Chateau du Tertre 2020
-
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This vintage is one of the smallest in production since 1991. The first tastings carried out reveal an exceptional vintage. The Merlot is incredibly fruity and fleshy and are the best Merlots ever made on the property. The Cabernet Franc is powerful with tight tannins. The Petit Verdot is concentrated, with a good quality of black fruits, the structure is silky and dense. As for the Cabernet Sauvignon, the elegance of the fruit complements by the tannic structure and achieves the perfect balance. The blends reveal a magnificent Chateau du Tetre 2020 with a beautiful density.
Blend: 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
The black fruits and the juiciness of the wine are deceptive—they are just a front for the impressive structure, the rich tannins and the spice. This is a wine that already shows great potential while also bringing something of the softer side of a grand Margaux.
Barrel Sample: 95-97 -
Decanter
A more sculpted feel to 2020 here than at many estates in Margaux, with touches of tobacco leaf and white pepper accompanying the raspberry and wild strawberry fruits right from the first moments. There is a vivacity to the tannins, which remain muscular and a little sombre on the finish, once they have built up through the palate. Good stuff. Château du Tertre announced new owners as of January 2021, with the Helfrich family of Grands Chais de France taking over from previous owners Albada Jelgersma family on a leasing and management basis. 6% Petit Verdot completes the blend. A yield of 25hl/ha. 40% new oak.
Barrel Sample: 93 -
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Château Du Tertre is fresh and lively, with pretty red and blue fruits as well as lots of sappy herbal and floral nuances. It’s nicely balanced and concentrated on the palate, with ripe tannins, a solid spine of acidity, and beautiful overall balance. The Margaux appellation was one of the more challenging places in the Médoc in 2020, but this looks to be terrific.
Barrel Sample: 91-93+ -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berries, pencil shavings, warm spices and cocoa powder, the 2020 du Tertre is medium to full-bodied, supple and seamless, with an elegant, suave profile that belies good depth and concentration. This terroir is never going to produce the most powerful wine in Margaux, and it's the prime example of an estate that gets lost in a mass tasting, but the restructuring of its vineyards, almost complete, is clearly quietly bearing its fruit.
-
Wine Spectator
This throws a noticeable savory note out front, along with flashes of lilac and bay leaf in the mix, while the core of gently mulled red and black cherry fruit catches up. The silky finish has a light sanguine echo. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2035.
-
James Suckling
Focused aromas of blackberries and blackcurrants with hints of dark chocolate, mint and graphite. Medium to full body, round and medium velvety tannins. Lovely berry and hazelnut character in the aftertaste. Juicy at the end with clarity. Already so attractive but give it two or three years to come together.
Other Vintages
2022-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb
-
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert
-
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
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.