Saint Emilion

wines

The 2020 Le Prieuré is fabulous. Inky and deep, with tremendous vibrancy, it dazzles from start to finish. Blueberry jam, graphite, menthol and lavender build as the 2020 gradually shows off its pedigree. Bright saline and mineral notes punctuate the mouthwatering finish. Technical Director Pénélope Godefroy has taken the farming and winemaking principles she learned at Latour and the other Artemis Group properties and applied them at Siaurac, Vray Croix de Gay, and the crown jewel Le Prieuré, all of which are now owned by French insurance company Suravenir. The results have been nothing short of remarkable. Le Prieuré is quite simply one of the most beautiful, striking wines being made in Saint-Émilion today.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMTextured with depth to the hawthorn, raspberry and blackberry fruit that travels down several layers. The frame is drenched with juicy and taut limestone minerality, with almost a juniper and saline sting. Hard to argue with the quality here. First year with new owners, Suravenir of Calon-Ségur, Penelope Godefroy is still the winemaker. A yield of 30hl/ha, organic winemaking. Drinking Window 2027 - 2040.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2020 Le Prieure is a blend of 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc, with 14.3% alcohol. It is aging for an anticipated 16 months in French oak barriques, 35% new. Deep purple-black colored, it needs a little swirling and coaxing to reveal fragrant notes of lilacs, underbrush and sandalwood over a core of Morello cherries and plum preserves, plus a waft of woodsmoke. The medium to full-bodied palate has beautiful energy and tension, featuring layers of juicy red and black fruits with a plush texture, finishing long and perfumed. What a stunner!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPA medium-bodied red with blackberry, raspberry with and orange peel. It’s polished with fine tannins. Rather creamy texture.James Suckling | 92-93 JSA rich, ripe, opulent wine that shows more and more freshness and elegance with time in the glass, the 2020 Château Le Prieuré offers an outstanding array of black raspberry and mulled cherry fruits as well as background leafy herbs and chocolate. With high-quality tannins, good overall balance, and a great finish, it should easily be an outstanding wine and keep for 15+ years. It’s every bit as good as the 2016, 2017, and 2018.Jeb Dunnuck | 91-93 JD

The 2020 Musigny Grand Cru has a well-defined bouquet with red cherries, blackcurrant, touches of animal fur and black truffle - very complex and intense. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, wonderful depth and cohesion, the acidity perfectly judged. The 30-40% stems here lends a discrete peppery note on the finish to what is one of the best Musigny that I have tasted from Jadot in recent years. Stunning.Vinous Media | 97-99 VMThere are two barrels of the magical 2020 Musigny Grand Cru (Domaine Louis Jadot), a striking wine that soars from the glass with scents of blood orange, rose petals, wild berries, sweet soil tones and musk. Full-bodied, ample and enveloping, it’s vibrant and multidimensional, with a deep, layered core and a long, resonant finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RP(Maison Louis Jadot Musigny Grand Cru Red) Much like the Amoureuses, the dazzling nose of plum, black raspberry and floral scents is super-spicy with its combination of anise, sandalwood, clove, hoisin and dried orange peel nuances. There is both outstanding volume and even better intensity to the more mineral-driven, concentrated and focused flavors that exude a touch of bitter pit fruit character on the hugely long, balanced and highly complex finale. This is very classy juice that should age gracefully for the better part of two decades. (Drink starting 2037)Burghound | 93-96 BH

The 2020 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is very pure and harmonious on the nose with plush black cherry and cassis fruit, well-integrated oak and a floral aspect that becomes more prominent with time. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and fresh, lightly spiced with quite a vivacious, mineral-driven finish that retains superb definition. This is very impressive and bloomin’ delicious (already!)Vinous Media | 96-98 VMThe wine is massive, with grippy tannins, full body and an interminable finish. ’A great vintage to taste in 20 years,’ according to winemaker Frédéric Barnier. The 0.27ha Jadot parcel (owned by the house itself) is in a strip that goes from the top of the vineyard to the bottom, and thus includes both terres blanches (white marl) and terres rouges (red clay). The fruit character is black plum and cassis, with a firm, mineral and earthy element. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040.Decanter | 96 DECA wine with huge potential is the 2020 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru (Domaine Louis Jadot). Unwinding in the glass with notes of raspberries, red cherries, vanilla pod, exotic spices and raw cocoa, it’s full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with an immensely concentrated core, powdery tannins and a tightly wound profile. This will be among the slowest to evolve of all the wines in the cellar, and also among the most long-lived.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96+ RP(Maison Louis Jadot Bonnes Mares Grand Cru Red) Very generous wood and menthol nuances still allow the liqueur-like aromas of red currant, violet and range of spice elements to be appreciated. There is first-rate power and punch to the moderately dense and beautifully textured flavors that display superb length on the sappy finish where the only nit is a hint of warmth. (Drink starting 2037)Burghound | 93-96 BH

Another killer wine in the vintage is the 2020 Château Côte De Baleau, which comes from a cooler, north-facing vineyard on the eastern side of the appellation. Almost all Merlot, it offers a medium to full-bodied, mouth-filling, layered style that carries plenty of ripe tannins, terrific mid-palate depth, and textbook Right Bank Merlot notes of red and black cherries, leather, dried flowers, and chalky minerality. It picks up more and more minerality with time in the glass and is a bonafide mineral bomb. Give it just a few years in the cellar and enjoy it over the coming 15-20 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDAromas of currants and blackberries with spiced chocolate, dried herbs and wet stones. Medium- to full-bodied with fine tannins and vivid acidity. Structured and meaty. Shows freshness and juiciness to its deep, dark-fruited character. Toned, firm finish. Drink from 2025.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2020 Côte de Baleau has an attractive bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, dried blood and cedar. Lovely focus here, real class and delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with blackberry, tobacco and graphite, again, very well-focused with an engaging, mineral-driven finish that lingers in the mouth. This a very well-crafted Saint-Émilion that will age with style.Vinous Media | 92 VMLashings of liquorice and dark chocolate combine with ripe blackcurrant and plums, giving a serious tone to this wine. It’s well built, with good support from gently chewy and present tannins, with a long, minty, salty finish. There are touches of dried fruits to this, raisins and prunes, but the acidity is well balanced and this has a nice weight in the mouth. A little drying by the finish. Heft and power, but not brutish.Decanter | 90 DECA ripe, full-bodied wine, this has rich tannins and plenty of spicy character from the wood aging. It is dense, structured with powerful black fruits and a generous, velvet texture. The wine has enough structure to age well. Drink from 2026 Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Attractive aromas of blueberries and mulberries with graphite, dark licorice and crushed stones. Dark chocolate, too. Full-bodied. Impressive quality to the tannin structure that starts gently and glossy and continues to build, gaining power throughout the palate. Deep and dense with a velvety dark-fruited core. Really long, tense and persistent. 77% merlot, 18% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 96 JSSupple and utterly charming, with a juicy core, fine tannins and chalky edges. This is quite reserved still, not showing its full width but I love the detail and precision of the elements. Feels sleek and well made, dark and brooding, concentrated and ripe, with liquorice and clove showing the oak but there’s a refinement in the texture and overall weight. It’s broad shouldered but with a charming core. Clean and confident. It’s potent with layers of flavour and texture, but structured and presented very well. Impressive.Decanter | 94 DECComposed of 77% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, with an alcohol of 14.5% and a pH of 3.57, the deep purple-black colored 2020 Fleur Cardinale bursts from the glass with powerful notes of crushed blackberries, stewed black plums and Morello cherries, plus suggestions of star anise, pencil shavings and black truffles. The medium to full-bodied palate is chock-full of softly textured, juicy black fruits, countered by fantastic tension, finishing with great length and loads of earthy layers.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95+ RPThe 2020 Fleur Cardinale is packed with dark fruit, chocolate, new leather, menthol and generous sweet oak. The 2020 has gained in body and complexity with élevage, exactly what is supposed to happen over time. Moreover, the 2020 has plenty of energy to balance its more exuberant leanings.Vinous Media | 93 VMA solid step up, the Grand Vin 2020 Château Fleur Cardinale checks in as 77% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. This 22.5-hectare estate has been in the Decoster family since 2000 and consists of mostly clay over limestone soils and is located in the Saint-Etienne de Lisse region of Saint-Emilion. From healthy yields of 43 hectoliters per hectare, with malolactic fermentation in tank followed by 13 months in 90% new French oak, it has a juicy, pure, medium to full-bodied style that shows the classic, elegant style of the vintage beautifully. Offering lots of cassis-like fruit, notes of truffly earth, spring flowers, and violets, well-integrated acidity and tannins, and just a beautifully balanced mouthfeel, it’s going to benefit from just 2-4 years of bottle age and will evolve nicely through 2040. It’s another beautiful wine from this estate.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JD

The 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux Vieilles Vignes will be bottled later than usual, as Michel was still waiting on the delivery of glass bottles when I visited—but extra time on the fine lees certainly won’t do it any harm. Exhibiting aromas of pear, white flowers, freshly baked bread, confit citrus and iodine, it’s medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered, with terrific depth and tension. It’s a close race between this and Michel’s Vaulorent this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPBack in the fleshier style so for once I may have a preference for the regular. But then I love it on the palate with just a little bit of fresh red fruit mixing in. This has been racked a second time and sulphured which may explain the nose. The finish is excellent and very well poised.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JM

The 2020 Ausone is stellar. Usually a showier wine, Ausone is packed with bright acids, deep fruit and tons of supporting structure. Dark red fruit, blood orange, pomegranate, rose petal, mocha and dried herbs all race out of the glass. Deep and layered, with magnificent finesse, Ausone is lights out in 2020. What a wine. Readers lucky enough to own it are in for a thrilling ride over the next few decades.Vinous Media | 99 VMThe flowers in the nose are spectacular with violets, lavender, and honeysuckle. Then there’s wet stone and freshly cut limestone. Plus there’s raspberries and blueberries. The palate is full-bodied yet very tight and reserved, with fine tannins that run the length of the wine as well as hints of cedar, sandalwood and vanilla bean. It’s long and very racy and complex. Needs eight to 10 years of bottle age to open and come together. Try after 2032.James Suckling | 99 JSA blend of equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot (the last time it was this blend was in 2010), the 2020 Château Ausone spent 20 months in new French oak, which has already been just about completely absorbed by this beauty. In comparison to the Chapelle d’Ausone, the Grand Vin is tighter and straighter, with an incredible yet primordial bouquet of red, blue, and black fruits intermixed with notions of iron, smoked tobacco, and graphite, with a liqueur of rocks-like sense of minerality. Dense purple-hued, full-bodied, backward, incredibly concentrated, and powerful, it has building tannins, a dense, stacked mid-palate, and enough structure and baby fat to warrant a solid decade of bottle age. This is a powerful Ausone built for the long haul, and it will unquestionably rank with the greats from the Vauthier family.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDDeep and layered with rich, ripe blackcurrant, cherry and plum fruit that expands slowly while the texture – sleek, straight and direct – does the talking. Clean with a powdery mineral grip of liquorice and graphite that takes hold and doesn’t let go. Structured and focused, no doubt muscular in its power yet so finely knit together. Laser-sharp, serious at the moment, this will take a while before it really starts to shine. It’s not out to charm right now but it certainly captivates.Decanter | 98 DECA blend of equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot, the 2020 Ausone wafts from the glass with aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with notions of incense, spices and raw cocoa framed by a creamy patina of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, layered and seamless, it’s pure and concentrated, with a sweet core of fruit, generously extracted tannins and a vanillin-inflected finish. Less seamless and sensual than the lovely 2019, it will require some patience to come together, but there is no mistaking the quality of the terroir here.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RP

Readers may not know it, but this team makes some incredible whites. The 2020 Virginie De Valandraud Blanc has a beautiful perfume of bright citrus, lemon pith, and chalky minerality as well as a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, yet still racy and vibrant style on the palate. It’s gorgeous today, but this will evolve gracefully for 15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDTypical Sauvignon Blanc nose of herbs, peas, apple and stalky elderflower with some white chocolate. Bright, textured and clear, a lovely clean sensation, I like the creamy yet piercing lemon and lime. Thrilling with clarity and elements of chalky, lemon, salty lime, nectarine and bitter orange peel. In a quiet phase but plenty of appeal.Decanter | 93 DECThis has aromas of almonds, thyme, clove, lemons and green apples. Crushed stones, too. Creamy, medium-bodied and textured, with a nutty thread throughout. Excellent weight and intensity. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2020 Virginie de Valandraud Blanc is a very pretty and expressive dry white. Hints of passionfruit, tangerine oil, mint and pineapple all grace this airy, weightless white.Vinous Media | 92 VMCrackles nicely from the start, with oyster shell, lemon peel and gooseberry notes. Shows lots of mouthwatering zip through the finish, which brings you back for another sip. Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris. Drink now through 2024. 1,200 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WSThe 2020 Virginie de Valandraud Blanc leaps from the glass with exuberant notes of green guava, passion fruit and ripe pears, plus hints of coriander seed, lemongrass and wet pebbles. The medium-bodied palate has impressive purity and intensity, delivering a racy backbone to offset the tropical fruit flavors, finishing long and lively.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91 RP

The 2020 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru has a crisp bouquet with crushed rock mixed with touches of dried flowers and a light sea spray note - classic Chablis really. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry. Touches of dried honey and chamomile, but underneath it all is a fine mineral spine and a decent, quite Les Preuses-like finish. Fine. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis.Vinous Media | 91 VMThough ripe, offering aromas and flavors of lemon cake, melon and white flowers, there’s also a stony, mineral element underneath this balanced white, which ends with a light chalky sensation. Drink now through 2028. 712 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

This is intense, structured and concentrated yet with an abundance of violet and peony notes that curl up through the tannins, combining halfway through the palate with blueberry, raspberry, tobacco, gunsmoke and sculpted, precise pulses of chalk minerality. There is just so much to talk about with this wine, but the overall impression is of dozens of carefully crafted elements that steal up on you. It’s hard not to be convinced by its success - and as ever with Canon you are in no doubt as to how well it will age. Gorgeous. 50% new barrels. 3.53pH. Harvest 4 September to 23 September. 50% new oak. A yield of 40hl/ha. Could go up after tasting in bottle, a potential 100 points. 98-100. (Drink between 2027-2050)Decanter | 99 DECThe 2020 Canon is a blend of 68% Merlot and 32% Cabernet Franc, aging for 18 months in French oak, 50% new. It weighs in with 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.53. Deep garnet-purple colored, it bursts from the glass with vivacious notes of Morello cherries, redcurrant jelly, wild blueberries and black raspberries, plus hints of powdered cinnamon, clove oil, star anise and dusty red soil. The medium to full-bodied palate is an exercise in grace, delivering exquisitely ripe, finely pixilated tannins and bold freshness to support the tight-knit black, red and blue fruit layers, finishing long with loads of exotic spices and mineral sparks. An exhilarating triumph!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98-100 RPWow. This is really exceptional with super density of fruit that remains clear and agile. Blackberries, currants, violets and spice, as well as some chalk and salt. It really goes on for minutes. Best of the trilogy?James Suckling | 98-99 JSThe 2020 Château Canon is another brilliant wine in a long line of brilliant wines from this incredible team and consistent estate. Coming from the upper plateau (unquestionably one of the finest terroirs on the upper plateau) and 68% Merlot and 32% Cabernet Franc, it offers a perfumed, ethereal nose of red and blue fruits, violets, white flowers, and unsmoked tobacco. With riveting purity, full-bodied richness, flawless balance, and a great, great finish, it’s going to push the upper limits of my scale. The tannins here are incredible as well, and this beauty should drink well for 20-30 years. Hats off to technical director Nicolas Audebert and his team for another insanely good wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDThe 2020 Canon is a gorgeous, sophisticated wine. Silky and soaring, Canon is vertical in build, with a real sense of explosive energy that give the wine its shape. Rose petal, lavender, mint, spice and ripe red/purplish berry fruit all meld together effortlessly. The 2020 is an especially airy, understated Canon. I can’t wait to see how it ages.Antonio Galloni | 95-97 AG

Deep purple-black colored, the 2020 La Gaffeliere gallops out of the glass with exuberant scents of crushed black plums, boysenberries and fresh blackberries, plus hints of eucalyptus, dark chocolate, crushed rocks and iron ore, with a waft of lavender. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with compelling energy, delivering layers of black and red berries with fantastic tension and finely grained tannins, finishing very long and wonderfully minerally.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPThe 2020 La Gaffelière is simply magnificent. Soaring, regal aromatics are immediately alluring. Deep and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2020 is vibrant and packed to the core. In 2020, the tannins are especially fine and silky for a Saint-Émilion that often shows a bit more tension in its youth. Bright red cherry, blood orange, mocha, spice, dried herbs and leather envelop the palate effortlessly. I imagine the 2020 will provide readers with many decades of exceptional drinking. It is another superb effort from a property that continues to impress.Antonio Galloni | 96-98 AGBlackberry and black-olive aromas and flavors. Full-bodied with layers of fine tannins that fill the mouth. Expansive finish. The tannins are very fine, but abundant. Really impressive.James Suckling | 96-97 JS95–97. Barrel Sample. Incredibly perfumed from the rich Cabernet Franc that gives this wine its real identity. A fine smoky character shines through the firm tannins. This and the wine’s delicious fruits promise great things as it develops.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEAn run of successful vintages at La Gaffeliere, and this again proves why it is an estate to watch, striking an expert balance between power and finesse. Offers a ton of cassis, blackberry, black cherry and damson fruits, licorice root and crushed stone, just gorgeously juicy and stretches out across the palate. Austere tannins at this point, plenty of limestone character, a little tight on the finish but with a velvet texture and promises to age with grace. A yield of 42hl/ha. (Drink between 2028-2044)Decanter | 95 DEC

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

The 2020 Clos de l’Oratoire is a powerhouse. Blackberry, gravel, smoke, incense, crushed rocks and dried herbs hit the palate as this potent, structured Saint-Émilion opens up. This is an especially virile, tannic wine that is going to need time to settle down. The balance of fruit intensity and structure is compelling, to say the least. But this needs time.Vinous Media | 94+ VMAnother head-turningly good Right Bank is the 2020 Clos De L’Oratoire, which comes from the team of Stephan von Neipperg. This medium to full-bodied, focused, elegant 2020 has good concentration, the vintage’s pure, layered profile, classic aromas of black raspberry, cassis, graphite, and flowers, and plenty of chalky minerality on the finish. A quintessential 2020, give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following decade or so.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDA rather mineral and spicy red with medium to full body, showing blackberries and black walnuts. There’s a deep, polished tannin backbone to this. Racy and fine.James Suckling | 94-95 JSThe 2020 Clos de l’Oratoire is seamless and charming, offering up aromas of sweet cherries, blackberries, violets and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, velvety and harmonious palate. This gourmand, Merlot-dominant bottling will offer a wide drinking window.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPConfident and grippy with liquorice, cherry, rosemary, dried herbs and chocolate. It lifts and tightens through the plate, good tension, broad-shouldered, powerful and intense. 40% new oak. A yield of 32.5hl/ha.Decanter | 92 DECReveals ripe plum and blackberry fruit that meld nicely with hints of anise, black tea and singed alder. The focused and fine-grained finish has a late savory sparkle for range. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2034. 3,500 cases made, 400 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The 2020 Grand-Pontet is a rich, heady Saint-Émilion. Black cherry jam, chocolate, spice, licorice, menthol, dried herbs and espresso resonate in the glass. The 2020 is a big wine with huge fruit and equally imposing tannins that need time to soften. There is certainly quite a bit to look forward to.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMDeeply fruited with blackberry and toasted cumin spice with a velvety texture that slows things down and delivers enjoyable character and personality. The addition of a touch of Malbec makes an oversized contribution, and this is good. A yield of 45hl/ha. 70% new oak.Decanter | 92 DECA fruitier 2020 with medium body and tannins that grow on the palate and fold into the wine nicely. Fresh finish. Should build in the center palate with time.James Suckling | 92-93 JSLots of juicy plum and darker berry fruits as well as chocolaty oak and rocking minerality emerge from the 2020 Château Grand-Pontet, a medium to full-bodied, rich, sexy Saint-Emilion. One bottle of this showed much more firm tannins, yet a second bottle was a noticeable step up, with a ripe, seamless texture and beautiful mid-palate depth. It’s certainly going to be an outstanding wine, and if the final wine is closer to the top bottle, it should eclipse this rating. The blend is 77% Merlot with 17% Cabernet Franc and the rest Malbec.Jeb Dunnuck | 91-93 JDThe deep garnet-purple colored 2020 Grand-Pontet opens with pronounced notions of fresh blueberries, blackberry pie and Morello cherries, plus suggestions of chocolate mint, star anise and unsmoked cigars. The medium to full-bodied palate (14.43% alcohol) is packed with crunchy blue and black fruits, supported by velvety tannins and soft acidity, finishing long and spicy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92+ RP

This is linear and creamy with lovely, fine tannins and dark-berry, violet, stone and licorice character. Medium-to full-bodied, racy and fresh. Charming. Freshness at the end.James Suckling | 93-94 JSPerfumed and heady with blue fruits and bramble. Lean and straight, there’s a real austerity to this, serious liquorice on the palate, a touch dry, you get the feeling of heat and fruit. A little reserved right now; tense and serious, but has backbone and weight. It’s dark, savoury, coiled and tense, with drive and texture, displaying tobacco, graphite and an iron, mineral tang.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2020 Monbousquet is a blend of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, coming in with an alcohol of 14.69% and a pH of 3.75. It is aging in French oak barriques, 50% new. With a deep purple-black color, it prances out of the glass with showy scents of crushed black plums, mulberries and Morello cherries, plus touches of dried Provence herbs, charcoal and forest floor. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers expressive black and red berry layers, framed by plush tannins and just enough freshness, finishing on a fragrant earth note.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93+ RPAlmost always a winner, the 2020 Château La Tour Carnet offers a terrific, medium-bodied, concentrated style as well as classic notes of ripe currants, darker cherries, spicy wood, and graphite. It has the vintage’s more focused, classic, structured style, with ripe tannins and outstanding length. It’s well worth seeking out and is going to evolve for at least a decade.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDThe 2020 Monbousquet is a heady, exotic wine. Blackberry jam, bittersweet chocolate, spice, new leather and espresso are all kicked up. Explosive and deep, the Monbousquet packs a serious punch. The tannins are pretty imposing today, but élevage should take care of that.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

A full-bodied, firm and intense red with blackcurrants, toasted walnuts, violets, smoked paprika and dried herbs on the nose. Sturdy frame from firm yet polished tannins. Powerful and wonderfully integrated. Better from 2026.James Suckling | 94 JSI loved the 2020 Château Bellevue, and this might be the finest vintage I’ve tasted from this address. Lots of cassis and blue fruits as well as toasted spice, chocolate, and chalky minerality emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a great texture, ripe tannins, and a nice mix of freshness and richness.Jeb Dunnuck | 92-94+ JD

A ripe, rich red that delivers loads of crushed-berry, chocolate and walnut character, as well as fine tannins through the center palate. Layered texture.James Suckling | 94-95 JSLots of mulled cherries, blueberries, iron, and bouquet garni emerge from the 2020 Château Faugeres, a rich, focused, yet fruit-loaded barrel sample that has a good sense of purity and elegance. I was able to taste two bottles, both showing medium to full-bodied richness, with one having slightly more precision. Both showed great mid-palates, and this is certainly a beautiful wine in the making. Two to four years should do it well and it’s going to have two decades of longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95 JDDeep purple-black colored, the 2020 Faugères stampedes out of the glass with a herd of powerful black fruit notes: blackberry pie, baked black plums and ripe, juicy black cherries, plus hints of wild mushrooms, damp soil, tar and star anise with a waft of tobacco. The full-bodied palate is chock-full of black fruit preserves, framed by ripe, rounded tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long and earthy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPThe 2020 Faugeres offers ripe black plum and boysenberry fruit on the nose, which is extravagant and verging on ostentatious, though somehow it maintains focus and delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with red cherries, boysenberry, cola and light allspice notes on the entry. Well balanced with impressive depth toward the fleshy finish, leaving a lick of dark chocolate on the aftertaste. This is a fine Faugeres that should be afforded 4–5 years in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMAlways a concentrated wine and with low 23hl/ha yields it is expectedly so. This translates as intense charred oak on the nose, but they have done a good job of balancing it with ripe berry fruit alongside liquorice and black chocolate. Sleek and confident with clear depth. Another wine that shows the success of Cabernet Sauvignon in the right places of St-Emilion.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

The Grand Vin 2020 Château Cheval Blanc checks in as a blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon that was raised, as always, in 100% new French oak. As usual with Cheval Blanc, it’s primarily about finesse and elegance, as well as complexity, and exhibits a deep purple hue as well as a kaleidoscopic bouquet of sweet red and black fruits, spring flowers, spicy incense, loamy earth, and smoke tobacco. Absolutely flawless on the palate, it’s full-bodied, has perfectly integrated oak, ripe, silky tannins, and a gorgeous finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. This powerful, concentrated Cheval Blanc offers pleasure even today (needs lots of air) but warrants 7-8 years of bottle age and will see its 40th birthday in fine form.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe 2020 Cheval Blanc is eternal, seamless and exceptionally beautiful. All the elements are so well put together. Rose petal, blood orange, raspberry jam and cinnamon all take shape in the glass. Above all else, the 2020 Cheval Blanc is a wine of mind-blowing balance. Hints of mocha, raspberry jam, pomegranate and spice emerge with time in the glass. Cheval is quite simply one of the truly great wines of the vintage.Vinous Media | 99 VMSatisfying, edgy and seductive. The 2019 was perhaps more openly charming at this point, but there is lovely attention to detail here with delicate floral aromas, blue fruit and liquorice aspects on the nose followed by a patina of flavours and textures on the palate. Rich and powerful, clearly concentrated but delivered subtly and carefully, not pushed too far. There’s a clarity, precision and purity to the blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, with crushed stone saltiness, clove, aniseed and liquorice root. I loved the 2019 more at this stage but this has excellent potential for long ageing and will no doubt deliver unbridled enjoyment when it’s ready.Decanter | 98 DECLots of blueberries and flowers such as violets and crushed stone. This is very structured and muscular with minerally tannins that run the length of the wine. Very closed. Polished texture that gives it class and presence. This is one for the cellar. 65% merlot, 30% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon. Try after 2030.James Suckling | 98 JSThis wine has power and density. It also offers a perfumed intensity of black fruits and ripe tannins. The shape of the wine is already there even if it is still very young. Ripe and sweet, the fruit is delicious and open, bringing great freshness behind the structure. Drink this wine from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2020 Cheval Blanc wafts from the glass with aromas of mulberries, plums and cherries mingled with hints of rose petals, licorice, sweet spices and lilac. Full-bodied, broad and voluptuous, it’s layered and fleshy, with a ripe core of fruit, sweet tannins and a long, expansive finish. While purists will gravitate toward the purer and more precise and perfumed 2019, the 2020 will appeal to readers who love the richest, most powerful expressions of Cheval Blanc.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPVery alluring, with a well of dark currant, fig and mulberry fruit flavors that have melded nicely, laced with black licorice, black tea and sweet tobacco notes. Well-defined, with a subtle flash of warm earth at the very end. Remarkably polished for the vintage. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2029 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

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

Cedar and floral with dried rose petals and plums with some cherries and fresh tobacco. Medium to full body. Linear and tight with fresh and fine tannins. Chocolate and hazelnut. 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. Second wine of Angelus. Give it four to five years. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 95 JSGorgeous purity on the nose, open and expressive, the florality - rose, iris and violets give a lovely scent. Cool blue fruits, ripe but well defined with a thrilling and vibrant acidity alongside a touch of sweetness giving things a lift. There’s an ease about this, still complex, but it’s smooth and supple with firm tannins, softly gripping and giving the structure. Feels confident but not showy with a wide structure and clear backbone. I love the liquorice and cola aspects and the subtle spice. Ripeness is clearly there, but there’s no excess - the tension and energy remain from the start. Structured and suave.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECAromas of sweet cherries, berries, mint and rose petals, framed by a deft touch of new oak, introduce the 2020 Le Carillon d’Angélus, a medium to full-bodied, supple and seamless wine that’s velvety and enveloping, with a suave, polished profile that will lend it a broad drinking window. Produced in a new, dedicated winery, where tanks are adapted to the size of parcels, it was matured in 45% new barriques, 30% used barrels and the rest in tank, making for a somewhat more controlled oak influence.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPBased on 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, raised in 60% new French oak (the balance is in stainless steel), the 2020 Le Carillon D’Angelus has a medium-bodied, vibrant, quite elegant profile that certainly brings a touch of the class and finesse that’s almost always found in the Grand Vin. Ripe cherries, black raspberries, spice box, sandalwood, and dried flower notes make up the aromatics, and this balanced, wonderfully complete second wine has fine tannins and a good spine of acidity. It will benefit from a few years in the cellar and keep for 10-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDA blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Carillon d’Angelus is deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of Morello cherries, juicy blackberries, and raspberry leaves spring from the glass, followed by touches of lilacs, cedar chest, and sandalwood, with a waft of cumin seed. The medium to full-bodied palate is chock-full of bright, expressive blackberry and spicy layers, supported by nice, ripe, plush tannins and finishing with a refreshing lift.The Wine Independent | 92 TWI

15% whole bunch vinification. The colour is noticeably more robust than the preceding wines, as too is the bouquet, backed a little by new oak (30%) but showing a good intensity of robust raspberry fruit on the nose, which carries through across the palate. This has a good balance between fruit and structure. Drink from 2025-2030. Tasted Dec 2022.Jasper Morris | 90-92 JM

Blackcurrant purée on the nose, so seductive and heady, concentrated and intense but lively too with some wild flower scents. Succulent on the first sip, you get the mouthwatering red cherry and raspberry fruit but this then turns serious and direct. Linear, focused, driving with layers of flavour giving this both a density but also an aerial element to it. In some ways, there’s a shyness here, a discretion, such sleek silky tannins that softly frame the flavours which are to the fore right now. Red cherry, plum and damson sit alongside clove, cedar, black chocolate and liquorice coming from the Cabernet Franc giving a spicy tang sustaining the wine - the highest amount of Cabernet Franc ever used in the grand vin at 60%. Each element is so well positioned and in high definition, you feel the muscles and backbone but this has exceptional finesse with all the tiny details on show. An excellent effort in 2021. 100% new oak. The first full vintage with technical director Benjamin Laforet.Decanter | 95 DECBeautiful depth here, with currants and blackberries, as well as hints of fresh herbs and wet earth. Medium-to full-bodied, layered and long, with depth and beauty. Savory. Impressive for the vintage. Persistent.James Suckling | 95-96 JSThe 2021 Angélus unwinds in the glass to reveal aromas of dark berries, plums and cherries mingled with rose petals, forest floor, spices and pencil shavings, framed by creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, layered and vibrant, it’s taut and structured, with a deep core of fruit, chalky tannins and a long, perfumed, vanillin-inflected finish. As readers will remember, it’s a blend of fully 60% Cabernet Franc with 40% Merlot, incorporating foudres in addition to 225-liter barriques, and the rich, toasty oak signature of yesteryear is now firmly in the background, even if the wine still carries a youthful patina. The 2021’s classically balanced profile will reward a bit of bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPFor the first time ever, Angélus is 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot in 2021. There’s terrific density and power, especially within the context of the year. Black cherry, chocolate, spice, menthol and lavender all build nicely in the glass. The 2021 has quite a bit of richness, and its 14% alcohol, a bit lower than the recent norm, works quite well in this vintage. All it needs is a bit of time to help soften some of the raw contours that are present today.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMThe Grand Vin 2021 Château Angélus is 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot that was brought up in new barrels, with a portion of the Cabernet Franc raised in 30 hectoliter foudres. It offers a ruby/purple hue to go with a gorgeous perfume of pureed cassis and black raspberry fruit, as well as spice, spring flowers, and chalky, almost salty minerality. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has wonderful purity of fruit, ultra-fine tannins, and a gorgeous finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 JDComposed of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot, the 2021 Angelus is deep garnet-purple in color. Slightly closed to begin, considerable coaxing reveals scents of redcurrant jelly, black raspberries, and fresh blackberries with suggestions of crushed rocks, tar, truffles, and violets. Medium-bodied, the palate has fantastic intensity and energy, with very finely pixelated tannins and wonderful tension, finishing on a persistent ferrous note.The Wine Independent | 94-96 TWI

The 2021 Canon shows just how magical this site is. Vertical and explosive in feel, with tons of pure power, it impresses with its intensity, drive and super-classic profile. Bright saline notes and vibrant tannins give the 2021 a feeling of energy that only gains momentum with time in the glass. It’s not an easy Canon, like the 2015 or 2018, but it is incredibly expressive. It is the sort of wine that only truly emerges with time in bottle. I would be thrilled to own it. Canon must surely be one of the great relative values in first-class wine. Wow. Tasted two times.Vinous Media | 97 VMLots of crunchy red cherries and blue plums followed by violets, fresh sage and Christmas spices with baking spice and coconuts. Medium- to full-bodied with superb fine-grained racy tannins and beautifully refreshing acidity that gives an edge to it. Gorgeous finesse and elegance with harmony and precision. Delightful, too. Already drinkable but give this a few more years to come around. Try after 2026 and it should be beautiful for a long time.James Suckling | 97 JSDark chocolate, perfume, violets, wild flowers and bramble berries on the nose, so much going on aromatically. Lovely succulence straight away, the bright acidity giving a mouthwatering effect and really delivering in terms of vibrant and lively fruit forwardness but with these lovely edges of graphite, slate, bitter chocolate, cream and salinity. So elegant and so refined as well as super stylish. I also love the cooling menthol Cabernet aspects you get all the way through and on the long finish. This has real class, but also an effortless quality to it that is so remarkable. One of the most memorable wines of the vintage! 3.37pH. Both Canon, Rauzan-Segla and Berliquet are excellent achievements this year.Decanter | 96 DECRed and black fruits mingle with the firm structure of this dense wine. The tannins are solid while the ripe berry flavors show well against the wine’s richness.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2021 Canon opens in the glass with a pure bouquet of raspberries, cherries and plums mingled with pretty top notes of iris, licorice, mint and sweet spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it’s fleshy and sensual, with a deep and seamless core of fruit framed by ultra-refined tannins, a bright spine of acidity and a long, mineral finish. With an impressively low finished pH of 3.37, it was taken out of barrel a month earlier than usual and saw no fining—as has been the case since 2010.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPFrom a château you can’t go wrong with, the 2021 Château Canon is another head-turning, elegant, seamless wine that comes from unquestionably one of the greatest terroirs on the upper plateau of Saint-Emilion. Based on 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc that hit 13.55% alcohol, it will spend 18 months in 50% new barrels. It shows the vintage’s fresher, elegant style beautifully, with lots of perfumed red fruits, spice, flowers, and chalky notes. These carry to a medium-bodied, seamless, elegant Saint-Emilion that has supple tannins, a notable sense of freshness (although I suspect the pH is solid), and a great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95 JDFresh and open in feel, with loganberry and blackberry notes laced with mulling spice, black tea and savory hints. Concludes with a potpourri echo. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2035.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThe 2021 Canon is a blend of 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc with yields of 40 hl/ha and aging for 16-18 months in French oak, 50% of it new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it is slightly closed to begin, revealing subdued notes of juicy black plums and boysenberries, plus hints of Morello cherries, cinnamon stick, clove oil, and Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate has a solid backbone of fine-grained tannins and bold freshness (pH 3.37) supporting the vibrant black and red fruits, finishing long and minerally.The Wine Independent | 90-92 TWI

The 2021 La Gaffelière is a wine of sublime elegance and understated finesse. Aromatic and pliant, the 2021 shows the more delicate side of the year, yet all the Gaffelière signatures are present. Lavender, mocha, spice, dried herbs and leather are some of the many notes that grace this exquisite Saint-Émilion. The balance here is mind-blowing. Give this time, as it won’t be ready to drink anytime soon.Vinous Media | 96 VMLovely reduction at first that gives an ashy feel to the red berries, crushed stones, subtle cream, hibiscus and some dark-colored fruit. The medium- to full-bodied palate unleashes plenty of fine-grained tannins. Fresh, bright and more vertically structured than many of its peers from this vintage, but it remains polished and textured. Lingering finish. Drink from 2024.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2021 La Gaffeliere is a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a little swirling and coaxing to unleash vivacious scents of wild blueberries, black raspberries, and black cherries, followed by hints of licorice, crushed rocks, wood smoke, and tapenade, with a waft of red roses. Medium-bodied, the palate is beautifully knit with lots of black fruit, floral and savory layers, framed by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and fantastic tension, finishing long and mineral-laced.The Wine Independent | 94-96 TWIThe 2021 La Gaffelière is quite rich and generous by the standards of the vintage, wafting from the glass with aromas of cherries and raspberries mingled with licorice, pencil shavings and creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and seamless, it has good depth at the core, lively acids and a sapid finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPSucculent and supple, sugary, ripe, jammy tannins hit the palate with such a buzz and energy. It’s not so complex at this point but I like the upfront nature: it’s bright and bold, with bitter, salty minerality also coming through at the end - liquorice sticks, cedar, graphite. Clean, crisp and very enjoyable. Tannins are so smooth just perfectly integrated. Will be great in time and I love the cool mint aspect on the finish.Decanter | 93 DECPresents a pretty solid core of black cherry and cassis notes (for the vintage), while apple wood, sweet tobacco and black tea flavors fill in. The finish reveals a sanguine, chalky underpinning, which stays fresh and helps minimize the vintage’s austere side. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2035. 7,500 cases made, 500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS