2020 du Tertre

The 2020 Château du Tertre has a mellow nose that needs more vigor—it doesn't want to create too much fuss. The palate is medium-bodied with a mixture of black and blueberry fruit, crushed stone and a touch of seaweed and black pepper. The finish displays good weight and substance in contrast to the more discrete aromatics. Just a little warmth blurs the edges. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berries, pencil shavings, warm spices and cocoa powder, the 2020 du Tertre is medium to full-bodied, supple and seamless, with an elegant, suave profile that belies good depth and concentration. This terroir is never going to produce the most powerful wine in Margaux, and it's the prime example of an estate that gets lost in a mass tasting, but the restructuring of its vineyards, almost complete, is clearly quietly bearing its fruit.