Chateau Malescot St. Exupery 2020
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Dark and glossy this wine has a garnet color. It doesn't lack depth and structure, with a powerful nose and a hint of black currant. the wood fades behind the structure of silky tannins, full of ripe red fruits. To top it off the finish is beautiful, tender and precise with hints of spices which add to the complexity of this wine.
Blend: 49% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Lots of blackcurrants and blueberries on the nose, together with walnuts and chocolate. Full-bodied and very layered, with super depth and plushness, offering currant, crushed-stone and bitter-chocolate flavors. Very lush for this wine, but velvety and structured at the same time. Needs four to six years of bottle age. Try after 2027.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Sporting a deep purple-black color, the 2020 Malescot St. Exupery prances out of the glass with showy scents of ripe black and red currants, black cherries, raspberry leaves and ground cloves, plus wafts of lilacs and tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating black and red fruit layers with a firm, grainy texture and well-balanced acidity, finishing on a lingering fragrant-earth note. Barrel Sample: 95-97
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Beautiful cassis, smoky oak, graphite, blackberries, and scorched earth notes emerge from the 2020 Chateau Malescot Saint Exupery, another incredibly impressive wine from Margaux in the vintage. With medium to full-bodied richness, it has plenty of mid-palate depth, the building, firmer tannins of the vintage, fabulous purity of fruit, and a great finish. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 15-20 years. Best After 2027.
Rating: 94+
-
Wine Enthusiast
This wine is dry, showing some extracted tannins. It is the weight of the black fruits that will redeem its initial massive structure. Acidity and hints of the blackberry fruits to come arrive at the end.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Decanter
Crunchy blue fruits with nice acidity and finessed tannins that gently support the succulent cherry, blackcurrant and plum fruit. Toasted elements, clove and cinnamon and cedar and liquorice come into play fairly quickly but this has freshness with a cool minty tang to the overall expression, and there is a sleekness to the structure. It's opulent, though it hasn't been overworked and works well with the vintage.
-
Wine Spectator
A ripe, slightly flashy style, with a lovely core of mulled plum and blackberry fruit laced with black tea and singed sandalwood. Reveals a very caressing feel through the finish, with hints of mocha and dark tobacco filling in. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Other Vintages
2022-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Wong
Wilfred
- Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Silky, seductive and polished are the words that characterize the best wines from Margaux, the most inland appellation of the Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
Margaux’s gravel soils are the thinnest of the Médoc, making them most penetrable by vine roots—some reaching down over 23 feet for water. The best sites are said to be on gentle outcrops, or croupes, where more gravel facilitates good drainage.
The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification but it is nonetheless important in regards to history of the area. In 1855 the finest chateaux were deemed on the basis of reputation and trading price—at that time. In 1855, Chateau Margaux achieved first growth status, yet it has been Chateau Palmer (officially third growth from the 1855 classification) that has consistently outperformed others throughout the 20th century.
Chateau Margaux in top vintages is capable of producing red Cabernet Sauvignon based wines described as pure, intense, spell-binding, refined and profound with flavors and aromas of black currant, violets, roses, orange peel, black tea and incense.
Other top producers worthy of noting include Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac, and d’Issan, among others.
The best wines of Margaux combine a deep ruby color with a polished structure, concentration and an unrivaled elegance.