A château on an upward trajectory, the 2020 Château Soutard is another brilliant wine from this estate, which has a terrific terroir on the upper plateau. Cassis, violets, black cherries, tobacco, and graphite, as well as a beautiful sense of minerality, all emerge from this beauty. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shows the elegant, pure, precise style of this vintage beautifully and has building yet fine tannins, terrific balance, and a gorgeous finish. This utterly classic Saint-Emilion will benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age and have 25+ of overall longevity.
95 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Mar 2023)
The 2020 Soutard is stellar. Rich, ample and super-expressive, the 2020 impresses with its elegant, stylish personality. Rose petal, mint, mocha and sweet spice complement a core of red/purplish fruit, with pretty floral top notes that extend the finish gracefully. Firm yet nicely balanced tannins wrap it all together. This is beautifully done.
95 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Feb 2023)
Robust, ripe and poised, with black fruit, brownie cake and an intriguing smoky aspect, all very engaging. Given the stress on less extraction three years into the Thomas Duclos era, this vintage shines with aromatic and gustatory precision. Technical director Véronique Corporandy stresses: 'What really matters has been earlier harvesting, for the tannic finesse.' Also noteworthy are Merlots that had been planted in 2008 underneath the limestone plateau with cold clay that 'have come into their own', she adds. Among the wines tasted, 2020 has the highest percentage of Merlot. Give it another three years of cellaring and enjoy what should be a long-lived wine!
95 points, Panos Kakaviatos, Decanter (Oct 2024)
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Soutard skips out with a pretty bouquet of red roses, cinnamon toast, and kirsch, giving way to a core of warm red plums, black raspberries, tar, and star anise. The full-bodied palate is plush and graceful, with mouth-filling red fruit and baking spice flavors, and a seamless, quiet intensity to the finish.
94+ points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent (Jun 2023)
The 2020 Soutard marks another step up for this revitalized property, which is now profiting as recently replanted blocks on prime terroirs come into production. Offering up aromas of dark berries, plums, rose petals, bay leaf and orange zest, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with terrific depth at the core, polished tannins and a long, chalky finish. What's more, it likely only hints at what's to come.
94 points, William Kelley, Wine Advocate (Apr 2023)
A full-bodied red with plum, berry, dark chocolate and walnut aromas and flavors. Round yet chewy tannins. Lots of flavor. Needs time to open but already plush and beautiful. Drink after 2026.
93 points, James Suckling (Dec 2022)
Angular, tight tannic frame with clear impact from the Malbec, showcasing chewy tannins, spiced plum, plenty of texture and grip. This is a physical wine and needs time in bottle. Bertrand de Villanes director.
93 points, Jane Anson (Feb 2023)
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