By Chateau Rolland-Maillet
Saint-Emilion 2020

Vineyard
Certified: H.E.V 3, ISO 14001
Appellation: Saint-Emilion
Area Under Vine: 3.35 ha
Soils: Clay-gravel
Plantation Density: 6,500 vines/ha
Average Vine Age: 40 years
Vineyard Management: Green harvest and leaf stripping
Harvest: Hand harvesting, double sorting before and after destemming

Vintage
Each Vintage has its own particular story. The 2020 vintage will remain in our memory as one shaped by strategic decisions and adaptations to extreme weather conditions. A vintage that was historically early ripening. Following an autumn with heavy rainfall, the winter arrived and was marked by mild and dry weather. The clement conditions continued throughout the humid spring, which allowed for the formation of water reserves necessary for vines during the summer. Flowering took place under optimal conditions with hot and dry weather around the 15th of May, 10 days earlier compared to the average of the last decade. Despite the cool temperatures in June, the vines maintained their advance: the veraison (color change) appeared as of mid-July under severe heat and in full drought. The brilliant, dry summer would firmly establish the 2020 vintage within its typical character. The heat prompted us to make the most enlightened decisions, considering the mosaic of terroirs that constitute our vineyard. This is customized work that the team at Chateau Le Bon Pasteur undertakes with utmost precision while respecting the terroir and all of its subtleties. The harvest took place under ideal conditions from the 11th to the 29th of September during a magnificent Indian summer.

Production
Blend: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc
Vinification: Cold maceration for 5 to 7 days; fermentation in 15- to 70-hl thermo-regulated stainless steel vats
Aging: 12 to 15 months in one-year-old French oak barrels
[Information provided by Beyerman]

Wine: Chateau Rolland-Maillet St.-Emilion 2020
Score/Rating: 93
Suggested Drinking Window: Better after 2025
Review Date: 01/032023
Reviewed By: Claire Nesbitt
Tasting Notes: Hazelnuts, plums, cherries, praline and chili chocolate on the nose. Velvety, creamy and full-bodied, with very fine tannins and a rounded, polished finish. 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Delicious to taste already, but better after 2025.

Wine: 2020 Rolland-Maillet
Score/Rating: 92
Suggested Drinking Window: 2024 - 2040
Review Date: 03/14/2023
Reviewed By: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Tasting Notes: Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Rolland-Maillet swans out with showy notes of stewed blackberries, plum pudding, and chocolate-covered cherries, followed by hints of pencil shavings and forest floor. The medium to full-bodied palate is lively and vibrant, with grainy tannins and plenty of freshness paving the way to a long, savory finish.

Wine: Chateau Rolland-Maillet St.-Emilion 2020
Score/Rating: 91
Suggested Drinking Window: Drink now through 2032
Review Date: 03/31/2023
Reviewed By: James Molesworth
Tasting Notes: Presents plum cake and boysenberry puree notes that are expressive and flattering in feel, with a silky-textured structure and a late note of cocoa through the finish. For the hedonist crowd. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2032.

Wine: 2020 Chateau Rolland Maillet
Score/Rating: 90+
Suggested Drinking Window: 2027 - 2035
Review Date: 03/29/2023
Reviewed By: Jeb Dunnuck
Tasting Notes: Lots of spice box, saddle leather, dried flowers, and assorted red and black fruits, as well as some classic Saint-Emilion minerality, emerge from the 2020 Chateau Rolland Maillet, a medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated 2020 with firm, building tannins. It's going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep through 2035.

Wine: 2020 Chateau Rolland-Maillet (St. Emilion Grand Cru)
Score/Rating: 90
Suggested Drinking Window: 2023 - 2033
Review Date: 03/21/2023
Tasting Notes: Round, lush, black cherry and chocolate filled wine that is medium-bodied, earthy, fresh, vibrant, easy-to-like wine and finishes with a blast of chocolate coated re [sic] fruits and espresso beans. Produced from blending 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, this is going to be good to go on release. Drink from 2023-2033.

Wine: 2020 Rolland-Maillet
Score/Rating: (89-91)
Suggested Drinking Window: 2024 - 2039
Review Date: 05/20/2021
Reviewed By: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Tasting Notes: The 2020 Rolland-Maillet has a deep purple-black color and notes of ripe, juicy black plums, fresh blackberries and chocolate-covered cherries, with touches of garrigue, cracked black pepper and graphite. The medium to full-bodied palate has bags of poise, featuring finely grained tannins and just enough freshness to lift the earth-laced black fruits to a long finish.

Wine: Chateau Rolland-Maillet, St-Emilion, Bordeaux, France, 2020
Score/Rating: 88
Suggested Drinking Window: 2024 - 2032
Review Date: 01/01/2023
Reviewed By: Georgina Hindle
Tasting Notes: A darkly framed wine with lots of chalky minerality and liquorice on show that are somewhat overtaking the fruit liveliness right now. Blackcurrant and bramble fruit combined with salty stones and lots of pencil lead. A little harsh on the finish, some strict wood spice that just lingers. Not quite there yet in terms of harmony but has a sleek, smooth texture and nice persistency of flavour.

Wine: Rolland-Maillet 2020 Rolland-Maillet
Score/Rating: 89
Suggested Drinking Window: 2023 - 2030
Review Date: 12/2022
Reviewed By: Antonio Galloni
Tasting Notes: The 2020 Rolland-Maillet has come together pretty well. The oak still feels a bit pushed, but elevage has done quite a bit to bring the elements together. Dark red/purplish fruit, rose petal, lavender, espresso and chocolate build nicely. Rolland-Maillet is a mid-weight Saint-Emilion that would probably benefit from a more measured approach, but the 2020 is nicely done.