The 2020 Château Margaux is a highly acclaimed, full-bodied Bordeaux with aromas of dark plums, violets, blackcurrant, and subtle spices. It boasts a structured yet polished profile with refined tannins and exceptional concentration. Critics have praised its elegance, balance, and aging potential, recommending it be enjoyed after 2030. This wine represents the finest qualities of Margaux, with a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc.

JamesSuckling.com | JS 100
Published: May 30, 2023

Gorgeous aromas of dark plums and violets. Orange peel, too. Some crushed stone. Bark. Stems. Iron shavings. Full-bodied, but very tight and compacted. The tannins are all here making it very structured, yet they are polished and melted together. Needs years to show all of its greatness. Incredible polish and structure. More structured than the 2019. Try after 2030 and beyond.

Decanter | D 99
Published: Jan 3, 2023
Drink: 2028-2049

Cool and confident, an effortless Margaux that’s a clear success in 2020. Vivid colour in the glass with a delicately perfumed nose. Smooth and graceful on the palate, silky yet rich too, deepening in layers, much more vertical than wide at this point but with clear concentration. It expands slowly but surely, really taking its time before the juicy, chewy, succulent blackcurrant, liquorice, clove, sweet spice and cooling menthol touches come forward. Nuanced and detailed with precision and clarity to the taste and overall sensation. A Margaux for the ages. Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 13.50%
Body: Full
Oak: Oaked
Grapes: 2% Cabernet Franc 89% Cabernet Sauvignon 8% Merlot

The Wine Advocate | RP 97+
Published: Apr 06, 2023
Drink: 2030-2060

The 2020 Château Margaux is a brilliant young wine, unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with hints of rose petals, iris, burning embers and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with terrific tension, beautifully refined tannins and a long, penetration finish, this is a vibrant, dynamic Margaux that stands out as the most classically proportioned wine of the 2018, 2019 and 2020 trio.

Philippe Bascaules—who served as directeur de l'exploitation under Paul Pontaillier between 1990 and 2011—took the reins at Château Margaux in early 2017, and he and his team have crafted another brilliant wine in the 2020 vintage. Meticulously maintained vineyards, situated on the appellation's finest terroirs, are farmed intelligently, without deleafing or green harvesting—something other producers increasingly emulate as they pull back from the excesses of the early 2000s. Cabernet Sauvignon is on the increase, both in terms of plantings and as a percentage of the blend (it represents 90% of the grand vin in 2019), which works perfectly with Margaux's soils and the estate's elegant but concentrated style. Winemaking is very traditional, with classical macerations and an 18-month élevage in new oak (most barrels are produced in-house) punctuated by six rackings and one egg-white fining. An in-house bottling line is being acquired to bring even greater control and flexibility. Natural cork is the order of the day for the reds, of course, but whites now see Diam 30 to ensure consistent evolution, and all are bottled in Margaux's new proprietary extra-dark glass bottle. 

Jancisrobinson.com | JR 18.5+
Published: Feb 15, 2024
Drink: 2035-2050

Tasted blind. Darkest crimson. Sweetly fragrant with pure black fruits and a hint of violets. Great power in the tannins but they are deeply layered not massive. Chewy but not thick. Monumental without excess weight. Freshness from the tannins and the acidity. 

Chateau-margaux.com

The Grand Vin of Château Margaux 2020 follows in the footsteps of those of 2018 and 2019. It is very rare for three consecutive years in Bordeaux to be so homogenous and of such high quality. The final blend is very similar to those of the most recent vintages: Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 89% of the blend, completed by 8% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. The Grand Vin represents 36% of the harvest. There is a perfect balance between the density and the fineness of its tannins. Several factors contributed to making this a superb wine: homogenous flowering, summer conditions that favored small berries and therefore concentrated wines, and excellent harvesting conditions. Only the yield was not as we had hoped. The fertility of the grape varieties was lower than in previous years, with 1.6 bunches per shoot, compared to 2 in 2019. The average yield on the estate was therefore 36 hl/ha. (April 2019)