I always love this wine, and the 2020 Château Barde-Haut is a quintessential Saint-Emilion revealing a deep ruby/purple hue, awesome notes of red plum, cherries, tobacco leaf, and chalky earth, full-bodied richness, bright acidity, and fine tannins. A gorgeous wine, it will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades.

The 2020 Barde-Haut is just as compelling it was from barrel. Blueberry jam, crème de cassis, hard candy, spice, new leather and lavender infuse the 2020 with exotic beauty. Soft contours and silky tannins add to its immediacy. Bright acids lend vibrancy to play off all the natural opulence. The 2020 is a fine vintage of Barde-Haut, one of the best in recent memory. The intensely saline finish alone is a thing of beauty.

The 2020 Barde-Haut unwinds in the glass with aromas of blackberries, cassis and blueberries mingled with hints of violets and spices. Medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with a deep core of ripe but lively fruit, powdery tannins and a floral finish, it's the usual blend of more or less 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc (the latter increasingly deriving from massal selections taken at Clos l'Eglise).