- Château Margaux and Petrus top Voss’s scores for 2020.
- He thought the 2020 vintage was a “return to classicism”.
- He noted the dry whites from Sauternes and Pessac-Léognan were balanced while also rich.
Bordeaux: the trilogy
“Bordeaux is on a roll”, said Roger Voss in the 2020 Bordeaux report for the Wine Enthusiast.
He wrote that the 2020 vintage, “is the third in a trilogy of great years” and, “while 2018 wines are massive with high alcohol, and 2019 more restrained, 2020 is the year classicism came back to Bordeaux”.
So far this campaign, merchants and consumers alike have had to pay a premium for that return to classicism. Increases in release prices have reached as much as 50% during the latter stages of the campaign.
Top wines
Voss found two examples of potential perfection in the 2020 vintage, Château Margaux and Petrus, both of which were awarded 98-100 points.
Ten wines followed with scores of 97-99 points. One from Margaux, three from Saint-Emilion, three from Pauillac, two from Pessac-Léognan and one from Saint-Julien – all of which can be seen in the table above.
Voss closed the report by saying: “The 2020 wines will be for enjoyment rather than admiration as with 2018.”
Further viewing
Liv-ex has conducted several interviews with leading critics on the subject of Bordeaux 2020.
For the interview with Neal Martin, click here.
For the interview with Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, click here.
For the interview with James Suckling, click here.
For the interview with Jancis Robinson MW, click here.
For the interview with Jane Anson, click here.
Our Bordeaux En Primeur 2020 page contains everything you need to know about this year’s campaign. You can also sign up for our daily En Primeur email alerts using the form below.
