Bordeaux 2020 : Top picks from the vintage, available in a variety of formats

A Lay & Wheeler favourite for years, what's not to love about this St-Emilion, part of the Durantou family of wines. Silky and fine, with loads of savoury tannins, and long and pure finish. Buy this in bottles, and magnums, and make sure you've always got both to hand over the years to come.

In a rich vein of form, the 2020 Branaire-Ducru is an astonishingly beautiful wine, particularly at this price. It's silky and fine, with detailed tannins, and wonderful floral lift. A complex, delicious wine that's not to be missed.

In a rich vein of form, the 2020 Branaire-Ducru is an astonishingly beautiful wine, particularly at this price. It's silky and fine, with detailed tannins, and wonderful floral lift. A complex, delicious wine that's not to be missed.

The 2020 Branas Grand Poujeaux is an impressive wine, from an estate in a hidden corner of the Médoc that’s worthy of your attention. It’s deep and pure on the nose, with notes of iron oxide and lots of dark cabernet fruit. The palate is finely judged, with refined tannins and very long, savoury finish. This looks like a wine of a far higher price. A top addition to your cellar.

The 2020 Branas Grand Poujeaux is an impressive wine, from an estate in a hidden corner of the Médoc that’s worthy of your attention. It’s deep and pure on the nose, with notes of iron oxide and lots of dark cabernet fruit. The palate is finely judged, with refined tannins and very long, savoury finish. This looks like a wine of a far higher price. A top addition to your cellar.

From the Calon stable of wines, the 2020 Capbern is a real beauty. Fine boned and savoury, with just the right level of austerity, this is a delicious claret for the years to come. It's the sort of bottling we love - one for every cellar. And don't miss the chance to secure it in larger formats.

From the Calon stable of wines, the 2020 Capbern is a real beauty. Fine boned and savoury, with just the right level of austerity, this is a delicious claret for the years to come. It's the sort of bottling we love - one for every cellar. And don't miss the chance to secure it in larger formats.

One of our go-to wines every year, the 2020 Caronne Ste Gemme is no different. It's just down the road from St-Julien, yet sells at a fraction of the price. It's everything we want from everyday claret, with cool fruit, refined tannins, and a noble freshness on the finish.

The 2020 Château Figeac is one of the wines of the vintage. Incredibly refined and almost haunting in its aromatics, this is so mineral, focussed, and utterly beguiling. The finish lasts an age: this is one of the longest, purest, most complex wines we've tried this year. You have to have it.

The 2020 Château Figeac is one of the wines of the vintage. Incredibly refined and almost haunting in its aromatics, this is so mineral, focussed, and utterly beguiling. The finish lasts an age: this is one of the longest, purest, most complex wines we've tried this year. You have to have it.

The 2020 Giscours is classic Margaux. There's refinement of tannins, and a lovely tension to the palate. The finish has breadth and complexity, and a hint of stony minerality. This is a lovely effort from the team at Giscours.

The 2020 GPL is a gorgeous wine. Notes of blackcurrent and wild flowers spring from the glass, while the palate is stony yet silky, with incredible tension yet richness of fruit. This seems to get better and better every year. A must buy.

The 2020 Guillot-Clauzel is a stunning Pomerol from a property that's well worth seeking out. Ripe yet finely judged, it's pure Pomerol through and through. But with quantities well down, this will be short supply.

The 2020 Haut-Bailly is spectacular: a wine that demonstrates where this estate is heading. Complex, powerful, incredibly fine, and remarkably long, this is one of the wines of the vintage. Whisper this quietly, but it’s not far off the quality of the firsts: one to secure while you have the chance.

La Garde sits on a gravel bank above Latour-Martillac, and offers some of the best value we know of. It's classic claret, with black fruits, as well as classic Pessac smokiness, and well-judged, matte tannins. Such a great bottle to have in your cellar, particularly at this price.

The 2020 Labégorce is a beautiful Margaux, that's undoubtedly Cru Classé quality, but that's available at a much lower price. Notes of lavender and woodsmoke on the nose, and a structured yet elegant palate, that shows the best of this commune. A must-buy in 2020.

The 2020 Lafon-Rochet is a pick of the vintage. Basile sees this as the culmination of their efforts over the last six decades running the estate: validation, if you will. The wine is powerful yet silky, with incredible, velvet tannins, and a long, savoury, saline finish that screams of top St-Estèphe. It's an astonishingly good Cru Classé, that's not to be missed.

99% Merlot with just a dash of Cabernet Franc, from deep clay soils. It's focused and intense, with amazing detailing and long and savoury tannins. This is a brilliant St-Emilion from an estate that gets better and better.

99% Merlot with just a dash of Cabernet Franc, from deep clay soils. It's focused and intense, with amazing detailing and long and savoury tannins. This is a brilliant St-Emilion from an estate that gets better and better.

The 2020 Malartic-Lagravière Rouge continues the impressive showing from this estate. It's true Pessac, balancing dark fruit, matte tannins, and a smoky, savoury edge. Tightly wound it needs time, but at this price this is sure to impress over many years to come.

Château Marsau gets better and better every year. The 2020 is stunning, with a core of sweet fruit, and tannins that coat the mouth without being overbearing. The finish is long and saline, and there's wonderful freshness holding it all together. What a stunning wine: one of the bargains of the wine world.

Biodynamically farmed, with one of Bordeaux’s most innovative approaches in the cellar, Palmer is a wine that perennially impresses with its opulence, nuance, and wonderfully aromatic expression of black and blue fruits. The 2020 Palmer is a blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. Mesmerising aromas of Morello cherries, cassis, and fresh, crunchy plums unfurl effortlessly in the glass while there are hints of Pauillac-like pencil shavings too. The finish is long, complex and harmonious. This is a wonderfully proportioned, beautiful Palmer sure to impress for years to come.

The 2020 Palmer is a blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. We haven't had a chance to taste it yet, but look forward to doing so soon.

The 2020 Pontet-Canet is bright, silky, and totally beguiling. Aged in 50% new oak, 35% amphora and 15% once-used barrels, it's a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. A stunning 2020, this is well worth following.