As we all gathered outside the door we eagerly awaited our entrance into what would be one of the great tastings of the year for Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux. I was very excited to taste some of the greats from the 2020 vintage in Bordeaux — a year that has been already hailed by many critics as being consistent and concentrated. 2020 was a warm year that had early flowering and very warm conditions from mid-June to mid-August. Heavy thunderstorms then hit the left bank, with the right bank less affected. 2020 is warm like 2018 but had more moderate conditions overall. Due to the heat, harvest was early, producing generally low yields.
Tasting the wines you can really feel the power on the Right Bank. These are deep, concentrated wines that will age gloriously. I loved the 2020 Chateau Le Bon Pasteur (OB, 95) which quite literally screams terroir and the broad-shouldered 2020 Chateau La Cabanne (OB, 95) which will cellar beautifully for decades. Overall quality on the Right Bank is clearly very high.
But there were also clearly world-class wines made on the Left Bank. The finest wine I tasted was the 2020 Chateau Pichon-Lalande (OB, 99) which flirts with perfection and is silky and generous with no rough edges. This beauty will cellar for many decades to come. Nearly as good was the scintillating 2020 Chateau Leoville-Poyferre (OB, 96) which has gobs of stuffing and the very elegant 2020 Chateau Lynch-Bages (OB, 96) which shows lovely terroir and earthy tones. Don’t sleep on the incredible value 2020 Chateau Gisgours (OB, 95) which is also quite powerful and shows velvety tannins right now. Both rouge and blanc wines by Chateau Pape Clement (OB, 96, OB, 96) offer outstanding value and aging potential. After this landmark tasting it is quite clear that buyers of the 2020 Bordeau vintage have a lot to look forward to.
2020 Chateau La Counsapaude- The outstanding 2020 Chateau La Counsapaude offers rich anise and black currant flavors alongside silky tannins and a smooth mouthfeel. Finishing long with copious meirnals, enjoy this beauty over the next fifteen plus years. Drink 2024-2040- 92
2020 Chateau La Gaffeliere A really great wine for 2020, the Chateau La Gaffeliere is a smooth blend of 60% Merlot with the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon. The house has been owned by the Malet Roquefort family for over three centuries and located in the "golden triangle," between the hills of Chateaux Pavie and Ausone. Right away on the palate you taste the dense dark currant tones alongside dried herbs and coffee grounds. Medium to full-bodied, savor this now and ver the next twenty years. Drink 2024-2044- 94
2020 Chateau Villamaurine- A gorgeous blend of 80% Merlot with the remainder Cabernet Franc, this spent roughly16 months in French oak before bottling. On the nose this takes on smoky aromas alongside graphite and dense dark fruits with hints of dark hocolate. This shows some really nice aging potential. Drink 2024-2042- 94
2020 Chateau Le Bon Pasteur- The gorgeous 2020 Chateau Le Bon Pasteur comes from the home of famed enologist Michel Rolland. Showing off its deep color in the glass, this evolves with heady dark currants, Black Forest cake and mocha with wet gravel notes on the nose. The palate is rich and layered with suggestions of creme de violette and stony accents. The viscosity here is sinfully good, as this beauty will evolve for decades to come Drink 2024-2045- 95
2020 Chateau La Cabanne- Comprised of (96%) and Cabernet Franc (4%), this shows a silky texture with good richness and fantastic underlying finesse. Pencil lead, anise and among undertones along side rich dark and blue fruits. A complete wine, this will be best consumed in several years. Drink 2024-2043- 95
2020 Chateau Gazin- The 2020 Chateau Gazin shows loads of potential and is coming off a bit backwards now. Medium to full bodied dark fruits combine with espresso grounds and wet gravel notes on the palate. Finishing long with great finesse, enjoy in several years. Drink 2025-2040- 93
2020 Chateau Clarke- The 2020 Chateau Clarke comes from the Listrac-Médoc, in the Northern Médoc region. This performs well with good freshness and displays medium bodied dark cherry, and date fruit flavors alongside coffee grounds and cloves. Give this another year in the bottle. Drink 2024-2040-92
2020 Chateau Coufran- Really good in 2020, Chateau Coufran combines Merlot (85%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%). Right away very appealing this offers medium to full-bodied tar, tobacco leaf, anise and fresh blackberries on the palate. Already nicely evolved, try to hold on this beauty for at least another year Drink 2024-2038- 93
2020 Chateau Augludet- In this 2020 vintage they have chosen to add more Petite Verdot. It comes off very fresh and somewhat angular with lighter to medium bodied dark fruits w tobacco leaf alongside gritty tannins. Drink 2023-2033- 91
2020 Chateau La Tour Carnet- The 2020 La Tour Carnet combines Merlot (60%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (40%). Right away this shows a deep hue with mocha and allspice tones alongside shades of pencil lead and damp earth. Medium bodied and well balanced, enjoy now and over the next twenty years. Drink 2024-2040- 93
2020 Chateau Gisgours- A sensational effort in 2020, the Chateau Gisgours combines Cabernet Sauvignon (56%) and Merlot (44%). This comes off ultra velvety with refined tannins. Very pure dark fruits march on with espresso grounds and shades of damp earth. This is silky, elegant and highly-concentrated wine that has a long way to go in the cellar. Give this several years before consuming. Drink 2025-2045- 95
2020 Chateau Lascombes- I had a marvelous visit to this house back in 2019. The 2020 Lascombes combines Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Merlot (40%) and a touch of Petit Verdot (5%). Right away this comes off very refined on the palate, displaying copious minerals with deep black fruits, dark chocolate and pipe tobacco flavors. Medium to full-bodied, enjoy over the next two decades. Try to resist for another couple of years. Drink 2025-2043- 94
2020 Chateau Beaumont- Outstanding and very savory the great value 2020 Chateau Beaumont shows garrigue notes alongside velvety tannins with rich figs and anise tones on the palate. Finishing long with black fruits and copious minerals, this is best consumed in a year or so — and will bring pleasure for another fifteen years. Drink 2024-2040- 92
2020 Chateau Beychevelle- There is a lot to love with the new 2020 Beychevelle which is a marvelous blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and the remainder Petit Verdot. On the palate medium to full-bodied flavors of mocha, tar, anise and creme de violette all enter the fray. Very concentrated and refined, enjoy over the next twenty five years to come. Just try to resist this beauty for a few more years. Drink 2025-2050- 95
2020 Chateau Gruaud Larose- The 2020 Chateau Gruaud Larose is an outstanding wine that is showing serious aging potential. The blend combines Cabernet Sauvignon (79%), smaller portions Cabernet Franc (4%), and Merlot (17%). Right away the heady aromas of mocha and tar notes combine with suggestions of leather and Turkish coffee all meld on the nose. The palate is rich and viscous with refined tannins and a great feeling of verve. Enjoy in several years. Drink 2025-2045- 94
2020 Chateau Leoville-Poyferre- Really good even in its youth, the hedonistic 2020 Chateau Leoville-Poyferre is a stunning wine from this vintage.Coming from this 60 hectare site set on Mindel gravel upon clayey-sandy subsoils, this comes off super refined with its tannic structure. Full-bodied coffee grounds, dark chocolate fudge and roasted date flavors meld with formidable viscosity and finesse. Try to resist this stunning wine for at least another three years. Drink 2026-2055- 96
2020 Chateau Talbot- The most Cabernet Sauvignon ever blended, this combines Cabernet Sauvignon (76%), Merlot (21%) and Petit Verdot (3%). Medium to full bodied mocha, anise and espresso grounds combine with soft tannins on the palate. Showing great length and persistence, hold off on this beauty for a few more years. Drink 2025-2045- 94
2020 Chateau Lynch Bages- A stunner from 2020, the Chateau Lynch Bages reminds me of the scintillating 2016 bottling. Showing off a very deep core in the glass, this combines with black currant cordial flavors with Arabica bean and creme de violette tones on the palate. This shows so much potential and ultra-refined tannins that make this quite literally a joy to drink even at this stage. Just try to resist this beauty for a few more years if you can. Drink 2025-3055- 96
2020 Chateau Phelan Segur- The 2020 Chateau Phelan Segur is one of the great wines of this house that I have tasted, up there with the outstanding 2005 and 2010 bottlings. This comes off very powerful and silky with refined tannins, with glorious length. A dense core of dark fruits greet you on the palate, with shades of dark licorice and coffee grounds. This will have the stuffing and finesse to cellar well for another two decades. Just hold off for a few more years. Drink 2025-2044- 94
2020 Chateau de Pez- The 2020 Chateau de Pez exudes class with its deep core in the glass. Ripe dark currants melange with dark chocolate and mocha tones with kirsch cordial on the palate. This is rich and layered stuff that will drink well for decades to come. Drink 2024-2040- 93
2020 Chateau Pichon Lalande- The finest wine of the tasting, the 2020 Chateau Pichon Lalande is a landmark wine from this vintage. A world-class blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot with the remainder 6% Cabernet Franc, this is ultra-rich and polished once on the mouth with a seamless texture. The Bordeaux effortlessly glides throughout the drinking experience, finishing very long with its polished tannins, black fruits and gorgeous finesse. Enjoy this dense, heady and wine that flirts with perfection over the next thirty years. Drink 2025-2055- 99
2020 Chateau Pape Clement Blanc- The 2020 Pape Clement Blanc is another stunning wine from this famed house for Bordeux Blanc. Complex and deep, with serious viscosity, this displays cardamom dusted melon, clementine white peach. This is power with gobs of finesse, as this dense beauty will go for decades to come Drink 2023-2043- 96
2020 Chateau Pape Clement Rouge- I adore the 2020 Chateau Pape Clement Rouge which is extremely powerful yet dazzles with its underlying tension. A blend of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, on the palate this classy wine reveals heady pencil lead ,kirsch cordial and espresso grounds that combine with the seamless texture. Very deep and concentrated, enjoys this beauty in a year or so. Drink 2024-2050- 96
2020 Chateau De Chevalier Blanc- This comes off refined and elegant with good concentration on the palate, showing bergamot, white peach, juicy gooseberry and suggestions of baking spice dusted brioche flavors. Rich and viscous, with fantastic verve, this is already nicely evolved and will cellar well for another two decades. Drink 2023-2042-95
2020 Chateau De Chevalier Rouge- Just as good as the 2020 ‘Blanc’ the 2020 Chateau Chevalier Rouge is very concentrated and heady wine that is drinking marvelously even now at the three year mark. A gorgeous blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, this offers wonderful underlying tension alongside medium to full-bodied dark currant, tobacco leaf, freshly tilled soil and stony accents on the palate. Delightful even now, enjoy over the next twenty years to come. Drink 2023-2043- 95