, chocolate, flowers and spice create the perfume. Medium-bodied, soft, polished and fresh, with a silky, red berry, spice, coffee bean and mocha toned finish, this is going to be quite nice with just 3-5 years of aging. 90-92 Pts
2020 Moulin du Cadet – With a deep, dark, garnet color, this lushly textured, rich, deep, concentrated, polished wine offers silky tannins and layers of sweet, chocolate-enriched plums. The finish is long, showy and fruity, with a licorice, espresso and black cherry edge. 92-94 Pts
Next up, look for 2020 Saint Emilion Part 3, N-Z
