Château Chauvin 2020

Shows the dark, warmed fruit profile of the vintage, with baked plum and steeped blackberry notes mingling with singed alder, tar and espresso crema accents. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2030. 4,000 cases made, 500 cases imported.

Beautiful aromatics on the nose which is fragrant and full. Bright acidity and a lively red fruit profile on the palate, more strawberry and redcurrant than black fruits, with searing acidity that does come across as a touch drying right now, along with some salty, wet stone notes and lashings of dark chocolate, cedar, cocoa and liquorice. The grainy tannins and woody elements linger on the cheeks and stop the fruit progression a little early, but this has good potential.

Chocolate, bay leaves, oregano and blackcurrants. Full-bodied, with firm yet nicely ripe and polished tannins. Broad and seamless. Caressing and velvety on the finish. Try from 2026.

Smoky red fruits, tobacco leaf, flowers, and red fruits combine to create an attention-grabbing perfume. On the palate, the wine is fresh, soft, and vibrant, with silky tannins and a gorgeous sweetness to the fruit on the medium-bodied finish. This could be the best vintage of Chateau Chauvin I have ever tasted! Drink from 2023–2040.

Dark garnet, purple reflections, opaque core, delicate brightening on the rim. Fresh cherries, a hint of tobacco and savory herbal notes, blackberry nuances, candied orange zest. Deep, red wild berries, fresh acidity, vivid tannins, mineral-salty finish, cool style. Will benefit from bottle age.

Good sense of purity and freshness on the nose, moderate ripeness with rather red-fruited notes, bay leaf, sage and fine wood. Medium weight, a more restrained and elegant style with age-worthy potential, supple red fruit, youthful yet ripe tannins, good freshness and a long, sleek finish.

Deep purple with an opaque core and a violet rim. Delicate bouquet of dark cherry, blackberry, and licorice, followed by a dense array of violets and blackcurrant drops. On the dense palate, silky texture, tightly knit tannic framework, granular extract richness, supporting freshness, and a muscular body. In the focused finish, the St. Emilion first narrows and concludes with small black berries, juniper, and verbena; the upfront astringency indicates strong aging potential.

Plenty of staying power to the blackberry and cassis fruits; an edge of bitterness comes clearly through the mid-palate, but the extraction has been well controlled and this is serious, a little reserved, with a creaminess as it opens in the glass. Sylvie Cazes owner, Michel Rolland, 15ha

Made from 77% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2020 Chauvin is deep garnet-purple in color. It reveals bright, enticing scents of kirsch, crushed blackberries, and fresh plums, plus wafts of lavender, pencil lead, and allspice. The medium to full-bodied palate is lively and refreshing, with soft tannins texturing the energetic fruit, finishing long and perfumed.

89–90

A vibrant nose of sweet red fruits, with a dark richness. An energizing acidity on the palate, and notes of orange fruit right through to the finish.

With good intensity, the bouquet of Chauvin 2020 stands out for its floral and fruity notes. The wine is fine and harmonious thanks to precise, well-integrated tannins. With a refreshing finish, it can certainly be enjoyed in its youth while offering good aging potential.

Dark red, purple color. Beautiful. Intense nose, fruity, subtle and perfumed. With swirling, it smells really lovely. Meticulous on the attack, very aromatic mid-palate, velvety; the wine unfolds with no angular tannins, showing fine presence and a depth not seen before on the finish. Precise crafting. Delicious result. The best Chauvin I’ve tasted.

Still fairly closed at the time of tasting, this wine needs to find the right balance among its components; as it stands, we find the classic side of Chauvin’s aromatic expression, in a register of cocoa-tinged red fruit. Let’s wait to see, with evolution, whether the expression of the tannins and acidity settles into a harmonious balance.

91–93. Barrel Sample. The wine has richness that imbues the tannins with generosity. The juicy berry flavors and acidity are already succulent. It is the core of dryness that promises the aging.