St-Emilion 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

A sensational Troplong. Vibrant and vivid, this makes you smile from the first smell: milk chocolate, floral notes of roses and lavender, wet stones, liquorice, cinnamon and ripe bramble fruits. Round and thrilling on the palate, tannins are abundant with a chalky blueberry coolness while a salty tang settles around the mouth. Lovely precision and purity of fruit; you feel the sharp definition - still linear which makes it less immediately charming than the 2019 but giving undeniable complexity. Deep but not heady, this remains pure and detailed, with a leanness from the terroir really setting this apart. After a few minutes, the glamour starts to appear giving a salivating, succulent and moreish aspect to the finish. An absolute beauty.

Striking yet elegant, this holds its own being tasted after the more plush and ripe Trotanoy while this is more focussed and streamlined. Just as confident, concentrated and intense but in a different way completely. This is more reserved, refined and less overt, with an incredible purity and precision to the layers of red berry fruit and salinity from the limestone. Such nuance and detail, this is seductive with a powdery texture to the tannins. Really very well worked. Hard to pick a favourite as the length and overall sculpting here are exceptional. A gorgeous wine with star power that really leaves a lingering impression.

A classy, open, expressive and radiant Canon in 2020. Less plush than I was expecting on the palate, this is linear, focussed and refined with a core of juicy red fruits; raspberries, strawberries and cherries. High acidity gives the lifeforce and sense of joy while still remaining structured and forward. Definitely not as big, or weighty as some in St-Emilion, this is more sophisticated with well integrated, very fine tannins and good use of oak. It’s not trying too hard, elegant and charming as Canon does so well with freshness and a wide, expansive finish. Clarity and intensity. Brilliant.

Deep and layered with rich, ripe blackcurrant, cherry and plum fruit that expands slowly while the texture – sleek, straight and direct – does the talking. Clean with a powdery mineral grip of liquorice and graphite that takes hold and doesn't let go. Structured and focused, no doubt muscular in its power yet so finely knit together. Laser-sharp, serious at the moment, this will take a while before it really starts to shine. It's not out to charm right now but it certainly captivates.

Satisfying, edgy and seductive. The 2019 was perhaps more openly charming at this point, but there is lovely attention to detail here with delicate floral aromas, blue fruit and liquorice aspects on the nose followed by a patina of flavours and textures on the palate. Rich and powerful, clearly concentrated but delivered subtly and carefully, not pushed too far. There's a clarity, precision and purity to the blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, with crushed stone saltiness, clove, aniseed and liquorice root. I loved the 2019 more at this stage but this has excellent potential for long ageing and will no doubt deliver unbridled enjoyment when it's ready.

A ripe, herbal-edged nose full of Cabernet Franc perfumed florality; violets, plums, black cherries and figs. Compelling weight on the palate, this has density and drive from the first sip with tannins that are really well integrated but have more of a juicy, high-acid edge than overtly plush, with a soft chalkiness and real mineral vein - the graphite, wet stone edges giving clear terroir markers. Lots of tension here, direct and focused; you can feel the sculpting but there’s lots of energy too – such liveliness underpinning the serious core and wide, firm structure. Poised, layered and complex, a lot going on with cinnamon, clove and cedar on the finish. A total knock-out where each sip gives a slightly different facet building to an impressive whole. Such is Figeac’s power of seduction, this makes you want to sit with it for a while marvelling at the complexity with a smile on your face. A Figeac that you're going to have to wait for, and just have lots of the excellent Petit Figeac in the meantime!

Perfumed nose, heady and seductive, the aromas shining out of the glass. Full, rich and vibrant tones of blackcurrant and black cherry. Ripe and chewy, the tannins really are present and grippy but have a plushness and a bounce to them, they coat the entire mouth, seriously wide and expansive but are gentle even in their fillingness. A powdery blueberry juiciness with intense liquorice touches walks the line between freshness and power so well. Really a step up in quality, still tight, strong and not exactly charming at this point but there’s no faulting the winemaking here, this is direct, powerful and firm but so long with great acidity. Packed and charged, ripe and rich, yet round and balanced. I adore it.

A deep and rich nose, but so pure, clear and clean, it smells beautiful. The aromas really shine in the glass, too, with a texture that is smooth and supple, giving and generous. A powerful wine with excellent persistence from start to finish. Extremely youthful, tense and focused into one sleek line and, although you get ripe fruit – black berries, cassis, with some gorgeous bitter orange peel nuances – there’s so much minty freshness too. Concentration but no overt heaviness, discreet power. I love the chalky, milk chocolate nuances – well built and complex with a clear backbone and long ageing potential. Brilliant winemaking on show.

Dark and sultry, this is heady with ripe, perfumed fruits that dominate the palate giving vertical layers of freshness, acidity and fruit concentration. It has style to it, a sleekness to the texture, classy with a lovely core of juiciness. Still a little constricted with lots of liquorice and graphite on show and a touch of saltiness towards the finish. Really well worked, mouthfilling, weighty, intense, forward and energetic. It's bigger and broader in terms of frame and flavour than the 2019 – with floral, blood orange, blueberry and bramble fruit nuances, but carries the weight well, remaining focused. I love the expression, it's dark, cool, sleek and textured. Just a gorgeous delicious wine!

Smooth from the get go, still tense as you’d expect with a straight backbone, but the creamy texture is lovely with a beautiful balancing acidity and suaveness overall. More calm and quiet than I was expecting, certainly not shouting but with clear depth and length to the chocolate, blackcurrant, liquorice and graphite. Detailed and nuanced, not trying too hard with energy and plumpness yet retaining a serious, savouriness that brings you back to Pavie and to the terroir with clear minerality in the lick of wet stone on the finish. Well constructed with care.

Vivid and vibrant nose, full of rose petals, lilac floral edges, strawberries and black cherries. Forward, expressive, perfumed, alive. Sensual on the palate, smooth, velvety soft, intense but well balanced with a gorgeous plush, mouthful of ripe tannins. Really very good with the right intensity, structure and push. Powerful but controlled, poised yet plush, wild and raw yet pretty too with tons of energy and St-Emilion glamour. Has a core of juicy, bright red fruits with a grainy, herbal edge to the strawberries, a lovely bitterness, and edges of liquorice, slate and wet stone - nuanced and aromatic. I love this, they haven't pushed too far and the acidity is brilliant. Clean and precise.

Gorgeous violet and blackberry aromas presage a palate with tannins at first creamy and enveloping but then powerful and structured. In the famous 2018-2019-2020 trio, this vintage gets my nod for the best wet stone raciness, even if it tastes almost like a barrel sample. A gorgeous minty freshness on the long finish. For current pricing, a steal. 3.6pH.

Lovely rich aromatic expression on the nose, so fragrant and full. Sleek and streamlined, a gorgeous texture, confident but charming, silky with a soft grip from the tannins but really well integrated with dark bramble fruits, liquorice and stone elements. It feels as if it's a little shy right now, not really giving its full expression but this stands out for the excellent acidity and purity of fruit. Well detailed and nuanced with toasted oak, tobacco and clove. Confident winemaking on show.

Liquorice, gorgeous floral notes and fragrance on the nose; roses, violets and jasmine with tobacco and cedar touches. Smooth and so supple, forward, bright and lively. Really great energy and life in the glass. Acidity lifts the expression straight away giving this a crunchy tang and bite to the fruit - a sharp thrill that counters the power that is evident underneath. Feels sleek and well worked. Lovely balance and length, the hint of sweetness and the minerality is so pleasing. A baby now but this feels like it will be equally as approachable as the 2016 and 2018. Smooth and captivating and gorgeous tannins. Succulence is great. This puts a smile on your face with the ripeness at the end mingling with the stoniness and fresh mint. Lots going on here.

Juicy and alive, a brightness to this even though the fruits are dark in profile - blackcurrant, black cherry, herbal-tinged blueberries - heady and seductive. Layers of acidity, mint, freshness and toast combine to give quite a full and complex palate with everything at the fore yet staying the right side of being too much. Strong and characterful but totally charming. I love the St-Emilion glamour and muscle, softly flexing with a salty minerality and unmistakable signature.

Cola, liquorice and ripe blueberries on the nose - perfumed, heady and expressive. So delicious on the palate, smooth and driving with excellent energy - a youthful tension to the mid-palate. Sleek and stylish with a gorgeous texture, perfectly weighted to give a mouthfilling expression yet keeping a refined and focused delivery of black fruit, liquorice and floral flavours. Impressive and supremely pleasurable - this makes you want a glass immediately. Spicy, and perfumed because of the Cabernet Franc but all the better for it with 59% Cabernet Franc and 41% Merlot.

Perfumed, delicate, generous and evocative all in equal measure. The fruit quality is excellent, so vibrant and lifted, shining out of the glass. Really bright with energy and dynamism. Lovely lifted expression full of rose petals, herbal-tinged raspberries, blackcurrants and plums. Chalky, creamy and salty, with a cooling freshness. Lots to like with classic elements as well as touches of the hot vintage. It’s not showing it’s best right now but this is delicious.

Wide, powdery, fine but firm tannins; a lovely density to this. Concentrated and intense, very straight and streamlined. Finessed and focused. Clearly powerful, the energy is apparent, but all the elements are kept quite tight and controlled, so you're not getting so much expansion or nuance necessarily. Still, well worked with clarity to the fruit and tannins. Wet stone, liquorice, toasted caramel all giving elements of wood but integrated and supportive. Feels like a sleeping giant, will be good in time, sleek and stylish.

Beautiful fragrance on the nose, alive and expressive, softly perfumed with hints of roses and violets. Juicy and fresh, this definitely has a dark core, the fruit is intense, verging on raisined with prune notes, too, but there is a core of acidity and sleek but raw tannins; this will be delicious in time. Still restricted, the oak playing a part in keeping the fruit from widening - the rawness of tannins playing - but feels well worked with good definition. You get a sense they tried to be restrained and were working with the grapes they had at harvest time in the best way. I love the texture, just mouthcoating, not quite chewy but grippy and tight with liquorice and clove edges. A strong, bold style with length. You could enjoy this today but it will age well.