Margaux · vintage 2020
Why this vintage
- 96-97 from James SucklingBarrel-sample tasting range. And 4 other scores above 90/100.
- The 2020 vintage in MargauxAn early, hot year, with a harvest under pressure: a dense, juicy classic, ripe without heaviness.
Critic scores
- James Suckling96-97
- Wine Enthusiast97
- Vinous96
- Wine Advocate95
- Decanter94
The 2020 vintage in Margaux
Vintage benchmark: 94/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)
Vintage character: An early, hot year, with a harvest under pressure: a dense, juicy classic, ripe without heaviness.
Overall reading of the year’s season across Margaux. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.
Tasting
"Le Plateau 2020, a powerful, spellbinding aromatic complexity.
A massive wine with a powerful, long structure, one that needs time to be tamed."
Léopold Valentin, Technical Director
Blend of the 2020 vintage
- 52 % Cabernet-sauvignon
- 48 % Merlot
Shares for this vintage, as recorded on the 2020 technical sheet. The vineyard itself is planted with 83 % cabernet sauvignon, 13 % merlot, 3 % cabernet franc, 1 % muscadelle — a vintage blend departs from the area under vine as the year dictates.
Winemaking
Alcoholic fermentation with indigenous yeasts. No additives throughout the vinification process.
Ageing
16 months of ageing, comprising: 70% in amphorae, 30% in barrels, 30% of it new oak
Terroir
Situated in the communes of Margaux, Cantenac and Soussans, the Durfort-Vivens vineyard puts down its roots on deep and particularly poor gravel rises. These gravels were deposited by the successive beds of the Garonne in the Quaternary era. This great terroir gives Cabernet Sauvignon an early and optimal ripeness, allowing it to express fully the finesse and silkiness of its tannins, the guarantee of the freshness and elegance characteristic of the great Margaux wines. At Château Durfort-Vivens, the constant search for a natural balance between the vine and its terroir is reflected in traditional cultivation practices. In 2012, 80% of the vineyard was farmed biodynamically and 20% under integrated production
An offer on Le Plateau 2020
Availability, allocations and terms: the Compagnie Médocaine will reply promptly. The estate and vintage are already filled in in the message.
Texts and documents 2020
The texts below copy in one click for your product sheets, catalogues and social channels. The printable sheet condenses the whole page onto a single A4 page.
Visuals
For this vintage, the media library contains: packshots. High-definition packshots, labels, back labels and lifestyle photos are reserved for clients and partners, on the Compagnie Médocaine’s VinCod media library.
Sheet checked on September 28, 2026. Technical data: the estate’s VinCod sheets. Critic scores: sources cited above, with their date. Vintage benchmarks and character: Compagnie Médocaine’s own editorial read. Soils and relief, where shown: the Compagnie Médocaine’s parcel survey and the Mapbox/IGN terrain model.