Red Wines

wines

Pure perfection in red wine, the 2020 Château Pavie checks in as 50% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, all raised in 75% new French oak. Absolutely incredible in every way, it has a sensational bouquet of crème de cassis, smoked tobacco, chocolaty oak, graphite, white truffle, and hints of flowers. Pure, full-bodied, and concentrated, with perfect integration of its fruit, oak, and tannins, it’s one of those wines that needs to be tasted to be believed. Hats off to the Perse team for not following trends and for continuing to make a truly Grand Vin that offers a rare mix of power and elegance. Give bottles just 4-5 years and enjoy over the following three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThis opens up on your palate like a butterfly. It takes your breath away. Purity of blackberry, raspberry and black cherry. Lavender. Very, very impressive. Full and chewy with tight and polished tannins that go on and on. Energetic and structured. Crisp and vivid. Superb finish. Better after 2029 but a joy to taste.James Suckling | 100 JS...Opaque purple-black colored, notes of plum pudding, blueberry pie and dark chocolate-covered cherries charge out of the gate, followed closely by hints of eucalyptus, star anise, unsmoked cigars and fertile loam with a hint of cedar chest. The full-bodied palate is built like a brick house, offering very firm yet wonderfully ripe, velvety tannins and seamless freshness to support the densely laden, muscular black and blue fruits, finishing very long and with loads of mineral-laced layers. As hedonic as it is cerebral this year, it is a beautiful paradox.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97-99 RPThe 2020 Pavie is very clearly one of the wines of the year. Rich, inky and wonderfully vibrant, it pulses with energy from start to finish. All the elements are well balanced. Soaring Cabernet Franc aromatics lead into a core of finely knit yet deep fruit in a wine that feels endless. Harvest for the reds started on September 17, paused briefly during some rain on the 25th and 26th, and then wrapped up by the end of the month. The blend is 50% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, so more Cabernets than in the past, the result of a large replanting program that began in the early 2000s. A real head-turner. Magnificent!Vinous Media | 97-99 VMSmooth from the get go, still tense as you’d expect with a straight backbone, but the creamy texture is lovely with a beautiful balancing acidity and suaveness overall. More calm and quiet than I was expecting, certainly not shouting but with clear depth and length to the chocolate, blackcurrant, liquorice and graphite. Detailed and nuanced, not trying too hard with energy and plumpness yet retaining a serious, savouriness that brings you back to Pavie and to the terroir with clear minerality in the lick of wet stone on the finish. Well constructed with care.Decanter | 97 DECBig, bold and rich with solid black fruits and dense tannins that are definitely not shy. This solid wine is packed with structure. The fruit and freshness of the year are almost overwhelmed by the wine’s richness. The wine is redeemed by the perfumed, balanced finish.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE

A crunchy and fresh 2020 with sliced oranges and redcurrants as well as cedar and nutmeg. Full-bodied with very firm and tight tannins. Bright finish. Crushed stone at the end as well. Needs three to five years to soften. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 34% merlot, 5% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. First year with organic farming. Try after 2027.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2020 Château Pédesclaux reminds me of the 2016 with its concentrated, pure, classic Pauillac style. A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it has a great nose of pure blue fruits (currants, cassis) as well as ample lead pencil, chalky minerality, and violet aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and elegant on the palate, it has the purity and polish to shine even today, yet my money is on it benefiting from 4-6 years of bottle age, and it should evolve gradually over the following 15+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDTense and coiled, lovely styling here with bright and vibrant black fruits, a soft hit of creaminess alongside liquorice-laced tannins. Power and brawn, clearly structured and intense, this will age very well just a bit shy and tight right now. Dark chocolate, menthol freshness, plum and rosemary. Excellent tannic grip and I love the sweetness on the palate as well as overall freshness. Something very captivating about this and upscored from a tasting in September.Decanter | 94 DECMatured in 55% new oak, the 2020 Pédesclaux, has a very Cabernet-driven nose as indeed, this Pauillac estate has been gradually moving towards the variety in recent years. Blackberry, freshly-rolled tobacco and light pencil box notes. This is clean and precise. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, fresh and fleshy, yet there is backbone here with a gentle but insistent grip towards the smooth finish. Maybe it just needs a little more complexity overall, but this should still drink well for the next two decades.Vinous Media | 91 VM

An estate that has been on fire of late, the 2020 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande is another brilliant wine in a succession of brilliant wines. Revealing a dense purple hue as well as full-bodied aromas and flavors of blac currants, scorched earth, tobacco leaf, and violets, it hits the palate with an expansive, rich, yet pure, precise texture that carries fabulous tannins, perfect balance, and a stacked mid-palate. Based on 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc, it’s an incredible wine that’s going to flirt with perfection and is unquestionably one of the finest, if not the finest, Left Banks in the vintage. Bravo. Tasted twice.Jeb Dunnuck | 98-100 JDThis is extremely structured, but with a level of polish and refinement that highlights the excellence of the terroir. Very long and expansive on the palate, showing class and beauty. Powerful, yet comes across refined and curated at the end. Lovely texture.James Suckling | 97-98 JSSofter and silkier than many Pauillacs in the vintage, this is a clear success. Hugely silky and seductive, with grip, power and finesse. One of the best of the appellation, with finessed tobacco, heather and plump blueberry and cassis fruit, expertly managing the low 30hl/ha yield. 60% new oak. Tasted twice. (Drink between 2030-2048)Decanter | 96 DECDeep purple-black in color, the 2020 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande begins on a single, well-defined, wonderfully pure note of ripe blackcurrants, opening out to a melody of redcurrant jelly, kirsch, ripe blackberries and tar, with emerging suggestions of dark chocolate, cardamom, ground cloves and violets, with a waft of black truffles. Medium-bodied, tightly wound and with loads of fantastically nuanced black fruit layers, it has a rock-solid frame of finely grained tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. The blend this year is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RPThe 2020 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is holding so much in reserve. Tightly wound and not fully expressive, the 2020 is going to need at least a few years to come out of its shell. Bright acids and persistent tannins give the 2020 a super classic, mid-weight feel. I very much like the wine’s persistence. Readers will have to be patient with the 2020. The exuberance of some recent vintages is not present today. The blend is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, which means a touch more Cabernet Sauvignon than in recent years, and quite a bit more than in the past. Harvest ran from September 7 to October 1, which is about ten days earlier than normal. In the cellar, Estate Manager Nicolas Glumineau opted for light extractions, with minimal pumpovers of just one volume of wine per day, at no more than 25 degrees Celsius. Time on the skins was 21 days, pretty much the norm these days. Tasted two times. (Drink between 2032-2060)Antonio Galloni | 95-97 AG

Lots of currants and blackberries with violets and dried flowers such as honeysuckle. Medium to full body. Firm and racy tannins, and a long and focused finish. Linear. Black earth undertones. Drink after 2027.James Suckling | 94 JSOne of the best values out there, the 2020 Château Puygueraud reveals a beautiful, medium-bodied, elegant profile as well as ample cassis and more blue fruits, some violet, truffle, and floral notes, soft tannins, and outstanding length. It’s a gem of a wine to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years, if not a decade.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDThe 2020 Puygueraud, a blend of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc growing in clay-limestone soils, exhibits intense and fresh aromas of violet, cassis, blueberry and spring flowers, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy mouthfeel; this is perfectly balanced and will improve with a bit more bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91+ RPThe 2020 Puygueraud has developed into a gorgeous wine. Bright floral and spice notes lend freshness to this fruity, supple Francs Côtes de Bordeaux. This is the first vintage in which a portion of the wine was aged in cask, which has given the 2020 an attractive freshness that I did not sense en primeur. Raspberry jam, white flowers, rose petal and a touch of cinnamon are some of the notes that grace this exquisite Francs Côtes de Bordeaux from Nicolas Thienpont. Tasted two times.Vinous Media | 91 VMSmall yields here because of the hail in mid April, 15hl/ha, a third of the usual harvest. But what is left behind is so drinkable with such careful placing of the fruit - a good slather of black fruits, extremely fine and harmonious with good pace as it travels through the palate. Excellent; slightly closing in on the finish because of tannic build up.Decanter | 91 DEC

The 2020 Château Quinault L’Enclos, which saw two thirds of the blend brought up in foudre, is another beautiful, seamless wine from this estate that offers both richness and elegance. Black cherries, smoked tobacco, chocolate, and a touch of scorched earth all flow to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, finesse-driven Saint-Emilion that already offers pleasure. It will evolve for two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThis is hyper fine and polished with currants, light chocolate and hazelnut aromas and flavors. Medium body. Fresh and very long. Extremely pretty and fine. Drinkable, but better in 2026.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2020 Quinault L’Enclos is a gorgeous, deeply pitched Saint-Émilion. Rose petal, mint, dried herbs and sweet red berry fruit all grace this wonderfully layered, nuanced Saint-Émilion. Pure and nuanced, with terrific energy, Quinault has a ton to offer. In 2020, the Cabernets (15% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc) are super-expressive. There is just a bit of youthful austerity that needs time to soften.Vinous Media | 93 VMBlack fruits, livey and quite vibrant yet with a seriously salty liquorice tang to the profile. Exotic spice lingers on the finish, surrounded by a minty freshness which gives a wide expression. Chalky, powdery, yet also quite bitter with dark chocolate and clove marking the finish. Yet there is a lovely overarching freshness, and lingering seduction and charm. Feels sophisticated but sombre, with lots of minerality and wood notes.Decanter | 92 DECThis vineyard in the heart of the city of Libourne is now showing great quality. Ripe black fruits dominate the tannins, giving a wine of great freshness. It is succulent, with generous fruitiness while keeping an good structure. Drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEThe 2020 Quinault l’Enclos offers up aromas of cherries, plums and crushed mint, followed by a medium to full-bodied, velvety and lively palate built around powdery tannins that somewhat temper this site’s proclivity for an overt, even obvious, expression of fruit.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

Lots of black olive with dark fruit and sandalwood on the nose. Full-bodied with layers of velvety and soft tannins, yet they stay vibrant and focused. Very integrated palate. Flavorful at the end. Drink after 2026.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2020 Rouget is a potent, opulent Pomerol. Espresso, bittersweet chocolate, licorice, leather, incense, tobacco and blackberry jam race across the palate. This sumptuous, unabashedly opulent Pomerol has a ton to offer, but it is very much on the large side.Vinous Media | 94 VMHeady and concentrated, a deep dark core of blackcurrant and black cherry fruits. Vibrant acidity keeps things lifted and although the muscular tannins coat the mouth giving a soft grip there is nice energy here with a sleek handle on the cool blue fruits, acidity and gorgeous florality. Feels complete, not charming so much right now, but certainly evocative as it’s quite forward and confident with strong tobacco, liquorice and clove spice giving the oak on the finish. One to wait for.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2020 Rouget is another rich, demonstrative wine from this estate situated on the edge of the Pomerol plateau. Offering up aromas of blackberries, cherries and baking chocolate framed by a lavish application of creamy new oak, it’s medium to full-bodied, broad and enveloping, with a ripe core of fruit, powdery tannins and an expansive, vanillin-inflected finish. With a lighter touch in élevage and efforts to pursue more vibrant flavors, it’s clear that this estate could easily score even higher.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2020 Château Rouget showed nicely, with plenty of ripe black cherries, melted chocolate, tobacco, and a hint of iron in its medium to full-bodied, richer, tannic profile. While it’s not the most elegant wine out there, it has impressive depth of fruit, sound structure, and a great finish. Tasted twice.Jeb Dunnuck | 91+ JD

The tannins make their presence felt from the first moments, giving both depth and spice but also a certain constriction. This is not a year for exuberant second wines in St-Julien - there are well-framed black fruits, some fresh St-Julien balance, but a little sombre overall. 60% of overall production. Cabernet Franc 3% completes the blend. A yield of 31hl/ha.Decanter | 90 DEC

This shows aromas of blackcurrants and black cherries with cocoa, pine cones, toasted spices and nut shell. Medium-bodied with round and polished tannins and a fine texture. Some delicious fruit character coming through turning to a chalky and crushed stone yet juicy finish. Try in 2024.James Suckling | 93 JSBlack fruits dominate with the focus on blackcurrants, black cherries and plums with a soft undercurrent of savoury spice - liquorice, clove, cinnamon, chocolate and coffee beans. I like the dark fruit nature and the overall weight. Tannins are firm and supportive and this has a great juicy and fresh core that sustains the wine from start to finish. Much punchier than some of the other Médoc wines, this has push and persistence. Confident and characterful. Eric Boissenot consultant.Decanter | 91 DECAmple blackberry and dark cherry fruits as well as a sappy, floral core define the 2020 Château Sénéjac, a pretty, fresh, nicely focused red with class. It should be solid, if not outstanding.Jeb Dunnuck | 88-90 JD

This is seriously structured with blackcurrants, blueberries and iodine. It’s full yet so tight and focused with serious austerity and focus. Very classy and polished with precision. A terrific Siran. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 95 JSAll the elements are showing well in this wine from the southern end of Margaux. It’s an estate that is showing great promise and the wine brings together great tannins and richly delineated black fruits. It will age well.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WERipe and rich black fruits on the nose, smells heady and fully aromatic in a fruit-forward way, with blackcurrants, berries and sweet Ribena edges. Juicy and supple, nicely lively in the mouth, high acidity, with quite present tannins that are a little bit chalky and enjoyably bitter. Lovely viscous texture at first, with plenty of acidity and succulence, feels extremely youthful and on the edgy side right now, but is rounded, forward and full in body. It’s on the richer, riper side and a has a touch of sweet jamminess to it alongside spiced nuance and some terroir influence via the cool, minty salinity. Extremely likeable and one to watch.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2020 Siran is packed with the essence of blackberry jam, mocha, espresso, bittersweet chocolate, licorice and cloves. This dark, sumptuous Margaux is not at all subtle, but it does pack quite the punch. This is an especially opulent style, to be sure.Vinous Media | 92 VMLots of red and blue fruits, spring flowers, graphite, and leafy tobacco notes all emerge from the 2020 Château Siran, a medium-bodied, elegant, incredibly pretty and finesse-driven Margaux. It shows the fresher, elegant style of the vintage and has remarkable purity, fine tannins, and a great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDDeep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 Siran features notes of blackcurrant jelly, ripe redcurrants and raspberry leaves, plus suggestions of wild sage, tar and underbrush, with a waft of wild mushrooms. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled and refreshing, delivering approachable, soft tannins and plenty of red berry layers, finishing earthy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RP

So much blackcurrant, graphite and iodine character. Full-bodied. Incredible quality to the tannins. They are polished yet powerful. It’s so long and complete with such depth and toned muscles. Vertical. Very fresh and energetic. Will it be better than the famous 2015? Maybe the best ever. From organically grown grapes. 65% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot.James Suckling | 99-100 JSA blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot aging in 60% new barriques, the very deep purple-black colored 2020 Smith Haut Lafitte makes an impactful entrance, opening with flamboyant notes of blackcurrant pastilles, chocolate-covered cherries and molten licorice, leading to nuances of ground cloves, woodsmoke, crushed rocks and dusty soil. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with opulent black fruit preserves and shimmering mineral sparks, framed by exquisitely ripe and fantastically firm tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with epically long-lasting earthy and savory layers. This is the singular voice of Smith Haut Lafitte at its finest, and wow-oh-wow is it worth a listen. This 2020 has an alcohol of 14.5% with a pH of 3.65. The tannins this year were a little higher than 2018 and 2019. A little less than a third of production went into this grand vin.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98-100 RPPossibly ranking with the top two or three wines of the vintage, the 2020 Smith Haut Lafitte is a blockbuster that reminds me of a hypothetical mix of the 2009 and 2010. Based on a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, its dense purple hue is followed by a monster bouquet of ripe black fruits, scorched earth, charcoal, and graphite. All of these carry to a full-bodied Pessac-Léognan with flawless balance, loads of ripe, polished tannins, a dense mid-palate, and a great, great finish. It’s one of the gems in the vintage and should be snatched up by readers. Give bottles just 4-6 years in the cellar, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 20-30 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-100 JDPowerful on the attack, dense and concentrated at first then brighter on the retro-olfaction with layers of spice, liquorice and flowers. Intense but beautifully precise, with iris and peony aromatics coming in strongly as it opens in the glass. A ton of nuance and complexity, really takes its time, delivering a masterclass in restrained Pessac glamour. Average yields 30hl/ha for the reds. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 60% new oak. Harvest started on September 9 - 30. (Drink between 2030-2050)Decanter | 97 DEC96–98. Barrel Sample. This is a very fine wine, packed with tannins that are rich and suspended in the wine with its smoky edge and ripe blackberry fruits. The wine is direct in its fine, fragrant freshness and in its texture that gives power and concentration. Obviously for long-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2020 Smith Haut Lafitte is a thrilling wine of grandeur and spellbinding beauty. The aromatics literally soar out of the glass, perhaps driven by a touch more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. A vertical, explosive wine, the 2020 possesses tremendous energy. It is a rapturous wine that will delight readers for years to come. A move towards gentler extractions, with less oak impact, allows the purity of the fruit to come through loud and clear. Inky dark cherry, plum, mocha, dried herbs and lavender are all amplified in the 2020, but what I admire most is a total sense of harmony. I can’t wait to see how it ages, as evolution has at times been the sole Achilles heel here.Antonio Galloni | 95-97 AG

This has superb depth and intensity with very fine tannins that draw you down. So much black fruit, together with black pepper and salt. Extremely well crafted. Vertical and deep. Chalky and salty with black chocolate.James Suckling | 98-99 JSInky in colour, this is utterly gorgeous, so much purity and definition on the nose. Things start out intense, with crushing tannins, then it steps up and back, with a delicate but juicy slate and crushed rock minerality flooding in. Great physicality, with a push and pull that goes from power to lightness of touch. I assume it will gain a little more weight over ageing, but this is exceptionally well controlled. Crushed blackcurrant and blackberry fruits, with chalky tannins and savoury Cabernet florals. 60% new oak. 3.53pH. The new cellar will be used for vinification from the 2021 vintage, with this vintage aged in the new barrel cellars. No malolactic fermentation in barrel since the 2019 vintage. Just 2mm of rain in July and 30mm in August but the deep clay-limestones at Troplong kept their freshness, and there were no blockages in ripening. Thomas Duclos consultant. (Drink between 2028-2044)Decanter | 97 DECI’d wager the finest vintage here since the 2015, then the 2009, the 2020 Château Troplong Mondot is a blend of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Cabernet Franc. It offers a dense purple hue as well as powerful, unevolved aromas and flavors of pure crème de cassis, black cherries, graphite, gravelly earth, and tobacco. Coming from the highest elevation vineyard in the appellation and deeper, clay soils (which excelled in 2020), it’s medium to full-bodied and has a dense, thick mid-palate, building tannins, and a great finish. It’s not for the instant gratification crowd out there, but it’s going to be incredibly long-lived. Hats off to the team at Troplong Mondot as well as oenologist Thomas Duclos.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JD95–97. Barrel Sample. Rich and powerful, dense and compact, with a mineral edge, this is a ripe wine with layers of dark tannins. It does have fresh acidity to balance the black currant fruits. Tannins burst through the fruit, offering a huge long-term structure. An impressive wine.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2020 Troplong Mondot is composed of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 4th September and lasting for about three weeks. The pH is 3.53, the IPT (tannin index) is 75 and the alcohol is 14.5%. Opaque purple-black colored, it opens with a vivacious burst of black fruits—stewed plums, baked blackberries and boysenberries—giving way to a fragrant undercurrent of licorice, ground cloves, cinnamon stick and lilacs, with a touch of bouquet garni. The full-bodied palate is chock-full of plump, juicy black fruits and savory sparks, framed by fantastically ripe, fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and opulent.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97+ RPThe 2020 Troplong Mondot is another strong showing from the estate under the direction of Aymeric de Gironde. Exotic and voluptuous, the 2020 is endowed with terrific depth and plenty of layers that unfold over time. Raspberry jam, cloves, kirsch and lavender all flesh out beautifully in the glass. Troplong Mondot has been exceptionally fine since 2017, when the new team headed by de Gironde took over and began to focus on giving the Grand Vin more energy. In the 2020, though, I see less of the vibrancy and brilliance that has defined the new style at Troplong. Tasted two times.Antonio Galloni | 93-95 AG

Winemaker Jean-Luc Thunevin has hit a home run in the vintage, and his 2020 Château Valandraud is unquestionably up with the crème de la crème out there. Made in a ripe, sexy, plush style, it brings an incredible amount of ripe black fruit, chocolate, vanilla, espresso, and leafy herb-like aromas and flavors. This carries to a full-bodied, powerful Saint-Emilion that somehow stays weightless and graceful on the palate, with moderate acidity, ripe tannins, and a great, great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-99 JDWow. This is really super polished with incredible length and intensity, offering blackberries and hazelnuts. Superb richness that is reserved and poised. Great length. Full-bodied, extremely long and exciting.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThis wine from the premier classé estate is seriously structured, dense and firm. At the same time the beautiful black currant fruits, acidity and fine perfumed character balance its richness. It is an impressive, memorable wine that will develop well over many years.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WE(Château Valandraud, St-Émilion, Bordeaux, France, Red) This is excellent, broad-shouldered with ample depth to the brambled fruits, liquorice, cigar box spice, with a gorgeously saline finish. Chalky, grippy tannins keep tugging you back into the body of the wine. The tannic grip is helped by a linen rather than silk texture that stops things being overly smooth and instead adds depth and interest to the powerfully knitted body, as do white flowers on the aromatics as it opens. Good stuff. 100% new oak for 24 months. A yield of 49hl/ha. Thunevin has sold a 50% stake in Valandraud to the Lefevre family at Sansonnet (also the new owners of Villemaurine, so a busy year for them). (Drink between 2029-2046)Decanter | 96 DECOpaque purple-black colored, the 2020 Valandraud bursts with scents of crushed black plums, boysenberries and blackberry preserves, followed by hints of dusty soil, garrigue and clove oil. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a lot of energetic, crunchy black fruits with a lively backbone and beautifully ripe, rounded tannins, finishing long and fragrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RPThe 2020 Valandraud is impressive. Inky, deep and exquisitely layered, it possesses tremendous richness in every dimension. crème de cassis, chocolate, licorice, new leather, spice and lavender build as the 2020 gains volume in the glass. Silky and plush, with magnificent balance, this is shaping up to be one of the wines of the year. A magnificent effort from Muriel Andraud and Jean-Luc Thunevin. Superb. Tasted two times.Vinous Media | 95-97 VM

The 2020 Château Valandraud Blanc is both deeper and richer, with a more concentrated, medium to full-bodied style as well as incredible aromatics of ripe melon, white fits, lemon, minty herbs, and chalky minerality. With integrated acidity, an almost red wine-like structured mouthfeel, and a great finish, this easily belongs up with the greatest whites in the vintage. It will evolve for two decades if you’re so inclined.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThe 2020 Valandraud Blanc, centered upon 60% Sauvignon Gris, an underrated variety, has a nicely focused bouquet with apple blossom, lemon verbena, chamomile and light pear aromas. The 80% new oak is neatly enmeshed. The palate is well balanced with a fine thread of acidity, quite complex with a modicum of spice and stem ginger. There is something different about this white Bordeaux emanating from the grape varieties, a wine with character and sufficient salinity to tempt you back for another sip. Just 3,000 bottles made.Vinous Media | 94 VMHerbal lemon, caramelised patisserie, baked lemon tart with some apple flecks. Round, unctuous, strong and bold, but clean and clear with a honeyed, caramel pastry tang on the palate balanced by a shot of zesty lemon, lime, orange and peach - the citrus fruits holding the backbone with high acidity and freshness. Richly layered and powerful but also friendly, generous and lively. It’s serious but with elements of fun!Decanter | 94 DECDense, complex white with sliced fennel, grapefruit, clove, burnt vanilla pod, green pineapple and herbs on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied, textured and phenolic, with slightly bitter herbal and spice character. Better after 2023.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2020 Valandraud Blanc opens with the most gorgeous perfume of orange blossoms, honeycomb and allspice, leading to a core of pink grapefruit, lemon tart and lime cordial, with a waft of aniseed. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with layer upon layer of tropical and citrus fruits, supported by a crisp backbone and satiny texture, finishing with epic length and perfume. Stunning.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPJuicy and fresh, with lots of deliciously bouncy gooseberry gelée and lemon peel flavors streaking through. Laced with quinine and fleur de sel notes on the finish. Sauvignon Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now through 2024. 350 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThis is a powerfully rich wine, with ripe citrus and yellow fruit flavors. Acidity is balanced by the dense texture and spicy undercurrent. Drink from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE