2020 is a sublime vintage for the St. Emilion satellite appellations. 2020 Lussac-Saint Emilion, 2020 Montagne-Saint Emilion, 2020 Puisseguin-Saint Emilion, and 2020 St. Georges-Saint Emilion all produced some of the best wines in the history of their estates as you can see from my tasting notes and scores below.
With terroirs that are as good or better than some St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe vineyards, these wines can often represent some of the best values in the Right Bank as well as in all of Bordeaux! Plus, most of these wines are delicious on release and can age and evolve for over a decade or longer. And they all sell at very friendly consumer prices!
The following wines were all tasted in my home office in non-blind conditions.
2020 Barbe Blanche – Lussac-St. Émilion – Round, medium-bodied, fruity, juicy and peppery with a core of bright red berries and peppery spice. 85-87 Pts
2020 Bechereau Couleur Malbec – Montagne-St. Émilion – Dark in color, the wine shows a strong herb, leaf and forest-centered nose. Tannic, concentrated, fruity and rustic wine. One of the few wines produced from almost 100% Malbec, give it time to age, and it could come together. 84-86 Pts
2020 Bel-Air Jean Gabriel – Lussac-St. Émilion – Dark in color, the wine shows off its black fruit, licorice, espresso and dark cocoa character with little effort. Round, soft, lush and polished, the sweet fruits and silky-textured finish hits the spot for early drinking, hedonistic pleasure. 90-92 Pts
2020 Cap St. George – St. Georges-St. Émilion – Medium-bodied, with a showy nose of flowers, ripe red plums, kirsch, smoke, spice and licorice, the wine is soft, silky, polished, spicy and fresh, with a nice sweetness to the elegant fruits in the finish. You can drink this on release and over the next decade or longer with ease. 89-91 Pts
2020 Clos Bertineau – Montagne-St. Émilion – From 100% Merlot, the wine is medium-bodied, bright, fresh and fruity with soft-textured cherry and cocoa-centered, medium finish for early drinking pleasure. 87-89 Pts
2020 Clos de Bouard – Montagne-St. Émilion – Dark in color, the bouquet pops with chocolate-covered plums, licorice, smoke, stone and spice. Lusciously textured with layers of ripe, sweet, round, opulent fruits, this is a contender for the best vintage of Clos de Bouard yet. 92-94 Pts
2020 Dame de Bouard – Montagne-St. Émilion – Soft, lush, ripe and forward with a focus on its cocoa-infused plums, cherries and licorice. There is a nice polish to the tannins, and ample, sweet fruit in the finish, making this just great to enjoy on release. 89-91 Pts
2020 Courlat Cuvée Jean Baptiste – Lussac-St. Émilion – With a tobacco edge to accompany the red fruits, espresso and earthy notes, the wine is medium-bodied and accessible with a chewy, red berry finish. 89-91 Pts
2020 de Bellevue – Lussac-St. Émilion – Medium-bodied, bright, crisp and fresh, with a crunchy red berry and citrus character. The wine is sharp, fresh and sweet, with tart on the palate and in the endnote. 84-86 Pts
2020 de Malengin Eve – Montagne-St. Émilion – Deep in color, on the palate the wine is packed with layers of lush, silky, dark red, black and blue fruits. The wine finishes with creamy textures and layers of polished, dark red and blue fruits. The wine was aged entirely in Amphora. 90-92 Pts
2020 Eammanuelle de Bouard Mon Jardin des Vignes – Lussac-St. Émilion – Dark in color, the wine is medium-bodied, fresh and vibrant with a beautiful floral character. The fruit is ripe, sweet, crisp and lifted with nice sweetness in the endnote. 89-91 Pts
2020 Faizeau – Montagne-St. Émilion – Dark in color and in the fruit, the wine is ripe, lush, round and earthy, with mineral-driven, chocolate-coated black cherries and oak nuances on the palate and in the polished finish. This should age for at least 12 years with ease. 89-91 Pts
2020 Heritage de Negrit – Montagne-St. Émilion – Bright, fresh, sweet and juicy, the wine is medium-bodied with a strong touch of oak, licorice and spice. Here you find lush, round texture and plenty of sweet, ripe red fruits in the finish. 89-91 Pts
2020 Franck Despagne L’Envie – Montagne-St. Émilion – Dark in color, the wine is forward, lush, soft, round and polished with a sweet, fresh, dark cherry-filled character on the palate and in the finish, which leaves you with a cool touch of spearmint in the end-note. 90-92 Pts
2020 L’Hote Antique – Montagne-St. Émilion – Deeply colored, the wine opens with black cherries, smoke, licorice, dark chocolate and plums on the nose. Soft, lush, round and polished, with a luscious core of black raspberries, espresso and cocoa on the mid-palate and in the finish. The wine was aged in amphorae. Depending on your personal taste, the odd-shaped bottle wins the award for the best or worst shaped bottle of the year. It is not going to fit in standard wine racks. 90-92 Pts
2020 Jura-Plaisance – Montagne-St. Émilion – Wet forest floor, spice and fruit cake join up easily with the soft, polished, red fruits. Medium-bodied, silky and fresh, this is going to be delicious on release and should provide pleasure for at least 12 years or so. 89-91 Pts
2020 La Bastienne – Montagne-St. Émilion – Medium-bodied, soft, silky and polished with layers of ripe, supple textured, dark, savory pit fruits, oak and just the right amount of dark cocoa. 89-91 Pts
2020 La Claymore – Lussac-St. Émilion – Forward, fruity, soft and round, here you find an open wine, focused on its core of chocolate-covered cherries on the nose and medium-bodied palate, that is going to be easy to drink on release. 87-89 Pts
2020 La Couronne Reserve – Montagne-St. Émilion – Forward, fruity, ripe, sweet, lush and round, with a supple textured core of juicy dark red pit fruits, espresso and chocolate with a push textured finish. 89-91 Pts
2020 La Grande Clotte – Lussac-St. Émilion – Medium-bodied, soft, ripe, fresh, sweet, accessible, red berry-filled wine with nuances of flowers, spice and licorice to add complexities. This is already quite fun to drink. 88-90 Pts
2020 La Grande Clotte L’Envolée – Lussac-St. Émilion – Flowers, espresso, cherries and licorice on the nose and medium-bodied, fresh, soft palate create a forward, easy to drink and like wine. 89-91 Pts
2020 La Papeterie, Château – Montagne-St. Émilion – Soft, silky, fresh, medium-bodied with a savory herbal touch to the elegant, spicy, lifted red fruits. This is delicious to drink already and will be even better with year or two of age. 89-91 Pts
2020 La Rose Perriere – Lussac-St. Émilion – Dark in color, with a nose that opens with flowers, black plums, cocoa, licorice and blue fruits. Medium-bodied, lush, round, supple and rich, the wine ends with loads of silky, supple textured, spicy, sweet fruits. This is a big step up from previous vintages, which is really nice to see. 90-92 Pts
2020 La Tour de Segur – Lussac-St. Émilion – In this dark in color wine, you find coffee bean, licorice, smoke, espresso, fruit cake and ripe plums on the nose. Round, soft, sweet, the wine is soft, silky, elegant and fresh. Forward in character, with a nice gentle touch on the palate, this will be quite easy to like on release. 89-91 Pts
2020 Les Combes – Lussac-St. Émilion – Medium-bodied, with scents of herbs, burnt wood, charcoal and red fruits on the nose, the wine is overly savory with a strong herbal and forest character on the palate and in the finish. 83-85 Pts
2020 Lussac – Lussac-St. Émilion – Citrus, red fruits and herbs on the nose. Medium-bodied, round, fresh, bright crisp, with a crunchy, red plum, tangy finish. 85-87 Pts
2020 Messile-Aubert – Montagne-St. Émilion – Medium-bodied, round and forward with a core of sweet, ripe, black plums, licorice and cocoa, soft textures and a fruity polished finish. 88-90 Pts
2020 Montaiguillon – Montagne-St. Émilion – Medium-bodied, soft, early-drinking, red berry centric wine without much complexity that will be best in its youth. Drink this over the next 5 years or so. 85-87 Pts
2020 Pontet Bayard – Pusseguin-St. Émilion – Medium-bodied, fresh, soft, fruity, refined, charming and frankly, already delicious, the sweet, ripe, savory red fruits taste and feel great on the palate and in the savory, leafy, red berry finish. 88-90 Pts
2020 Reclos de la Couronne – Montagne-St. Émilion – Deep in color, the core here combines spices, sweetness and savory characteristics that accompany the ripe, fresh, crisp, juicy sweet fruit. The finish has a lot of lift and ends with a peppery, cherry note. 89-91 Pts
2020 Rocher-Gardat – Montagne-St. Émilion – Medium-bodied with a fresh, spicy, red berry, smoke and espresso-filled core, the wine is soft, round and finishes with chocolate-coated plums in the endnote. This should be easy to enjoy in its youth. 89-91 Pts
2020 Roudier – Montagne-St. Émilion – Medium-bodied, savory, with an herbal leaning to the fruit. Spicy, earthy and with a touch of olives in the finish, you can enjoy this on release. This is going to be best enjoyed in its youth. 86-88 Pts
2020 Simon Blanchard Au Champ de la Fenêtre – Montagne-St. Émilion – Medium-bodied, fresh and juicy, the wine shows off its core of cocoa with red and black pit fruits on the nose and fruit-filled, round textured palate easily. 92-90 Pts
2020 Simon Blanchard AuChamp de la Fenetre – Montagne-St. Émilion – Smoke, spice, espresso, licorice and plums are all over the place here on the nose and palate. Deeply colored, the wine is round, plush, ripe, elegant and packed with sweet, ripe black cherries and plums. Give it just a few years in the cellar and it will be even better. The wine is made from 100% old Merlot vines that are close to 35 years of age. Simon Blanchard is a long-time member of the Stephane Derenoncourt team. 90-92 Pts
2020 Simon Blanchard Guitard – Montagne-St. Émilion – With a nice depth of color the wine opens with flowers, herbs, licorice and dark, red fruit aromas. On the palate, the wine is soft, lush and polished with the perfect combination of sweetness and vibrancy. The waves of dark ripe berries and freshness in the finish stay with you. 91-93 Pts
2020 St. Georges – St. Georges-St. Émilion – Bright, sweet, fresh, chewy and savory with an earthy richness and a fleshy, salty, crisp red berry finish. 87-89 Pts
2020 Teyssier Montagne – Montagne-St. Émilion – Espresso, smoke, licorice and black plums are experienced on the nose and palate. Deeply colored, lushly textured and focused on its polished, lush, sweet core of fruits this is going to offer pleasure almost on release. Drink it over the following decade. 89-91 Pts
2020 Tour Bayard – Montagne-St. Émilion – Black raspberries, flowers, licorice and espresso crowd the perfume. Medium-bodied, soft, fresh and fruity, with a ripe, black cherry, cocoa, licorice and blackberry character, this polished wine is going to be easy to enjoy in its youth, yet it should age for 12-15 years as well. 91-93 Pts
2020 Tour Bayard L’Angelot – Montagne-St. Émilion – Dark in color and fruit, the wine is ripe, lush and concentrated with a meaty, savory character. There is length, rocks, stones, assorted herbs, licorice, smoke and a rustic charm in the finish. Let this age for 6 years or so, and it will be a lot of fun to drink. As it is made from close to 100% Malbec old vines, it is a cool wine to bring to a blind tasting. 91-93 Pts
2020 Tour Perruchon – Lussac-St. Émilion – With a nice touch of chocolate that adds to the sweet plums and cherries in this medium-bodied, round, soft, forward wine. You can enjoy this on release. 88-90 Pts
2020 Vieux Château des Rochers – Montagne-St. Émilion – Fresh, bright, fruity, juicy and sweet, the wine is medium-bodied, forward, open and should be great to drink with just a year or two of aging. 89-91 Pts
2020 Vieux-Chateau-Palon – Montagne-St. Émilion – Spicy, stony and savory, the wine is lush, round and fleshy. Supple-textured and packed with ripe, deep red pit fruits, the wine leaves you with a silky, soft, polished, chocolate-covered black cherry and espresso-tinged finish. 90-92 Pts
Up next we will cover all the best 2020 Cotes de Bordeaux wines.
