Château Haut-Simard 2020

A little more juice and brightness than its sibling estate. The tannins are still quite austere and present, but there’s plenty of lively power, good depth of cherry and raspberry fruit, and enough sappy tension to keep things moving. A good wine for early to medium-term drinking.

This is really delicious with luxurious tannins and plenty of fruit, yet it remains fresh and vivid. Medium to full body. Round and creamy textured. Drink or hold. This is delicious now but can age well.

The 2020 Haut-Simard has a vibrant and lively nose with black cherries, bilberry, crushed rock and hints of salted licorice in the background. It's beautifully defined with seamlessly integrated new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with a granular entry, the oak quite prominent at first, indicating a Saint-Émilion that will require time to knit together. Just a bit of warmth on the finish, this is one of the few years where maybe I would not put this ahead of Simard.

Coming from vines at the base of the Côte Pavie and a 60/40 split of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Château Haut-Simard has lots of salty minerality as well as perfumed red and black fruits, spice, dried flowers, and floral nuances. A mineral bomb, it picks up an almost iodine-like nuance with time in the glass, is medium to full-bodied, and has ripe tannins, followed by a gorgeous finish. This is one seriously good Saint-Emilion to enjoy over the coming 15-20 years.

This has a gentle structure and a sappy, lively sense of momentum, focusing on blackberry, blueberry and raspberry fruits, with spiced red pepper and pomegranate. The tannins are less fine than you will find on limestone soils in the vintage (here you have deep sandy-clay), but it has depth and character, and is an enjoyable medium-term drinker.

A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Haut-Simard is deep garnet-purple in color. It bursts with flamboyant scents of plum preserves, blueberry pie, and raspberry coulis, leading to suggestions of cinnamon stick, rose oil, and mandarin peel. The medium-bodied palate shimmers with bright black, red, and blue fruits, supported by very fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and fragrant.

The Haut-Simard vineyard covers 10 hectares. The vines lie at the foot of the slopes, south of the village of Saint-Emilion. Clay-sandy and gravelly soils. High planting density with 12,600 vines per hectare. Cabernet Franc brings a stricter, more linear character, which is already noticeable on the bouquet. At the same time, it provides freshness and floral notes. The wine is elegant, precise and harmonious. Everything falls into place, and the symbiosis between somewhat firm tannins and a structuring acidity is convincing. A characterful wine that deserves some cellaring.

Depth, lovely density, creaminess, a touch of spice: the nose is very 2020, with a heady fragrance and controlled concentration. The palate is juicy, straight, taut. The high proportion of Cabernet Franc (40%, the rest Merlot) stretches the wine and brings precision, energy and freshness.

From a densely planted vineyard, the wine is juicy and ripe, it has richness and concentration. It is a beautiful bottling that shows structure under the acidity and black currant flavors. Drink from 2026.