Top Scoring 2020 Bordeaux!
2020 Canon
$154.89 (750ml) Pre-Arrival- Buy Now
100 VM / 100 JA / 98 JS / 98-100 WA / 96-98 JD
The 2020 Canon is a wine of mind-blowing purity and nuance. It has been nothing less than thrilling on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. Intensely saline and chalky, the 2020 possesses spellbinding finesse and nuance. Red-toned fruit, crushed rocks, white pepper, rose petal and mint all come alive in the glass, buttressed by clean saline notes that extend the mid-palate into the finish. There is simply nothing like great Canon. And the 2020 is unquestionably a great Canon.-Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
2020 Pavie Macquin
$120.00 (750ml) Pre-Arrival- Buy Now
100 VM / 96-98 WA / 95-97+ JD / 95-96 JS / 95 WS / 95 DE
The 2020 Pavie Macquin is sensational. Rich, dark and explosive, the 2020 balances the natural richness that is such a signature of the estate with a level of energy and vibrancy I have not seen here in the recent past. The result is a towering, imposing Pavie Macquin that hugely delivers. In this vintage, regisseur Nicolas Thienpont did not use the Cabernet Sauvignon, so the blend is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, with the Franc lending aromatic presence, energy and depth. What a total knock out! -Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
2020 Les Carmes Haut Brion
$219.99 (750ml) Pre-Arrival- Buy Now
100 VM / 97-98 JS / 96-98 JD / 95-97+ WA / 96 DE
Vinous Wine of the Year 2022 - Antonio Galloni
The 2020 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a total stunner. For the first time I can remember, Les Carmes Haut-Brion marries all of its elements so well that nothing stands out. In the past, the high percentage of Franc and/or the whole clusters were evident. The 2020 is the first modern vintage in which all the elements are so well balanced. Dark red/purplish fruit, rose petal, mint, lavender, dried herbs and incense all build in a ravishing Pessac-Léognan that will take your breath away. The 2020 is 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot, picked between September 14 to 26, which is early here. Whole cluster was 55%. Vinification took place over five weeks, using very gentle extraction, with no pumpovers or punchdowns. Aging was 80% new oak, 11% 18hL foudres and 9% amphorae. In tasting, the 2020 is simply magnificent. There are no soloists, just the most exceptionally vivid, breathtaking orchestra imaginable. The 2020 is a masterpiece from Technical Director Guillaume Pouthier and his team. Don't miss it! -Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
2020 Mouton Rothschild
$699.00 (750ml) Pre-Arrival- Buy Now
99-100 JS / 99 VM / 98 DE / 97-99 JD / 97-99 WA
The 2020 Mouton Rothschild is very clearly one of the great, great wines of the Left Bank in 2020. All the elements are in perfect balance. A wine of total sensuality and nuance, Mouton is all finesse in 2020, all elegance. An explosion of dark cherry fruit, plum, pomegranate, mint and cinnamon are all amplified. From barrel, the 2020 Mouton hinted at greatness. Today, that greatness is evident. The rich, vibrant finish is a thing of beauty.-Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
2020 Vieux Château Certan
$441.99 (750ml) Pre-Arrival- Buy Now
98-100 WA / 98-99 JS / 99 VM / 97-99 JD
The 2020 Vieux Château Certan is a wine of total harmony and finesse. Absolutely nothing is out of place. Supple and seamless, the 2020 is an infant, but it is so impressive. Crème de cassis, lavender, mocha and licorice are some of the many notes that emerge from the glass, but more than anything else, the 2020 is a majestic Pomerol that will thrill those lucky enough to own it. There's not much else to say. The 2020 spent 18 months in barrel, 65% new.-Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
2020 Montrose
$217.99 (750ml) Pre-Arrival- Buy Now
99 VM / 98 DE / 97 JA / 95-97 WE / 95 WS / 18+ JR
The 2020 Montrose is epic. Dark, rich and brooding, the 2020 possesses remarkable intensity, and, yet it is somehow not excessively heavy. Time in the glass brings out the wine's more elegant sophisticated side. All the elements are so well-balanced. Red/purplish fruit, lavender rose petal, gravel and spice are all accented by veins of intense minerality that lend shape and energy. The 2020 is a modern-day classic for Montrose and one of the great wines of the Left Bank.- Neal Martin, Vinous Media
2020 Ausone
$799.00 (750ml) Pre-Arrival- Buy Now
99 DE / 99 VM / 18+ JR
The 2020 Ausone is stellar. Usually a showier wine, Ausone is packed with bright acids, deep fruit and tons of supporting structure. Dark red fruit, blood orange, pomegranate, rose petal, mocha and dried herbs all race out of the glass. Deep and layered, with magnificent finesse, Ausone is lights out in 2020. What a wine. Readers lucky enough to own it are in for a thrilling ride over the next few decades.-Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
2020 Léoville Las Cases
$313.99 (750ml) Pre-Arrival- Buy Now
98-99 JS / 98+ VM / 96 WS / 95-97+ JD / 96-98 WA / 96 DE
The 2020 Léoville Las Cases has developed into a powerhouse. Then again, that is Las Cases. En primeur, I thought the 2020 was a bit shy, but its true personality has to emerge. Blackberry jam, gravel, spice, menthol, licorice, espresso and plum all saturate the palate. Vivid and explosive, the 2020 is dizzyingly rich, with plenty of Las Cases tannins that will require patience. I am not sure when the 2020 will be ready to drink, but it won't be anytime soon. Las Cases is one of the wines of the vintage in 2020, that much is pretty clear.-Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
2020 Lafite-Rothschild
$1099.00 (750ml) Pre-Arrival- Buy Now
99-100 JS / 97-99 JD / 98 VM / 96-98 WA / 97 DE
The 2020 Lafite-Rothschild, which contains the highest proportion of Merlot since the 2016, hit the bull's eye from barrel. Revisiting the wine in the bottle since July, it still bursts from the glass with copious blackberries, touches of blueberry and juniper, pencil lead and a hint of crushed stone. Wonderful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with finely-chiseled tannins, quite linear and "correct" – a quintessential Lafite-Rothschild in many ways. It gently builds in the mouth while keeping a restraint on things, finishing with fine sapidity yet a little more juiciness than you would have found a decade or two earlier. This has the potential to evolve beautifully over several decades.- Neal Martin, Vinous Media
2020 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
$229.00 (750ml) Pre-Arrival- Buy Now
98-100 JD / 98 VM / 97 WS / 98 JS / 95-97 WA / 96 DE
The 2020 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has a very intense bouquet with layers of black fruit, hints of seaweed/brine, crushed stone, and perhaps less mint than it displayed from barrel. This possesses stunning delineation, like a perfect C major chord echoing around an empty cathedral. The palate is very well balanced, much more classic in style than its barrel showing, saline to its core, with hints of brine. A Pauillac where you can really sense the Gironde estuary flowing through its veins. Nicolas Glumineau has one of his finest creations on his hands, and when it grows up, it will be
challenging First Growths.- Neal Martin, Vinous Media
2020 La Mission Haut-Brion
$399.00 (750ml) Pre-Arrival- Buy Now
97-99 WA / 98 VM / 98 DE / 97-98 JS / 96-98 JD
The 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion has a detailed bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit, black olive, terracotta and a light wet clayey scent (I sometimes think of a potter's wheel.) It gains complexity in the glass and becomes increasingly refined. The palate is beautifully balanced and caters for the 14.7% alcohol with ease. Very fine tannins, perfectly matched with the acidity, beguiling in terms of its cohesive and velvety smooth finish that lingers long in the mouth. The greatest La Missions are the effortless ones and the 2020 is just that. Beautiful.- Neal Martin, Vinous Media
Check out all of our 2020 Bordeaux!
