Château Margaux Margaux 2020

100 points James Suckling: "Gorgeous aromas of dark plums and violets. Orange peel, too. Some crushed stone. Bark. Stems. Iron shavings. Full-bodied, but very tight and compacted. The tannins are all here making it very structured, yet they are polished and melted together. Needs years to show all of its greatness. Incredible polish and structure. More structured than the 2019. Try after 2030 and beyond. (03/30/23).”

100 points La Revue du Vin de France: "This grand vin will undoubtedly go down in history. Margaux's great Cabernets express themselves with a balance and vibrancy on the palate that make this one of the cru's greatest successes. The texture is fabulous, creamy and sensual, with interminable length that internalises with each passing second in a festival of fruity notes. (2024)"

99 points Georgina Hindle (Decanter): “Cool and confident, an effortless Margaux that’s a clear success in 2020. Vivid colour in the glass with a delicately perfumed nose. Smooth and graceful on the palate, silky yet rich too, deepening in layers, much more vertical than wide at this point but with clear concentration. It expands slowly but surely, really taking its time before the juicy, chewy, succulent blackcurrant, liquorice, clove, sweet spice and cooling menthol touches come forward. Nuanced and detailed with precision and clarity to the taste and overall sensation. A Margaux for the ages. (Drink between 2028-2049. (1/3/23)”

99 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "The 2020 Chateau Margaux is deep garnet-purple in color. After a couple of swirls, notions of blackcurrant pastilles, redcurrant jelly, and juicy black plums soar from the glass, leading to underlying suggestions of dark chocolate, candied violets, cast-iron pan, and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate is satiny smooth, vibrant, and energetic, featuring floral, mineral, and black fruit layers, finishing very long and shimmery. Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 89% of the blend, completed by 8% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Alcohol 13.5%. Drink: 2028-2068. (3/12/23)"

99 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "It is the elegance of the wine, silkiness in the tannins, and the purity in the fruits that form the character in this wine. On the palate, you find layers of sweet, refined, cherries, red plums, and black raspberries tasting like they were picked at the perfect moment and eaten in the vineyard. Texturally, the wine is incredible. The fruits are velvety, creamy, fresh, long, and rich. Everything is in balance and harmony. The finish is seamless giving you a wine that is effortless to taste. The wine blends 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc, 13.5% ABV, 3.68 Ph. Drink from 2030-2060. (8/21/23)"

98 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): “The 2020 Margaux Grand Vin is ravishing. At once refined and exuberant, Margaux beautifully captures the spirit of the vintage. Layers of dark fruit, spice, lavender, crushed flowers and leather open graciously, revealing a wine of uncommon depth and finesse. The 100% new oak is not at all perceptible. Enveloping on the palate, with striking resonance and exceptional balance, the 2020 is very clearly a great modern Margaux. It's a brilliant effort from Margaux and the team led by Managing Director Philippe Bascaules. Drink: 2030-2060.”

98 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "As you would expect in such a benevolent vintage the blend here is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon at 89% of the total, with 8% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. The nose has an ethereal sense to it, with a powdered chalk minerality, scented with white flowers and rosehips, with suggestions of fine blackcurrant fruits, a touch of blackberry (or bramble if you’re Scottish) fruits spread across lightly buttered toast. It has such purity and elegant lift on the palate, which feels savoury, open and expressive, silky yet sinewy and finely grained, with a tightly knit undercurrent of fine tannins which support an understated core of dark fruits wrapped in a medium-bodied presence. It has such ease and restraint, despite being wonderfully structured and clearly set for the long haul, finessed yet not short on substance or power. A tremendous Margaux;Philippe Bascaules is clearly doing things right on this estate. The élevage here is in 100% new oak, for slightly longer than for Pavillon, by a few weeks, so this was bottled in late-June/early-July. The alcohol on the label is 13.5%. (Dec 2022)"

98 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2020 Château Margaux was one of the highlights of the barrel samples originally sent to my home during the lockdown, a wine that I afforded 24 hours to open. Visiting the château to taste the wine in bottle, alas, I cannot loiter around an entire day! But it has a compelling bouquet with blackberry, crushed stone, pressed violet and a light petrichor scent - perhaps stricter than I recall from barrel. The palate has wonderful balanced, filigree tannins, creamy in texture with enormous depth and gentle grip. There is mesmerizing symmetry in this First Growth with a precise and very sustained slightly peppery finish. It's a Château Margaux from the top drawer. Drink: 2026-2060. (Feb 2023)"

98 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, deep core, delicate rim brightening. Sweet cherry fruit, hints of rose petals, fine ripe plum fruit, hints of vanilla and orange zest, some nougat, very inviting and seductive nose. Juicy, elegant, delicate cassis, fresh cherries, very purist, silky, fine tannins, fresh and lively, full of charm and harmony, lingers long, a delicate wine with very good length. 2025-2060. (2/22/23)"

98 points Wine Enthusiast: "[$641 list] This is a big wine, smoky and rich. With a higher proportion of Petit Verdot than in the past, it offers complexity and bold black fruits. The wine is structured while always ripe and generous. Drink this magnificent wine from 2028. (Apr 2023)"

98 points Rod Smith (TimAtkin.com) (May 2021).

97+ points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "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. Drink: 2030-2060. (4/6/23)"

97+ points Jeb Dunnuck: "As to the Grand Vin, the 2020 Château Margaux is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, pulled from a tiny 36% of the total production, that spent 20 months in new barrels. It has that classic Château Margaux sense of elegance and complexity and offers full-bodied aromas and flavors of ripe currants, blueberries, acacia flowers, crushed stone, and sandalwood that develop with time in the glass. With remarkable purity as well as flawless balance, it's a seriously concentrated, powerful 2020 that still just glides across the palate with no hard edges, silky tannins, and a great finish. I love everything about this wine. It's going to flirt with perfection in 7-8 years and evolve for 50-75 years. It actually reminds me slightly of the 2016. Drink: 2030-2105. (3/29/23)"