Best Bordeaux 2020 wines: top-scorers

After tasting more than 800 Bordeaux 2020 en primeur samples, Jane Anson gave around 10% a score of 95 points or over, including five wines at 98-100 points.

With an overall rating of 4 out of five, it is the same as 2018 but lower than the 2019 and 2016 vintages.

In terms of style, Anson found ‘plenty of racy, supple tannins that power forward and have a sense of energy, but also tannins that are a little dry and sometimes underripe’.

The 2020 weather conditions saw abundant flowering followed by difficult fruit set and threats from mildew. The summer months were dry and good weather continued into September giving mostly dry harvest conditions though a mid-month heatwave shrunk grapes and concentrated flavours.

In terms of comparisons, Anson says the Left Bank wines are most like 1996, 2000 and 2006 with ‘big tannins that are a little unwieldly at times, not generous but with potential’. For the Right Bank a comparison to 1989 seems ‘reasonable’ with 2020 also having more in common with 2018 there than on the other side of the river.

Below is a list of red wines scoring 98 and above plus brief individual appellation overviews and their respective top-scoring wines, as well as full tasting notes for all 98+ point wines at the bottom of the article.

While many will look to the highest scoring wines as a guide to the vintage, Anson wanted to highlight that wines scored 95+ are ‘truly exceptional’ and that the 94 point mark is ‘a signpost score, meaning a brilliant spot that indicates extremely high quality, and often you’ll find some of the best buys in the vintage at this level’.

Left Bank wine of the vintage: Château Margaux

Right Bank wine of the vintage: Château Canon

Best Bordeaux 2020 wines: scores

Potential 100-point wines (98-100s)*

• Château Ausone
• Château Cheval Blanc
• Château Belair-Monange
• Château Canon
• Château Margaux

*Jane Anson prefers not to give perfect 100-point scores at en primeur, pending reappraisal of the wines once bottled.

98-point wines:

• Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
• Château Montrose
• Château Calon Ségur
• Petrus
• Château Lafleur
• Château L’Évangile
• Château Trotanoy
• Château Latour
• Château Mouton Rothschild
• Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Look out for Jane’s top-value en primeur wines coming soon.

If you pick one appellation: clay-limestone St-EmilionIf you pick one wine: Chateau Larcis-Ducasse

Individual appellations & top scorers

St-Estèphe

What you find: ‘Densely-coloured, classic, spicy and rich wines.’

Top picks: Château Calon Ségur, Château Montrose, Château Cos d’Estournel.

Margaux

What you find: ‘Wines are tannic but flavour-packed, very classic – not as exuberant as 2018 or 2019 but structured and intense. Philippe Bascaules at Château Margaux recorded less dehyrdration in the grapes in 2020 compared to 2018; so high alcohols were avoided, and a more classic balance is found in the wines.’

Top picks: Château Margaux, Château d’Issan, Château Palmer.

St-Julien

What you find: ‘Whisper it, but is this the first year for ages when you might not be able to blanket buy St-Julien?

‘You’re not going to go far wrong with the main estate wines, but there are some strong tannins in the second wines that will need careful handling over ageing.’

Top picks: Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, La Croix Beaucaillou (with the first wine also, both standout wines in the appellation this year), Château Léoville-Las Cases, Château Léoville Barton.

Pauillac

What you find: ‘As with St-Julien, 2020 is not a slam dunk in Pauillac, but there are some brilliantly concentrated, super impressive wines.

‘Notably low alcohols at Lafite Rothschild, 12.8%, and about the highest I saw were at Les Tourelles de Longueville at 14.1% and 14% at Les Hauts de Lynch Moussas – meaning overall you are going to find classic balances that should age well.’

Top picks: Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Latour.

Pessac-Léognan

What you find: ‘A vintage with high tannins and high colours giving many successful wines.’

Top picks: Château La Mission Haut-Brion one of the wines of the vintage, Château Carbonnieux, Blanc, Château Malartic Lagraviere, Château Haut-Bailly, Château Haut-Brion, La Chapelle de Haut-Brion, Château Pape Clément.

St-Émilion

What you find: ‘A highly successful vintage in St-Emilion, with some of the wines of the vintage, particularly on clay-limestone soils.

‘In terms of alcohols, there are a few 15%-pluses such as a Quintus and Valandraud, but largely alcohols run between 14-14.5%.’

Top picks: Château Larcis Ducasse, Château Fonplegade, Château Cheval Blanc, Château Ausone, Château Figeac, Château Canon, Clos Fourtet, Château Belair-Monange, Château Rocheyron.

Pomerol

What you find: ‘The clays of Pomerol were able to conserve water, so there is plenty of freshness in most wines, but the three days at 37°C in September meant evaporation, so you see early picking (L’Evangile September 2-15, the first in the appellation) and concentration and even some raisin character if people waited too long.

‘Because there is so much concentration, you get a more architectural construction than you usually do in the hedonistic centre of Pomerol.’

Top Picks: Château L’Evangile, Petrus, Château Lafleur, Château La Conseillante.

Sauternes and Barsac

Top picks: Château de Fargues, Château Coutet, Château Doisy-Daëne

Introduction copy by Georgie Hindle.

Best Bordeaux 2020 wines: top scores

Jane Anson does not give out 100-point scores to wines tasted en primeur, but scores of either 98 or 99 (98-100) mean that they are at the top of the scale, and may be upgraded when re-tasted in 16 months time after bottling towards the end of 2022.

See all the wines rated 98 points and above

See also

Bordeaux 2020 wines: our en primeur verdict

Search Bordeaux 2020 tasting notes published so far