The 2020 Château Tour Saint Christophe showed spectacularly well, and based off past vintages, this shouldn't surprise anyone. Based on 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc raised in 40% new barrels (the balance is in second- and third-fill oak), it offers a full-bodied, incredibly pure, balanced style revealing subtle oak, terrific darker, almost blue fruits, lots of chocolate, leafy herb and mineral nuances, and gorgeous tannins. It's worth pointing out that this will be the last vintage made by the talented Jérôme Aguirre. This terrific Saint-Emilion will evolve for two decades.

The 2020 Tour Saint Christophe opens in the glass with aromas of sweet cherries, raspberries and petals, followed by a medium to full-bodied, lively and pure palate that's rich and fleshy, with generously extracted tannins asserting themselves on the finish. It's a modern, crowd-pleasing wine from clay-rich soils opposite Troplong Mondot in the commune Saint Christophe des Bardes.

The 2020 Tour Saint Christophe has grown into an elegant, sophisticated Saint-Émilion. Red/purplish berry fruit, hard candy, mint, blood orange, pomegranate and spice all run through the 2020. Medium in body and polished, the 2020 has maybe a bit less explosive intensity than recent previous years, but plenty of class. Today, I find Tour Saint Christophe a bit subdued.