Smoked cedar oak on the nose, a welcome touch in a vintage where tannins have frequently been turned up to 11. Grilled almonds; really a campfire edge. I like this, works well with the vintage. The fruit softens through the mid palate but the team has done a great job of finding extra layers flavour and complexity. Good stuff. 40% new oak. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Yields around 32hl/ha. Just 20mm of rain in August here, which meant veraison was more difficult. Tasted this also at the estate, and both times I was impressed. Less opulent than 2019, more classic and serious but this is great. Harvest September 16 to October 1.

A forward, textured, already delicious wine, the 2020 Château Labégorce offers lots of red and black fruit as well as notes of cedar, smoke tobacco, and chocolate. Based on 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged in 40% new barrels, it has perfectly integrated oak, ripe, fine-grained tannins, and outstanding overall balance. Give bottles just a year or three and enjoy over the following 10-15 years or more.

The 2020 Labégorce is a dark, sumptuous beauty. The 2020 has softened a bit with élevage, but it remains a distinctly potent, brooding Margaux. (AG)