2020 Margaux
Buying options
Tasting notes
While closed at first, the aromatics of the 2020 Ch. Margaux develop beautifully with air, releasing a complex array of peony, rose floral and menthol aromas with warmer toasted spice notes. There is a lovely concentration and density to the palate both in terms of fruit concentration and tannin detail. The pristine red and black fruit is so fresh and juicy but compacted by the tannins, focusing the wine right down the centre of the palate, providing extraordinary depth. High quality oak tones – cedar and spice – bite at the fruit, creating an amazing layering effect of spice, fruit and tannin. The handling of the oak is excellent. While very present, it keeps the wine focused and manages the sheer abundance of tannins on the mid-palate. This is a wine built to last.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Darkest crimson. Sweetly fragrant with pure black fruits and a hint of violets. Great power in the tannins but they are deeply layered not massive. Chewy but not thick. Monumental without excess weight. Freshness from the tannins and the acidity. (JH)
The 2020 Château Margaux has an ethereal bouquet, blossoming with each swirl to reveal scents of blackberry, ash, tobacco and touches of graphite. The palate is medium-bodied and utterly harmonious, with fine tannins, beautifully knitted oak and subtle touches of white pepper and graphite toward the finish. This is amongst the greatest wines of the 2020 vintage. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
The 2020 Château Margaux is a brilliant young wine, unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with hints of rose petals, iris, burning embers and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with terrific tension, beautifully refined tannins and a long, penetration finish, this is a vibrant, dynamic Margaux that stands out as the most classically proportioned wine of the 2018, 2019 and 2020 trio.
About the producer
Ch. Margaux is one of Bordeaux’s most historic and famous estates. The only classified First Growth in Margaux, it epitomises the appellation’s elegance, while producing wines with fantastic ageing potential.