Red

The Aubert family has lived in Saint-??milion since 1750 and has a long and successful history as producers of some of Bordeaux?€?s finest wines. They own over 600 acres of vineyard property, making them one of the largest family producers on the Right Bank. Their estate centers around the old family home of Ch??teau de Ribebon, a magnificent 18th century building that was once a hunting lodge for King Louis XIV, beautifully preserved, on a terrace overlooking the Dordogne River. Chateau de Ribebon is a blend of 70% Merlot 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc.

This has an array of juicy, rich red-plum and berry aromas and flavors that make for a very impressively balanced wine that has good, persistent red-fruit flavor through the finish. Drink or hold

100 points Wine Advocate
The 2020 Haut-Brion is a blend of 42.8% Merlot, 39.7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17.5% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 7th to 29th September, with an estimated alcohol of 15% and a pH of 3.8. Opaque purple-black colored, it leaps from the glass with a first wave of vibrant black raspberries, ripe blackberries and mulberries scents, followed by a powerful core of warm cassis, dark chocolate and violets, before bursting into an array of crushed rocks, iron ore, tree bark and black truffles notes. The concentrated, densely packed, full-bodied palate is not in the least bit heavy, delivering a refreshing backbone of red berry and dried herbs suggestions, framed by seamless acidity and very finely grained tannins, finishing on an epically long, fragrant earth note. Simply stunning. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

100 points James Suckling
This is a superb Haut-Brion with incredible tannins that are wonderfully fine-grained. It?????s really powerful. This is very primary with so much grape-generated tannin structure. Very, very long, going on for minutes. Seductive and friendly at the start and then takes you on at the finish with so much structure. Wine of the vintage?

100 points Jeb Dunnuck
Unquestionably one of the top wines in this impressive vintage, the 2020 Chateau Haut-Brion checks in as 42.8% Merlot, 39.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Cabernet Franc, all of which will spend 15-18 months in 77% new French oak. Its deep purple color is followed by a thrilling nose of mineral-laced blackcurrants, black raspberries, toast, spice, scorched earth, and graphite. Possessing an almost Lafite-like elegance on the palate, it nevertheless has huge dry extract, full-bodied richness, flawless balance, and beautiful tannins. Per the spec sheet, the alcohol is an estimated 15% with a pH of 3.78, so it?????s no shrinking violet, yet it never shows a hint of headiness or being over the top. I finished my note with ?????Where can I buy some?????? I suspect this wine will require a solid decade to hit the early stages of maturity and will be a 30-, 40-, or possibly a 50-year wine.

99 points Jeb Dunnuck
Another utterly brilliant wine from this team, the 2020 Ch??teau La Conseillante is based on 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc that saw 70% new French oak. Unquestionably in the same league as the 2019, this beauty offers an incredible bouquet of pure blue fruits, cassis, violets, spring flowers, and truffle. This carries to a full-bodied, seamless, incredibly elegant, layered Pomerol offering perfect tannins, the vibrant, focused, structured style of the vintage, impeccable balance, and a gorgeous finish. As always, this wine is more about purity, finesse, and elegance than power. It offers pleasure even today yet should be given a decade in the cellar, and it will be a 40- to 50-year wine. (3/2023)

100 points Wine Advocate
One of the wines of the vintage is the 2020 La Conseillante, a blend of 86% Merlot and 24% Cabernet Franc that wafts from the glass with inviting aromas of raspberries, red cherries and mulberries mingled with exotic spices, violets and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and vibrant, it's a beautifully elegant, sensual wine with a deep core of fruit framed by powdery tannins, concluding with a long, extravagantly floral finish. This is a Pomerol of striking purity and sophistication. Congratulations to Marielle Cazaux and her team for surpassing even what they achieved in 2016 and 2019 with this brilliant 2020! (4/2023)

95 points Jeb Dunnuck
Tasted on multiple occasions, the 2020 Ch??teau Lascombes is clearly another brilliant wine from this ch??teau that readers will love. Sporting a deep purple hue as well as a classic bouquet of cassis, dried flowers, freshly sharpened pencils, and obvious minerality, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, has a layered, elegant mouthfeel, lots of building tannins, and a great finish. It?€?s going to need 4-6 years at a minimum but is some serious Margaux brilliance that will have 30 years of longevity.

95 points James Suckling
Aromas of crushed blackcurrants and cherries with dried Provence herbs, lavender, raw walnuts and spiced cedar. Graphite, too. Full and muscular with a broad-shouldered, velvety tannin structure that goes on for minutes. Textured and chalky with a lingering finish. Very polished. 55% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot and 5% petit verdot.

98+ points Vinous
The 2020 L??oville Las Cases has developed into a powerhouse. Then again, that is Las Cases. En primeur, I thought the 2020 was a bit shy, but its true personality has to emerge. Blackberry jam, gravel, spice, menthol, licorice, espresso and plum all saturate the palate. Vivid and explosive, the 2020 is dizzyingly rich, with plenty of Las Cases tannins that will require patience. I am not sure when the 2020 will be ready to drink, but it won't be anytime soon. Las Cases is one of the wines of the vintage in 2020, that much is pretty clear.(AG)

97+ points Wine Advocate
The 2020 L??oville Las Cases is a classic in the making, unwinding in the glass with aromas of cherries, cassis, loamy soil, violets and dark chocolate framed by a discreet touch of new oak. Full-bodied, broad and layered, it's rich and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit framed by sweet, powdery tannins and lively acids. Concluding with a long, resonant finish, it's built for the cellar. (WK)

#3 on The Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2023!

96 points Wine Spectator
Gorgeous from the start, with cassis and violet notes leading off, followed by additional waves of black cherry and blackberry fruit as well as sweet tobacco and iron. Shows subtle savory and cedar hints that stay in the background, as the iron note pierces through the fruit on the finish. Almost approachable for the fruit, but wait if you can. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040

96 points Vinous
The 2020 Lynch-Bages, the first vintage vinified at the new winery, has a beautifully-defined bouquet with a strong estuarine influence, brine and seaweed infusing the black fruit. It's almost understated at first, but it opens wonderfully in the glass - quintessentially Pauillac. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, quite concentrated that is counterbalanced by a fine bead of acidity. The saline note on the finish is superb, lingering in the mouth. What an absolutely delicious Lynch-Bages for the long-term. Neal Martin

96 points Vinous
The 2020 Lynch-Bages is a real powerhouse. Elevage appears to have amplified the virile, brooding qualities that were present in barrel. In so many vintages, Lynch-Bages is a wine of elegance and finesse. Those qualities may emerge here too, in time. Black cherry, plum, espresso, licorice and lavender add to an impression of brooding intensity. Formidable tannins will take years to soften. The 2020 is a gorgeous wine, but it is also a very atypical Lynch. Antonio Galloni

94 points Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Chateau Marquis D'Alesme Becker showed well, and this tiny Margaux estate continues to producer fabulous wines under the helm of Marjolaine de Coninck. Based on 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, it has a juicy, medium-bodied, round, even sexy style that carries lots of cassis and assorted darker, blue fruits, notes of spicy wood, flowers, and violet, soft tannins, terrific balance, and great finish. Coming from a mix of gravelly, sandy soils and aged in 50% new French oak, this beauty hit 14% natural alcohol (no doubt helped by the large Merlot component) and is going to benefit from just a few years of bottle age. It's going to see its 20th birthday in fine form. Best After 2026

100 points Wine Advocate
Surpassing the 2019 and rivaling the 2016 as this estate's finest vintage of the last few decades, the 2020 Montrose is a monument in the making. Wafting from the glass with aromas of violets, dark berries, licorice, loamy soil, black truffle and subtle spices, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a seamless, elegantly muscular profile, terrific purity and energy, beautifully powdery tannins and a long, resonant finish. It checks in at 13.7% alcohol, the same as the superb 2009, but it is even deeper, more vibrant and more complex than the 2009. This will be worth a special effort to seek out and only confirms Montrose's status as one of the contemporary Medoc's leading estates and a de facto first growth.

99 points Vinous
The 2020 Montrose was bottled in July 2022. The alcohol is 13.4%, a whole degree less than the previous year but with the same concentration (IPT is 80). It has a fabulous bouquet that delivers on all that promise from when I finally tasted the wine around a year earlier from barrel, a cornucopia of blackberry, bilberry, crushed stone, Indian ink and loamy/undergrowth scents. Very mercurial in the glass, it seems to shapeshift with every minute. The palate is medium-bodied with such a precise entry. This is far more detailed than either the 2019 or 2018, a symmetrical Montrose with unerring detail and mineralite, its silky texture belying the power underneath. This is unequivocally a brilliant wine and a benchmark in recent years. Contender for wine of the vintage. Neal Martin (2/2023)

#8 on The Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2023!

97 points Wine Spectator
This has a very large-scaled yet properly proportioned core of cassis, plum and blackberry fruit flavors that are remarkably pure and focused. Buried deep within is a sleek, vibrant iron spine that drives the finish as the fruit keeps pace. Extra savory, tobacco and cedar nuances fill out all the remaining available space. A towering wine, with a buttoned-up feel. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2030 through 2045

98+ points Jeb Dunnuck
The flagship 2020 Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron is pure gold, a full-bodied, rich, powerful 2020 displaying the vintage's purity, focus, and structure front and center. A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, its dense purple hue is followed by a mammoth-sized bouquet of cassis, blackberries, smoked earth, graphite, and cedar pencil. With ripe tannins, a seamless, layered mouthfeel, and one heck of a finish, it comes closest in my mind to the estate 2010, and I think is clearly in the same realm as the 1989, 1990, 2000, 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2019. It offers pleasure today, but it certainly warrants 7-8 years, a decade if possible, of bottle age and will have 40-50 years of overall longevity.

98 points Vinous
As I found before, the 2020 Pichon Baron takes a while to open in the glass. Finally, it offers enticing blackberry and boysenberry fruit, peony and iris flower, hints of graphite and black truffle. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, again, displaying outstanding symmetry and focus, fresh as a daisy with a strong and mineral-driven finish. Christian Seely and his team have overseen a splendid Pichon Baron for the ages. Blue-blooded Pauillac. (Antonio Galloni)

#8 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2023!
97 points Wine Spectator
This has a very large-scaled yet properly proportioned core of cassis, plum and blackberry fruit flavors that are remarkably pure and focused. Buried deep within is a sleek, vibrant iron spine that drives the finish as the fruit keeps pace. Extra savory, tobacco and cedar nuances fill out all the remaining available space. A towering wine, with a buttoned-up feel. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2030 through 2045.

Organic / Biodynamic

96-98 points
The 2020 Pichon-Lalande has a backward nose similar to that of its neighbor Pichon-Baron, and so I decanted the bottle for 45 minutes. It then revealed gorgeous scents of blackberry, wild hedgerow, seaweed (Japanese nori) and wild mint. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and gentle but insistent grip. Very intense but not ripe; there is a coolness about this Pauillac that I like, while the finish is very classically styled and leaves behind a persistent, slightly briny aftertaste. This is a magnificent, cerebral Pichon-Lalande that will deserve serious aging and the patience of anyone still waiting for The Cure's new album. Tasted three times, including directly from the chateau. Neal Martin

97 points Wine Spectator
A wow wine. This is packed with cassis, loganberry and mulberry flavors that hint at the vintage's warmth, but this stays poised and fresh, with a sleek structure built on graphite and iron. Offers violet and lilac lift in the background and a groundswell of sweet tobacco, savory and singed cedar details that emerge through the finish, all with a fine-grained and rather luxurious feel. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2030.

95-97 points Wine Advocate
Deep purple-black in color, the 2020 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande begins on a single, well-defined, wonderfully pure note of ripe blackcurrants, opening out to a melody of redcurrant jelly, kirsch, ripe blackberries and tar, with emerging suggestions of dark chocolate, cardamom, ground cloves and violets, with a waft of black truffles. Medium-bodied, tightly wound and with loads of fantastically nuanced black fruit layers, it has a rock-solid frame of finely grained tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. The blend this year is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc.

Organic

96 points James Suckling
Attractive aromas of blackberries, plum skins, cloves, cardamom, dark chocolate, cedar and graphite. Some wet stones, too. Full-bodied, opulent and broad-shouldered. Structured and refined. It has a deep core of ripe black fruit covered with layers of plush and velvety tannins that linger for a long time on the palate. Really long and even.

96 points Jeb Dunnuck
I continue to absolutely love what this estate puts in the bottle, and it remains an incredible value given its quality. The 2020 Ch??teau Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) reveals a deeper ruby/purple hue to go with gorgeous aromatics of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, gravelly earth, and chocolate. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shows the more elegant, pure, precision style of the vintage, has perfectly integrated background oak, ripe tannins, and a great finish. This brilliant Saint Julien will benefit from 4?€?6 years of bottle age and have 30+years of overall longevity. Bravo.

92 points Jeb Dunnuck
Lots of red and blue fruits, spring flowers, graphite, and leafy tobacco notes all emerge from the 2020 Ch??teau Siran, a medium-bodied, elegant, incredibly pretty and finesse-driven Margaux. It shows the fresher, elegant style of the vintage and has remarkable purity, fine tannins, and a great finish.

90-92 points Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 Siran features notes of blackcurrant jelly, ripe redcurrants and raspberry leaves, plus suggestions of wild sage, tar and underbrush, with a waft of wild mushrooms. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled and refreshing, delivering approachable, soft tannins and plenty of red berry layers, finishing earthy.

93 points Vinous
The 2020 Sociando Mallet has retained its impressive aromatics from its showing in barrel with beautifully defined blackberry and raspberry fruit, pressed violet and light cedar aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with firm backbone, a little powdery in texture, fine backbone with ample freshness and tension towards its graphite-infused finish. Bravo!