Fans of Fronsac are going to love this vintage! 2020 Fronsac is simply fabulous. The wines are already showing beautifully with luscious, supple textures and layers of rich, chocolate-covered plums and cherries. To read reports on the 2020 Bordeaux vintage in every appellation, as well as a 2020 Bordeaux vintage summary and analysis, please see The 2020 Bordeaux Complete Guide
All of the following 2020 Fronsac wines were tasted in non-blind conditions earlier this year.
2020 Barrabaque Hugo – Canon-Fronsac – Spice, flowers, coffee beans, and cocoa powder blend well with its red plums in the medium-bodied, soft-textured, savory-oriented wine that ends with a liberal dose of powdered chocolate on the backend. Drink from 2023-2030. 87 Pts
2020 Barrabaque Prestige – Canon-Fronsac – Toasty oak, black cherries, chocolate, licorice, and espresso pop with no effort in the nose. The wine is supple-textured, silky, and fresh with layers of polished, plush red pit fruits in the finish. You can enjoy this on release, and over the following decade. Drink from 2023-2033. 90 Pts
2020 Barrabaque Tradition – Fronsac – Medium-bodied, fresh, forward, simple, but, easy-to-like, and easy-to-drink red cherry-oriented wine that is best for early drinking pleasure. You can enjoy this with ease on release. Drink from 2023-2027. 87 Pts
2020 Beausejour Cuvee Prestige – Fronsac – Floral in nature, the wine is medium-bodied, fresh, vibrant, and chewy, with loads of ripe, raspberries, red plums, espresso, and cherries on the mid-palate, and on the backend. Drink from 2023-2035. 87 Pts
2020 Belloy – Canon-Fronsac – The oversized, and overweight bottle is bigger than the wine, which is medium-bodied, soft, and polished, with chocolate-covered, cherries, and chalk on the mid-palate, and in the finish. The wine will be easy to like young and should be at its best in its youth. Drink from 2023-2030. 89 Pts
2020 Canon Pecresse – Canon-Fronsac – Mint leaf, espresso, licorice, cocoa, and dark cherries shine with ease on the nose. The wine is medium-bodied, round, soft, and polished, with ample sweetness to the juicy, lush, ripe plums, with their peppery edge in the chocolate-tinted finish. Drink from 2023-2037. 91 Pts
2020 Clos du Roy – Fronsac – Smoky, dark red fruits, plush, polished textures, and a gorgeous sweetness to the black, and blue fruits in the open, and already delicious finish. Drink from 2023-2037. 92 Pts
2020 de Carles – Fronsac – Soft, fresh, polished, medium-bodied, plummy wine with accents of chocolate, mint, and espresso, with a sprig of mint, in the round-textured finish. You can enjoy this on release. Drink from 2023-2034. 90 Pts
2020 de la Huste – Fronsac – Flowers, espresso, plums, and licorice create the perfume. On the palate, the wine is plush, polished, and vibrant with a juicy core of fresh, cherries, coffee, and dark chocolate in the juicy finish. Drink from 2023-2034. 92 Pts
2020 du-Gazin – Canon-Fronsac – Round-textured, chocolate-coated, black cherry, and mint-filled wine that is already easy, and a pleasure to taste. The soft, fruity finish with its freshness and silky textures seals the deal. Drink from 2023-2032. 90 Pts
2020 Dalem – Fronsac – The floral bouquet is what you initially notice before moving on to its licorice, tobacco leaf, espresso, and chocolate-covered plum notes. On the palate, the wine is seductive with its silky textures, and opulent nature. In the finish, the wine feels as good on the palate as it tastes. This is in contention for the best vintage of Dalem I have ever tasted. Drink from 2023-2038. 94 Pts
2020 Fontenil – Fronsac – Dark in color, the nose pops with truffles, seaweed, roses, licorice, plums, black cherries, and a hint of peppery spice. Elegant, and sensuous in texture, there is freshness, and purity as well as minerality in the fruit on the mid-palate, and in the finish. Drink from 2023-2038. 94 Pts
2020 Fontenil Le Defi – Fronsac – Deeply colored, you are instantly enticed by the nuances of smoke, flowers, black raspberries, licorice, and dark chocolate-covered, spicy plums. Opulent, full-bodied, luxurious, and seductive, the finish builds and lingers with its layers of fruit, crushed rocks, chalk, espresso, and chocolate. Drink it with a bit of age, and enjoy it over the next 15-20 years. Drink from 2024-2040. 95 Pts
2020 Gaby – Canon-Fronsac – With a strong oaky leaning with some volatile acidity, the wine is concentrated, round, and lush, but it needs to better integrate over the next few years. Drink from 2024-2034. 87 Pts
2020 Gaby Cuvee – Canon-Fronsac – Dark in color, the wine offers licorice, smoke, espresso, chocolate, and black cherries on the nose, as well as on the plush-textured, rich palate. The Cuvee is made from a selection of the estate’s best parcels. Drink from 2023-2040. 91 Pts
2020 Gaby Princess – Canon-Fronsac – Chocolate-tinted, plums, and cherries with flowers, and a touch of espresso fill the nose. The wine is medium-bodied, lusciously textured, ripe, sweet, and ready to-to-go on release. Drink from 2023-2035. 90 Pts
2020 George 7 – Fronsac – Produced from 100% Merlot, the wine is round, lush, polished, and fresh with nice lift to the sweet red pit fruits on the palate, finishing with hints of chocolate, mint, and a sight hint of chalk on the backend. Drink from 2023-2032. 91 Pts
2020 Haut Carles – Fronsac – Deeply colored, the wine pops with smoky black cherries, flowers, licorice, espresso, and dark chocolate. Lush, opulent, and polished with layers of polished, silky, fresh fruit, this is already just a pleasure to taste and enjoy, and it is only going to get better from here! Drink from 2023-2040. 93 Pts
2020 La Croix Fronsac – Fronsac – Medium-bodied, fresh, soft, and bright, with a forward, easy-to-like character, a lifted core of cocoa-topped cherries, and a finish that still shows a bit of oak, you can enjoy this on release. Drink from 2023-2030. 89 Pts
2020 La Dauphine – Fronsac – Deeply colored, and already quite expressive, the wine opens with nuances of crushed rocks, flowers, Morello cherries, bitter chocolate, and licorice in the perfume. Silky, flamboyant, and yet, refined, the finish lingers, which is a good thing as it allows you to enjoy more of its sweet, red, salt-tinted fruits. Drink from 2023-2036. 92 Pts
2020 La Riviere – Fronsac – Espresso, chocolate-covered cherries, and plums, with a hint of licorice, is what you find in the perfume. On the palate, the wine is soft, polished, and showy, with a finish packed with fresh brewed, cocoa, and sweet, dark red berries. Give it a year or so for the oak to better integrate, and it should be even better. Drink from 2024-2036. 92 Pts
2020 La Rose Garnier – Fronsac – Savory, medium-bodied, short, crisp, bright, chewy, tart, cranberry, and red plum wine with an herbal, drying finish. Drink from 2023-2026. 84 Pts
2020 La Rousselle – Fronsac – Flowers, herbs, licorice, coffee bean, smoke, earth, flowers, and juicy, lush black plums. Opulent, vibrant, rich, and concentrated, this is already a pleasure to taste, and feel. Drink from 2023-2040. 93 Pts
2020 La Vieille Cure – Fronsac – Deep in color, the wine kicks off with a strong dose of oak before you find all of its chocolate-coated black cherries, licorice, spice, and smoke. Sexy, and silky, the wine coats your palate with crushed rocks, dark red pit fruits, and layers of chocolate. Give this a year or two for the oak to better integrate, and this should be good to go. Drink from 2024-2038. 92 Pts
2020 La Vieille Croix – Fronsac – Medium-bodied, with a nose of flowers, red berries, cocoa, and herbs, the wine is crisp, and chewy, and delivers an olive, and herbal tint to the piquant red pit fruits in the finish. Drink from 2023-2029. 87 Pts
2020 La Vieille Croix La Belle Endromie – Fronsac – Medium-bodied, soft, forward, and already approachable, the wine is built around its plummy core of ready-to-drink fruits and their savory edge. Drink from 2023-2027. 85 Pts
2020 Lamarche Canon – Canon Fronsac – Medium-bodied, bright, crisp, simple, piquant, red berry-oriented wine with a savoy, drying, salty finish. Drink from 2023-2028. 85 Pts
2020 Les Roches de Ferrand Grande Selection – Fronsac – Medium-bodied, bright red fruits with a strong herbal edge on the nose, and chalky, crisp, red berry palate. Drink from 2023-2028. 84 Pts
2020 Les-Trois-Croix – Fronsac – Perhaps it is the strong mineral essence that gives this wine its unique character. You find it in the nose, which also offers flowers, red pit fruits, and smoke. The wine is round, and polished, and will easily seduce you with its layers of fresh red fruits, salty tannins, and mildly savory edge in the finish. You can drink this young, or age it for more complexity. Drink from 2023-2037. 93 Pts
2020 Moulin-Haut-Laroque – Fronsac – Glossy, lush, fresh, and silky, the dark red pit fruits linger in the mid-palate, and in the finish, which brings in chocolate, licorice, and a chalk of salty chalk in the endnote. This should deliver pleasure for at least 12 years. Drink from 2023-2035. 93 Pts
2020 Plain-Point Fronsac – Fronsac – With notes of chocolate, licorice, flowers, plums, and salt in the perfume, the wine is lush, silky, fresh, and polished on the palate with ample, sweet, and mildly, salty cherries in the finish. Drink from 2023-2037. 91 Pts
2020 Puy Guilhem – Fronsac – Deeply colored, the wine offers its coffee bean, chocolate, licorice, and black cherry core of fruits, and nuances with ease. Plush, and polished, the wine is fresh and opulent in the finish. Drink from 2023-2035. 92 Pts
2020 Richelieu – Fronsac – Chocolate, espresso, and black cherries fill the nose, and palate here. The wine is supple, round, sweet, and lush, finishing with ripe, polished, plums, cherries, and more of that delicious chocolate. Drink from 2023-2035. 92 Pts
2020 Richelieu Cuvee Royale – Fronsac – The wine opens with dark chocolate, espresso, black cherries, licorice, and smoke in the nose. The lushly-textured palate is loaded with ripe, sweet, vibrant cherries, and plums with more weight, and lift than you find in the non cuvee. The Cuvee Royale is produced from a special selection of the estate’s best plots and is aged in 100% new, French oak barrels. Drink from 2023-2038. 93 Pts
2020 Roullet Canon Fronsac – Canon-Fronsac – Medium-bodied, round, forward, polished, plummy wine with subtle chocolate accents is perfect for early, uncomplicated drinking. Drink from 2023-2029. 88 Pts
2020 Tessendey – Fronsac – Flowers, cherries, black raspberries, espresso, and cocoa open the perfume. On the palate, the wine is equally interesting with its fresh sweet, red fruits, soft, supple-textured mid-palate, and vibrant, cherry, and cocoa-oriented finish. Drink from 2023-2038. 91 Pts
2020 Villars – Fronsac – Flowers, dark cherries, smoke, cocoa, and spice open the nose. On the palate, the wine is loaded with sweet, chocolate-covered cherries. The finish is round, polished, and packed with fruit, surrounded by toasty oak. This offers a lot of bang for the buck for savvy Bordeaux value wine seekers. Drink from 2023-2035. 92 Pts
It is going to be Right Bank tasting notes for a while around here. Up next, 2020 Lalande de Pomerol Wines followed by Pomerol and then St. Emilion.
