2020 Haut Simard
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Tasting notes
The 2020 Haut-Simard offers up aromas of dark berries, coniferous forest floor, rose petals, violets, raw cocoa and spices, followed by a medium top full-bodied, fleshy and velvety palate that's taut and chalky, with lively acids and a long, saline finish. It's a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet France from holdings at the foot of the slope opposite Canon-la-Gaffelière.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
Coming from vines at the base of the Côte Pavie and a 60/40 split of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Château Haut-Simard has lots of salty minerality as well as perfumed red and black fruits, spice, dried flowers, and floral nuances. A mineral bomb, it picks up an almost iodine-like nuance with time in the glass, is medium to full-bodied, and has ripe tannins, followed by a gorgeous finish. This is one seriously good Saint-Emilion to enjoy over the coming 15-20 years.
The 2020 Haut-Simard has a vibrant and lively nose with black cherries, bilberry, crushed rock and hints of salted licorice in the background. It's beautifully defined with seamlessly integrated new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with a granular entry, the oak quite prominent at first, indicating a Saint-Émilion that will require time to knit together. Just a bit of warmth on the finish, this is one of the few years where maybe I would not put this ahead of Simard.
The 2020 Haut Simard is unusual in this year in that it includes 40% Cabernet Franc. That comes through in the wine’s aromatic profile and overall energy. Bright red berry fruit, dried herbs, mint, sage and tobacco open first. The 2020 is a bit reticent, but it offers terrific energy and tons of nuance. Readers will want to cellar this for at least a few years. It’s an intriguing wine, to be sure. 93
About the producer
Ch. Haut-Simard is owned by the Vauthier family of Ch. Ausone. Since Alain Vauthier took over the Saint-Emilion estate in 2008, quality here has risen exponentially with vintages from 2019 onwards in particular showing the potential of this exceptional terroir.