Château Haut-Marbuzet - Saint-Estèphe 2020

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

This world-renowned vintage is located in Marbuzet, on a hillside facing the Gironde. Its vineyard is located halfway between Cos d'Estournel and Montrose. Henri Dubosq, a key figure in the Médoc region, has been making wines on the estate since 1982 with great success. In 2006, he joined forces with Michelin-starred chef Philippe Jorand to enhance the 13 hectares of Château Layauga-Duboscq, located on excellent terroirs around Gaillan and Queyrac. Haut-Marbuzet wines are always well-structured, combining roundness and voluptuousness with great aging potential. Haut-Marbuzet is truly a superb estate and a must-visit in the appellation.

Guide Hachette des vins

About wine:

The vintage is a characterful 2020, with an intense and complex nose of ripe red and black fruits, licorice, toasted oak, and vanilla. The palate is equally impressive: the wine is powerful, rich, dense, and tightly structured on the finish, even austere. For lovers of full-bodied wines. Cellar until 2028-2035.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About wine:

There is no doubt that the 2020 vintage will be a landmark year at Château Haut-Marbuzet. It combines everything that makes this wine so charming and has contributed to its reputation: velvety tannins, exquisite charm, and a fruity, velvety palate. It is set to have a long life.

About the estate:

No other Bordeaux wine can boast such a devoted community of enthusiasts. For over thirty years, Haut-Marbuzet and its colorful and dynamic owner, Henri Dubosq, now supported by his sons, have won the hearts of discerning wine lovers. While the wines have long been considered charming in their youth (which they undeniably are), but limited in terms of aging potential, one must taste the mature vintages of this Saint-Estèphe wine to understand that its terroir is above all capable of producing wines that age beautifully. The old Merlot vines planted on blue clay give Haut-Marbuzet's bouquet superb truffle notes reminiscent of certain old Pomerols. Like many others, the estate experienced a slight decline in the early 2000s, but its strong comeback in recent years makes it more indispensable than ever in the cellars of wine lovers.

Wine Enthusiast

About wine:

Large and bold with dark tannins, this wine is full-bodied, complex, and has great aging potential. Its texture, richness, and juicy acidity are impressive. Drink from 2027 onwards.

James Suckling

About wine:

Aroma of black fruits with toasted spices, crushed walnut shells, savory herbs, graphite, and tobacco leaves. Full-bodied. Layers of ripe, chewy tannins are well integrated with a velvety, sumptuous core of black fruits. Bold, firm, and structured, with great potential. The chalky, lingering finish lasts for several minutes. A typical Château Haut-Marbuzet. Try from 2028.

Terre de Vins

About wine:

What beautiful management of the vintage: the balance is clear, frank, and fresh! With a powdery bouquet, a fine and tangy attack, and a palate characterized by a broad tannic structure, yet without aggressiveness, it guarantees long aging and a freshness that will accompany its tasting for a long time. The whole is homogeneous, integrated, velvety, and powerful, with the aging not overpowering the wine. Haut-Marbuzet continues to assert its intense personality, rising to the challenge of always maintaining its generous, solid, well-established character and remaining faithful to the characteristics of its appellation. Médoc-style and intense!

Yves Beck

About wine:

Château Haut-Marbuzet is one of St-Estèphe's sure bets. The 2020 vintage is no exception to this rule. Admittedly, it clearly starts off showing its aging, but the wine confirms its greatness in its ability to rise above this and ultimately highlight its fruity intensity as well as nuances of graphite and cedar. A charming, powerful, and persistent wine with an acidic structure that gives it pep and extends the finish. A very fine achievement. 2027-2047

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

About wine:

Deep in color, the wine is vibrant with aromas of espresso, truffle, smoke, licorice, cocoa, blackberry, and black cherry. Medium-bodied, it has soft, silky, and polished textures, good structure, and multiple layers of ripe, sweet, and luxuriously textured fruit that linger. This wine performed much better in the bottle than in the barrel, as it is almost fully integrated. This is clearly the best vintage ever produced at Château Haut Marbuzet! Give it a few more years in the cellar and you will have a gem in your collection. Drink between 2025 and 2045.