As we mentioned earlier, because we tasted so many 2020 St. Emilion wines, over 200 in all, this report is published in 4 articles. For the additional articles and wine tasting notes, please see:
2020 St. Emilion, PT 1 Wines A-C with Vintage and Harvest Report, Producer Quotes
2020 St. Emilion, PT 3 Wines L-N
2020 St. Emilion, PT 4 Wines P-Z
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 Saint Emilion wines constituting Part 2, wines D-K were all tasted in my home office in non-blind conditions.
2020 Dassault – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, cherries, espresso, licorice, and smoke create the perfume here. The wine is full-bodied, deep, and long, with richness. intensity, and lift, giving you a solid backdrop for all of its supple-textured, chocolate-covered, red fruits on the mid-palate, and in the finish. This is an outstanding vintage for Chateau Dassault! Drink from 2024-2040. 93 Pts
2020 Dassault de D – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Medium-bodied, fresh, bright, clean red fruits with a touch of flowers, fennel, and cocoa to round things out. This is ready for consumption on release. Drink from 2023-2030. 88 Pts
2020 Destieux – St. Émilion Grand Cru – A rich, deep, lush, and luscious-styled wine that packs in layers of fleshy sweet, round, opulent fruits, toasty oak, chocolate, and espresso. This could be my favorite vintage of Chateau Destieux. Drink from 2024-2040. 92 Pts
2020 Faugeres – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Truffles, cocoa, dark red fruits, licorice, and spice create a perfume that wants to get noticed. On the palate, the wine is rich, lush, concentrated, deep, and polished. Yet, it is balanced by its freshness, lift, and elegance that makes everything work here from start to the vibrant, cocoa, plum, and spice-box-infused finish. Drink from 2024-2040. 94 Pts
2020 Faugeres Blanc – Bordeaux – Juicy lemons and white flowers open the nose, while on the palate, the wine is all about its core of sweet, white peaches, apricots, and creamy lemon chiffon. Drink from 2023-2030. 91 Pts
2020 Faurie de Souchard – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Lush, opulent, sweet, ripe fruits coat your palate and stay there. Medium-bodied, yet with an ample depth of flavor, the supple finish lingers with fruit, cocoa, coffee bean, and Indian spices. Drink from 2023-2040. 92 Pts
2020 de Ferrand – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Easily offering up its floral bouquet in the nose, the wine is soft, silky, and fresh with a vibrant, medium-bodied core of soft, polished, fresh, red fruits, spice, chocolate, coffee bean, and wet earth. Elegant, and refined, with endnotes of licorice, espresso, and plums, this is the finest vintage I have ever tasted from de Ferrand. Drink from 2024-2038. 92 Pts
2020 Figeac – St. Émilion Grand Cru – The purity, elegance, refinement, and walls of perfectly ripe, sweet, sensuous fruits are almost off the charts here! Aromatically, the floral bouquet with accents of espresso, black plums, cherries, black raspberries, spice, licorice, and wet earth can keep any taster busy for ages. But the magic really hits you when the wine begins caressing your palate with its opulent, luscious, silky, velvet-drenched layers of fruit, and freshness which steals the show. The seamless, 60-second-plus finish is riveting, inspiring you to go back for another sniff, swirl, and sip for the pleasure of it. I do not often drink when tasting. But we finished every drop of this bottle. This is a serious candidate for triple-digit perfection after a decade of aging. Drink from 2027-2065. 99 Pts
2020 Figeac Petit-Figeac – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Medium-bodied, forward, fresh, and with a fresh, crispness to the red fruits, the wine is floral, vibrant, and packed with sweet, ripe cherries, and plums with a touch f licorice, and herbs. Refined, and ready to go, you can enjoy this on release or age it for more complexity. Drink from 2023-2037. 92 Pts
2020 Fleur Cardinale – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Deeply colored, the wine struts its chocolate-covered, black cherries, plums, licorice, flowers, and espresso character with ease. Rich, full, lush, and long, the layers of fruit express length, purity, balance, and complexity, leaving with a long, supple-textured, fruit-packed finish. As I wrote when tasted in barrel, this is the best Fleur Cardinale I have tasted in a few years. The wine blends 77% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2024-2045. 95 Pts
2020 Fleur Cardinale Croix Cardinale – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Licorice, menthol, 5 spice, espresso, smoke, cocoa, and dark red fruits are all over the place here in the nose, and on the palate. Soft, round, lush, and forward, the sweetness in the ripe, fresh fruits makes its mark and stays with you through to the finish. The wine is made by blending 84% Merlot with 16% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2023-2040. 92 Pts
2020 Fleur Cardinale Intuition – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Espresso, chocolate, spice, and cherries shine with ease in the nose. Medium-bodied, soft, supple, glossy, and fruity, the wine is forward, sweet, and loaded with dark cherries, plums, and cocoa in the mid-palate that carries through to the finish. Drink from 2023-2035. 91 Pts
2020 Fombrauge – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Ripe, round, lush forward, and fruity, the wine is packed with chocolately, plums, espresso, and licorice from top to bottom. The rich, concentrated, layers of plush, polished fruits linger on your palate which is a good thing, as they are delicious. Drink from 2023-2040. 93 Pts
2020 Fonbel – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Soft, supple-textured, and refined, the wine is floral in nature before moving to its core of sweet, ripe, soft, and spicy, fresh, cherries, kirsch, and earthy, bright, red plums. Drink this on the young side. Drink from 2023-2034. 90 Pts
2020 Fonplegade – St. Émilion Grand Cru – The showy nose wants your attention due to its essence of flowers, minerals, licorice, mint leaf, and red fruits. On the palate, the wine is silky, fresh, and vibrant. Concentrated, rich, yet elegant, and light on its feet, this is a refined wine with finesse, length, and purity which is not afraid to offer its oceanic influences along with all of its layers of perfectly ripe, red, and black fruits. This will age effortlessly for two decades or more, but you can also enjoy it in its youth, if you are like me, and can’t wait to see what it’s all about. Drink from 2025-2045. 94 Pts
2020 Fonroque – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, red pit fruits, licorice, and a touch of volatile acidity, not enough to mar the wine, but it seems to be part of its character. On the palate, the wine is a bit better with all of its soft, fresh, sweet, ripe, silky red fruits, and refined endnote. Drink from 2023-2038. 91 Pts
2020 Franc La Rose – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Medium-bodied, with a nice floral character which adds to the bright, red fruits, and their fresh, early-drinking, soft-textured qualities. Drink from 2023-2031. 88 Pts
2020 Franc Le Maine – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Loads of ripe, sweet, layers of red, and black pit fruits, espresso, smoke, licorice, and a touch of leafy herbs, and oak on the backend. Vibrant, fresh, and fruity on the palate, this is already quite nice to drink, and it is only going to get better from here. Drink from 2023-2038. 91 Pts
2020 Franc Pipeau – St. Émilion Grand Cru – My first time tasting this wine, and I already hope to see it again thanks to all of its freshness, layers of sweet, ripe, soft, polished fruits, and elegant finish, with its coffee-coated, cherry endnote, and touch of salt on the backend. Drink from 2023-2039. 91 Pts
2020 Franc-Lartigue – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Ripe, round, lush, forward, and oaky at the moment, so it takes some effort before you get into the fleshy, sweet, ripe plums, and cherries, and the medium-bodied, fruity, chewy, albeit oaky finish. Give it a year or two, and hope the oak becomes better integrated. Drink from 2025-2037. 90 Pts
2020 Franc-Mayne – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Spicy black cherries, smoke, flowers, cigar box, dark red fruits, and espresso bean shine with ease in the perfume. Elegant, fresh, vibrant, and refined, the wine is medium-bodied, lifted, and ends with ample minerality, and dark chocolate-covered plums on the backend that keeps on going. This could be the finest vintage of Franc Mayne ever produced. Drink from 2024-2045. 94 Pts
2020 Gabriel Lauzat – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Forward, round, lush, and fruity, as well as medium-bodied, and a bit oaky at the moment, still, this is a nice wine to enjoy on release, and for near-term drinking. Drink from 2023-2029. 87 Pts
2020 Godeau – St. Émilion Grand Cru – In the nose you find chocolate, coffee bean, savory herbs, smoke, licorice, and black cherry liqueur. Lush, fruity, polished, and with a nice touch of crushed stone on the mid-palate, you can drink this with pleasure on release, or age it. Drink from 2023-2038. 91 Pts
2020 Gourdins – St. Émilion – Medium-bodied, fresh, soft, and fruity with a sweet, vibrant cherry-filled center that is perfect for near-term enjoyment. Drink from 2023-2029. 88 Pts
2020 Grace Fonrazade – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Medium-bodied with ample, ripe, red pit fruits, espresso, and leafy, green herbs. I like this a bit better on the palate as it’s supple in texture, with plenty of fruit in the finish. You can enjoy this on release. Drink from 2023-2035. 90 Pts
2020 Grand Destieu – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Ripe, round lush, fruity, and creamy, there is a polish to the tannins, and a wave of sweet, ripe, cherries in the mid-palate, and finish that is quite nice here. Drink from 2023-2038. 91 Pts
2020 Grand Mayne – St. Émilion Grand Cru – The complex nose, with its array of flowers, espresso, black cherries, black raspberries, and black plums wide a side of mint focuses you on the glass. But it is on the palate, with its freshness, silky tannins, and layers of mineral-edged, vibrant, sweet, fruits with their closing notes of plums, and salty, dark chocolate that seals the deal. This could be the best vintage of Grand Mayne ever produced! Drink from 2025-2050. 94 Pts
2020 Grand-Barrail-Lamarzelle – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Medium-bodied, forward, accessible, fresh, and vibrant, the spicy red fruits at the core of this wine have lift, and energy in the nose, and in the palate, which finishes with chalky tannins, and chocolate accents. This is the best vintage of Grand-Barrail-Lamarzelle I have ever tasted. Things are on the upswing here. Drink from 2023-2032. 90 Pts
2020 Grand-Corbin – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Medium-bodied, silky, fresh, and energetic, the supple-textured wine is packed with flowers, and sweet, ripe, elegant, red fruits with notes of licorice, dark cocoa, and espresso in the endnote. Give it a year or two for the oak to become better integrated. Drink from 2024-2038. 92 Pts
2020 Grand-Corbin-Despagne – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, licorice, cherries, plums, spice, bay leaves, and sage create the complex aromatics. The wine is medium-bodied, silky, and fresh. There is a gorgeous vibrancy, and purity in the sweet, ripe, red fruits that linger, long after the wine has left your glass. Produced from blending 75% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, this finesse-styled wine is clearly one of the best vintages of Chateau Grand Corbin-Despagne ever produced. Drink from 2024-2045. 94 Pts
2020 Grand-Corbin-Despagne Petit – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Licorice, red fruits, and flowers greet your nose. On the palate, the wine is soft, fresh, medium-bodied fruity, with a silky, vibrant red berry finish that is perfect for early drinking pleasure. Drink from 2023-2032. 90 Pts
2020 Grandes Murailles – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Supple, and vibrant with layers of sweet, ripe, black plums, chocolate, licorice, and smoke. Texturally, this is pure silk with a bit of chalk that is perfect for showing off all of its flawlessly ripe black cherries, and plums with their licorice, and chocolate accents. Priced from 100% old vine Merlot, this is going to be delicious on release, and it will be even better with age. Drink from 2023-2040. 94 Pts
2020 Grangey – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Medium-bodied, soft, fresh, and polished, this is fully ready-to-go with its cherry-filled core of fruits that show in the perfume, the palate, and carries all the way through to the soft-textured finish. Drink from 2023-2034. 91 Pts
2020 Grangey Les 5 Parcelles – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Medium-bodied, soft, polished, and fruity with loads of sweet, ripe, black, and red pit fruits, chalky minerality, and a dash of chocolate. This is already quite nice and promises to get even better with a few years of age. Drink from 2023-2036. 92 Pts
2020 Haut Brisson – St. Émilion Grand Cru – With a touch of espresso, smoke, cocoa, and red fruits, the wine is medium-bodied, fresh, spicy, and fruity with a touch of dust, chalk, and red fruits in the endnotes. Drink from 2023-2027. 92 Pts
2020 Haut Rocher – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Chocolate, black cherries, plums, flowers, and licorice create the nose here. On the palate, the wine is even better with its fruit-filled, energetic, savory cherry finish. There is a nice, salty essence that comes through in the finish. Drink from 2023-2035. 91 Pts
2020 Haut Veyrac – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Medium-bodied, fresh, chalky, cherries, and flowers combine to create a forward, crisp, sweet, fresh wine with a vibrant, red plum finish. Drink from 2023-2037. 90 Pts
2020 Haut-Sarpe – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Smoke, wild cherries, coffee, licorice, spice, and red fruits define the perfume. On the palate, the wine offers a mid-palate, and finish which delivers a ripe, sweet fruit, and chocolate-coated endnote. Drink from 2023-2036. 91 Pts
2020 Jean Faure – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Utilizing one of the highest percentages of Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux, at 65% of the blend, the wine offers a floral-dominated perfume with cedar, spice, herbs, mint, and salty plums. Medium-bodied, elegant, refined, and silky on the palate, there is freshness, refinement, and a savory edge to the sweet, vibrant, dusty red fruits in the finish. Drink from 2023-2042. 92 Pts
2020 Jean Voisin – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, plums, toasty oak, spice, and hints of blueberry on the nose. That’s good, but, the palate is even better with its silky-edged, polished, fresh, sweet, multi-layered fruit, and chocolate character. Drink from 2024-2040. 93 Pts
2020 Jean Voisin L’Esprit – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Medium-bodied, fresh, floral, and cherry-packed wine with a savory edge, and a dash of cocoa for early-drinking pleasure. You can dig into this on release. Drink from 2023-2028. 87 Pts
With over 200 tasting notes for 2020 Saint Emilion, we split our coverage of this appellation into 4 articles. For the other 3 articles:
2020 St. Emilion, PT 1 Wines A-C with Vintage and Harvest Report, Producer Quotes
2020 St. Emilion, PT 3 Wines L-N
2020 St. Emilion, PT 4 Wines P-Z
After 2020 Saint Emilion is finished, we will wrap everything up with the final reviews from the Left Bank with 2020 Pauillac, 2020 Margaux, 2020 St. Julien, 2020 St. Estephe and 2020 Sauternes.
