Shop Wine

wines

Readers looking for an off-the-charts value should snatch up the 2020 Château Capbern, which emerges from the same team as Calon Ségur. Offering a vivid bouquet of cassis, leafy tobacco, violets, damp earth, and chocolate, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, perfectly ripe fruit (not overripe, not underripe), ultra-fine, integrated tannins, and the mix of freshness and richness that’s part of all great wines. It’s a hidden gem in Saint-Estèphe.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 JDRipe and smoky, this is a wine with some serious tannins. The wine’s power is mitigated by its acidity and bright freshness. The wine presents stunning Cabernet Sauvignon black fruits that will allow it to age.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis is really solid and powerful with lots of tannins and blue fruit. Spicy. Full and chewy. A little coarse now, but will improve with barrel aging.James Suckling | 92-93 JSThe 2020 Capbern is composed of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, weighing in with 14.1% alcohol. It is due to be aged for around 18 months in French oak barrels, 60% new. Deep purple-black in color, the 2020 Capbern sings of black cherries, mulberries and redcurrant jelly, with hints of candied violets, wild sage and fertile loam. The medium-bodied palate has impressive verve and freshness, featuring soft, well-managed tannins, red and black berry layers and a mineral-tinged finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91+ RPFragrant with fresh lilac and peonies on the aromatics, fairly high acidities overall with sculpted blackcurrant fruits. A higher level of Cabernet Sauvignon than in recent years after the replanting in the vineyard. 1% Cabernet Franc completes the blend, 3.85pH, 60% new oak. A yield of 33hl/ha. Drinking Window 2026 - 2042.Decanter | 91 DEC

The 2020 Talbot is a hugely promising wine. It offers up an exotic mélange of inky dark fruit, chocolate, licorice, gravel, lavender and menthol. Brooding in the glass, with broad shoulders and tons of intensity, the 2020 is a Talbot that marries power, breadth and savory intensity with notable stylishness and tons of personality. Impressive.Vinous Media | 92-95 VMThis is a great Talbot, a real success for the château. Subtle and deft touches throughout, from the smoked turmeric notes that lace the black fruits to the finessed aromatics that accompany the body of the wine. Balance and freshness, and a saline edge to the finish that is extremely moreish. Three years with Jean-Michel Laporte as director and he is doing great work. Drinking Window 2026 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DECA tight, focused young red with blackcurrant, lead-pencil and chocolate character. It’s full-bodied and tense with a long, flavorful finish.James Suckling | 94-95 JSA great success from this estate, the wine has bold tannins and richly, concentrated fruit. Its blackberry flavors mingle with the dry core, promising some serious aging.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2020 Château Talbot is a winner and certainly an outstanding wine. Offering lots of blackcurrants, green tobacco, chocolate, and lead pencil notes, it’s a classic Saint-Julien, with medium to full body, velvety tannins, and a rounded, layered texture. It’s ripe, yet certainly plays in the fresher end of the pool and should have 15-20 years of longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 91-93 JDDeep purple-black colored, the 2020 Talbot storms out of the glass with powerful blackcurrants, raspberry leaves and baked plums scents, followed by suggestions of dried Mediterranean herbs, tobacco leaf and graphite. The medium-bodied palate delivers lovely freshness and an approachable chewiness, nicely framing the herb-laced black fruits, finishing savory.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RP

Purple berry and blackberry aromas with cracked black pepper, violets and lavender. It’s full-bodied and layered and broadens in the mouth. Gorgeous, ripe tannins. Long and thought-provoking. A milestone for the vineyard.James Suckling | 99-100 JSOne of my favorite wines in the vintage is the 2020 Château La Fleur-Petrus, which reminds me slightly of the 2016, even though the growing season was quite different. A blend of mostly Merlot with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, its dense purple color is followed by a heavenly, ethereal Pomerol offering a powerful, almost Petrus-like sense of stature and density that carries incredible cassis and currant fruits as well as notes of graphite, crushed stone, chocolate, and violets. Flawlessly balanced on the palate, with a dense, layered mid-palate and building, perfect tannins, I just hope it shows this well from bottle! It should, at a minimum, match – and probably surpass – the 2009, 2016, and 2018.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-100 JDThe tannins clamp in on the opening beats of the wine and then spend the rest of the palate gently relaxing to let the juice out from the tight black fruits. The frame is both tactile and fresh, a brilliant La Fleur Petrus full of character and spice, bedded down but with a sense of energy and uplift. Black chocolate shavings shot through with eucalyptus, sage, rosemary, spices and cigar box - all of which really extend through the finish. Harvest September 10 to 20. A yield of around 42hl/ha. Deep gravels over clay. Drinking Window 2028 - 2045.Decanter | 97 DECVery deep purple-black colored, the 2020 la Fleur-Petrus leaps from the glass with bold expressions of baked black plums, molten licorice, Indian spices and blackberry preserves, plus hints of charcuterie, black olives and crushed rocks with a touch of unsmoked cigars. The full-bodied palate delivers compelling tension to the rich, hedonic black fruits, framed by firm, grainy tannins, finishing very long and tantalizingly savory.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RPThe 2020 La Fleur-Pétrus is wonderfully elegant and polished. Fine tannins give the 2020 its sophisticated feel. Succulent red cherry, cedar, tobacco, smoke and dried herbs all build. A whole range of floral, savory and mineral notes infuse the finish with tons of character. Medium in body and persistent, with real linear energy, the 2020 is all class. La Fleur-Pétrus is, above all else, a wine of understatement and elegance. The 2020 is especially fine.Antonio Galloni | 94-96 AGThe cool clay of this vineyard shows well in the freshness of this impressive wine. It gives the structure that will allow it to age. With richness assured through the tannins, the wine has great promise.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE

The 2020 Haut-Brion is a blend of 42.8% Merlot, 39.7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17.5% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 7th to 29th September, with an estimated alcohol of 15% and a pH of 3.8. Opaque purple-black colored, it leaps from the glass with a first wave of vibrant black raspberries, ripe blackberries and mulberries scents, followed by a powerful core of warm cassis, dark chocolate and violets, before bursting into an array of crushed rocks, iron ore, tree bark and black truffles notes. The concentrated, densely packed, full-bodied palate is not in the least bit heavy, delivering a refreshing backbone of red berry and dried herbs suggestions, framed by seamless acidity and very finely grained tannins, finishing on an epically long, fragrant earth note. Simply stunning.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98-100 RPUnquestionably one of the top wines in this impressive vintage, the 2020 Château Haut-Brion checks in as 42.8% Merlot, 39.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Cabernet Franc, all of which will spend 15-18 months in 77% new French oak. Its deep purple color is followed by a thrilling nose of mineral-laced blackcurrants, black raspberries, toast, spice, scorched earth, and graphite. Possessing an almost Lafite-like elegance on the palate, it nevertheless has huge dry extract, full-bodied richness, flawless balance, and beautiful tannins. Per the spec sheet, the alcohol is an estimated 15% with a pH of 3.78, so it’s no shrinking violet, yet it never shows a hint of headiness or being over the top. I finished my note with “Where can I buy some?” I suspect this wine will require a solid decade to hit the early stages of maturity and will be a 30-, 40-, or possibly a 50-year wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 98-100 JDThis is a superb Haut-Brion with incredible tannins that are wonderfully fine-grained. It’s really powerful. This is very primary with so much grape-generated tannin structure. Very, very long, going on for minutes. Seductive and friendly at the start and then takes you on at the finish with so much structure. Wine of the vintage?James Suckling | 100 JSThe 2020 Haut-Brion is shaping up to be one of the wines of the year. Substance, depth and textural intensity elevate Haut-Brion into the realm of the sublime in 2020. All the elements are so wonderfully balanced. Inky dark fruit, gravel, lavender, violet and dark spice build as the 2020 gradually opens with some aeration. Wow.Vinous Media | 97-99 VMTightly textured, this is a wine whose future is assured. With intense white fruits, spice and touches of toast from the wood aging, the wine’s concentration and taut character combine richness and structure.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WE(Château Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France, Red) Concentrated, powerful and precise; this takes a grip and holds on, layers of liquorice, grilled coffee bean, chocolate, blackcurrant pastille, cassis bud and a more steely wet stone edge that gives a much needed balance to the richness of the overall feel of this wine. Gunsmoke curls out of the glass after half an hour - this is going to need serious ageing, impressive and powerful stuff. Harvest from 7th to 29th September. (Drink between 2030-2050)Decanter | 96 DEC

The 2020 Château Clinet checks in as a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, brought up in 80% new French oak. It’s a rich, yet gorgeous wine with a wonderful sense of freshness in its ripe blue and black fruits as well as tobacco, chocolate, and damp earth. Full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and elegant on the palate, it has perfect tannins, a layered, elegant mouthfeel, and one hell of an impressive finish. One of the finest Pomerols in the vintage, it will benefit from just 3-5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDWhat a beautiful young wine, showing so much finesse and tension, with ultra-fine tannins and subtle and long flavors and character. It’s medium-bodied with extremely silky tannins that grow on the palate to a seamless finish. Harmonious. Another fine Pomerol for the cellar. Drink after 2027.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2020 Clinet is hugely impressive, as it was from barrel. Dark and imposing, with notable vibrancy, the 2020 offers up an exotic mélange of black cherry, gravel, incense, plum, game and licorice. I would give this a few years in bottle, as the tannins are pretty imposing. Cabernet Sauvignon is so distinctive here.Vinous Media | 95 VMDark and heady, smooth but still lean with a sense of seriousness with firm tannins that fill the mouth. Lovely high acidity offsets the powdery, chalky texture with perfumed blackberries and cherries alongside liquorice and cola touches. Rich and quite dense but with lovely persistence and energy.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2020 Clinet offers up aromas of minty cherries, blackberries and cassis mingled with hints of licorice, loamy soil and rose petals. Full-bodied, broad and rich, with a layered mid-palate underpinned by powdery tannins that assert themselves on the youthfully firm finish, it’s impressively balanced for a wine at 15% alcohol, but it remains a rather burly, powerful Clinet.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThis wine’s dense tannins and bold black fruits are balanced by its fine acidity and a fresh element that cuts through the dark chocolate and black plum flavors to give a fine lift to what will be an impressive wine as it matures. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WESports spicy toast and warmed fruitcake out front, backed by a solid core of steeped cherry and blackberry notes to match. This is all wrapped up with singed vanilla and sweet tobacco on the finish, along with a tug of warm earth. Shows solid range, if a bit reliant on the toast. A strong effort for the vintage. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2026 through 2036. 3,833 cases made, 594 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

So aromatic and fresh with black olives, black truffles, gravel and dried flowers. Milk chocolate. Ovaltine. Full-bodied with fantastic old-vine tannins. Layered and very structured. Goes deep and down. One for the cellar. Superb. Maybe the best ever. 80% merlot and the rest cabernet franc. Needs ten years here.James Suckling | 99 JSA big, explosive beast of a wine, the 2020 Château Hosanna comes from a small 11-acre vineyard of gravelly, clay soils and it’s 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Decadent red and black fruits, smoked tobacco, loamy earth, chocolate, and some meaty, iron-like nuances all emerge on the nose, and this round, full-bodied, expansive Pomerol has a great mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a blockbuster of a finish. It’s one of the more opulent, overtly sexy wines of the vintage, and this beauty is going to offer incredible pleasure over the coming 25-30 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDA blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Hosanna has a deep garnet-purple color. It requires a swirl or two before it erupts with powerful scents of plum preserves, black raspberries, and fruitcake, giving way to hints of lilacs, bay leaves, and wet slate. The full-bodied palate is densely laden with expressive black and blue fruits, supported by velvety tannins and balancing freshness, finishing long, fragrant, and beautifully poised.The Wine Independent | 97 TWIThe 2020 Hosanna is a sumptuous Pomerol, as it always is. Blueberry jam, crème de cassis, lavender, cloves and sweet new oak are all amplified in a dramatic, opulent wine that shows the more flamboyant side of Pomerol. Always, Hosanna is a wine of great individuality and character, but it is also less complete than the best wines in the Moueix stable. It’s always a soloist, never an orchestra to me.Vinous Media | 96 VMLively on the nose, so expressive but in a lifted bright and lively way, not so dark and brooding more ’look how pretty I am right now’. Floral and dark fruit - blackcurrant, plum, red cherry, powerful but poised too, this has elegance and charisma form the start, bright acidity gives a slightly strict frame but the fruit, tannis, acidity, oak handling are supremely good. Feels so beautiful, a touch shy, with liquorice edges and some dark chocolate elements. Supremely easy to like and see the star quality here. It’s intense and concentrated but shimmers and shines in the glass. The purity is exceptional and I love the balance and length. Detailed and well designed - what a wine!Decanter | 96 DECWell-formed, with a solid core of cassis, plum reduction and blackberry compote notes that stretch out slowly, supported by wood spice, dried anise and apple wood accents along the way. A late tug of warm earth and sweet tobacco adds depth and length. Captures the exotic edge of the vintage without losing focus -- no easy feat. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2038. 1,200 cases made, 85 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe wine’s dense tannins give an inkling of how well it will develop. It has power yet lightly touched with acidity and black currant fruits. The smoky aftertaste adds to the complexity.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2020 Hosanna is rich and sun-kissed in style, offering up aromas of berry liqueur, figs, licorice, aniseed and vine smoke, followed by a full-bodied, ripe and gourmand palate with a generous core of confit fruit, polished tannins and a suave, enveloping profile. This ripe, unctuous red wouldn’t be out of place in a tasting of contemporary Napa Valley Cabernets.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

Composed of 48.6% Merlot, 43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.2% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 7th to 29th September, the 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion has an alcohol of 14.7%. It needs considerable swirling and coaxing to reveal slowly emerging scents of freshly crushed blackcurrants, Morello cherries, wild blueberries and forest floor, leading to suggestions of violets, baker’s chocolate and cardamom with wafts of dusty soil and oolong tea. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with impactful, fresh red, black and blue fruit layers, supported by impressive freshness and fantastically ripe, fine-grained tannins, finishing very long and fragrant. A stunning expression of this vintage!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97-99 RPThe 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion has a detailed bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit, black olive, terracotta and a light wet clayey scent (I sometimes think of a potter’s wheel.) It gains complexity in the glass and becomes increasingly refined. The palate is beautifully balanced and caters for the 14.7% alcohol with ease. Very fine tannins, perfectly matched with the acidity, beguiling in terms of its cohesive and velvety smooth finish that lingers long in the mouth. The greatest La Missions are the effortless ones and the 2020 is just that. Beautiful.Vinous Media | 98 VMAnother sensational wine, the 2020 Château La Mission Haut-Brion boasts a deep ruby/purple color to go with a rocking perfume of ripe black cherries, tobacco, damp earth, chocolate, and exotic spices. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated, it has a ripe, expansive texture, building tannins, and just an opulent texture. The vintage doesn’t get any sexier than this beauty.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDThis really builds on the palate. Loads of blackberry and iodine with asphalt undertones. It’s full-bodied with tannins that steamroll at the end and keep going. Classic blend.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThe wine’s roundness comes from the ripe fruit. The warm 2020 vintage has produced a wine that is generous, poised between crisp citrus and hints of yellow fruits. The subtle use of wood aging will sustain this wine for its long-term future.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEDark chocolate, bramble fruits, some perfumed notes, exotic spices, liquorice, cedar and clove, but floral too. Supple and charming on the palate, not so lively and openly expressive at this point, a bit more knitted down, quiet and calm but a lovely texture. Tannis are fine but just chalky giving the grip and width while the dark fruit has both a red and black tang to it, just restricted a little by the oaky edges, subtle as they are in terms of flavour, it just narrows the expression a little. You can feel the concentration in the lingering flavour on the cheeks and again a touch of heat and wood spice on the finish. Good acidity with a lightness of touch despite the depth of flavour. Well worked with a long finish.Decanter | 95 DEC

The Grand Vin 2020 Château Léoville Poyferré, which is released in a stylish black bottle commemorating a century for the Cuvelier family, is reminiscent of the 2016 with its powerful, concentrated, yet vibrant and inward style. Pure crème de cassis, melted chocolate, loamy earth, graphite, and some spicy nuances all define the aromatics, and it’s full-bodied, with a stacked mid-palate, nicely integrated oak, ripe tannins, and one hell of a great finish. This is another utterly brilliant wine from this team, which has been producing First Growth quality wines for many years now. The blend of the 2020 is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, aged in 80% new barrels, hitting 13.58% natural alcohol and a pH of 3.81. It will benefit from just 5-7 years of bottle age and will evolve for 50 years or more if well stored. Bravo. Tasted multiple times with consistent results.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDThe 2020 Léoville-Poyferré is every bit as impressive as it was from barrel. If anything, it has gained in freshness and vibrancy with élevage. Dark cherry, plum, mocha, graphite and a kiss of French oak are some of the many notes that infuse the 2020 with tons of character. I especially admire its vertical energy and buttoned up personality. In some recent vintages Léoville-Poyferré has been quite showy, but the 2020 also has a more nuanced side that is hugely appealing.Vinous Media | 97 VMThis is really floral on the nose with violets and roses, and some black berries and dark cherries. It’s medium- to full-bodied with firm and polished tannins, and plenty of hazelnut and milk chocolate. Structured, yet so finely textured. So attractive and enticing now but needs three or four years to show what it has. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 96 JSSupple and generous with mouthwatering acidity, though really quite tannic at this point which does cover up some of the nuance. I like the texture, the frame and the weight, it’s clean, polished and well worked, not overdone at all, but this has a sense of potent seduction in the flavours, rich blackcurrant, perfumed and scented. Detailed with lots of stony, slate, and wet stone elements giving a wonderful terroir influence. It’s not as immediately charming as the 2019, the tension still prominent, but this will be brilliant in 5-10 years.Decanter | 96 DECShowy and very hard to resist, this gushes with velvety plum and boysenberry reduction flavors, along with melted black licorice and violet hints along the way. This has a very cold cast iron note buried deeply on the finish, too, to keep it grounded. A very distinctive house style. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2030 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 95 WSOf course, this impressive classified growth wine is young. But it’s easy to discern its promise. Black fruits and layers of sophisticated tannins are balanced with the wood aging and smoky fruit flavors. This estate in the heart of Saint-Julien has produced a very fine wine, fresh and structured at the same time. Drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA rich, powerful wine, the 2020 Léoville Poyferré offers up aromas of sweet berries, blueberry liqueur, exotic spices, incense and creamy new oak. Full-bodied, broad and layered, it’s deep and concentrated, its ample core of fruit only partially concealing a hefty payload of sweet, powdery, generously extracted tannin. Poyferré is generally the most flamboyant and demonstrative of the three Léovilles, but in 2020, it’s chunkier, broader shouldered and more brooding than usual.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RP

This is integrated, with superb density and beauty, offering blackcurrant, mineral and some bark. Full-bodied, yet so polished and refined. Crushed stone. Lots of expression and texture to this wine. Creamy. Pure and precise. Elegant, yet layered. Slightly plusher than the 2019. Dense, yet agile. Fresh as always. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot. 50% new oak 15% old oak and 35% concrete amphorae.James Suckling | 98-99 JSThe 2020 Pontet-Canet is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, aging in 50% new French oak barriques, 35% concrete amphorae and 15% in one-year-old barrels. Harvest began on the 14th September for the Merlot, and the final lot of Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested on 30th September.Opaque purple-black in color, it needs significant aeration and swirling to coax out evocative notes of black cherry preserves, raspberry pie, blackcurrant pastilles and damp soil, before launching into gorgeous floral and spice notions of red roses, cinnamon stick, star anise and cardamom, with a waft of crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate reveals a lot of depth and polish, delivering mouth-coating red and black fruits with loads of fragrant earth and floral sparks, framed by velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and mineral tinged. This is a singular, fascinating expression of the vintage and highly recommended!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98+ RPThe 2020 Pontet-Canet is captivating effort from the Tesseron family. The intensely perfumed, savory bouquet is immediately alluring. Deep and substantial, the 2020 is luxuriously rich from start to finish. Swaths of incisive tannin wrap around a core of dark red cherry fruit, gravel, dried herbs and rose petal, and a whole range of floral and savory accents lend aromatic presence. The Pontet-Canet is often a charmer en primeur, but the 2020 comes across as quite serious. I can’t wait to see how it develops. As always, one of the signatures of Pontet-Canet is a high proportion of Merlot vis-à-vis its peers among top Left Bank châteaux that lends tremendous midpalate weight. In 2020 production is within historical norms. Mildew pressure was high, but not as severe as in 2018, when two-thirds of the crop was lost in a single day. Harvest took place September 14–30, a bit more of a compact time frame than normal, and a good 7–10 days earlier than is typically the case. Aged in 50% new oak, 35% amphora and 15% once-used barrels.Antonio Galloni | 95-97 AG96–98. Barrel Sample. Aromatic black currant and spice aromas give way to a wine that has richness while having impressive balance. The freshness shines with tannins that give a velvet character to the wine’s texture. The fruitiness should not deceive from its longevity, so age this wine for many years. Organic and biodynamic.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEPure black and red berry fruit, very primary as a barrel sample, as expected. At 13% alcohol, it comes across as rather opulent, with tannins somewhat foreboding at this very early stage, which is normal. What impresses is the pristine and pure fruit; a very juicy expression that exudes both density and finesse on the long finish. Bravo! (Drink between 2026-2070)Decanter | 96 DEC

Juicy and lively fragrance on the nose – so perfumed and alluring. Delicate and pure on the palate, crystalline yet with such intensity. A rush of creamy tangy strawberries, herbal-edged raspberries and plum fruit lined with salty minerality gives the nuance and detail. It’s lightly framed with well integrated tannins that are fine and firm, tense just giving some tightness on the mid-palate, a sense of compactness, but then it opens again towards the finish. Cool and ethereal, this exudes charm and confidence. Extremely well made and totally seductive. I love the juiciness and sense of joyfulness, but it’s also beguiling as it deepens and grows in layers of chalk, slate, bramble fruits, perfume and florality. Another excellent wine from Rauzan with delicacy, detall and drinkability. Stunning.Decanter | 99 DECA very polished red with blackberry, black olive, walnut, and crushed stone aromas that follow through to a medium to full body with polished, velvety tannins that go on for minutes. Surprisingly open and so attractive. Wonderful length to this. Needs four to five years to open. Best after 2026.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2020 Rauzan-Ségla is a huge, explosive wine. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, licorice, smoke and incense are some of the many notes that infuse the 2020 with tremendous richness. With élevage, the 2020 has grown into a huge, brooding wine endowed with notable presence. There's great purity and class here. The 2020 is a powerful, brooding Rauzan-Ségla for readers who can be patient. Very patient. Tasted two times.Vinous Media | 97 VMThis wine has a fine structure, with dense tannins from the Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. It is a full wine, the spicy character mingling with black currant flavors. The wine has an excellent future. Drink from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEComposed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Rauzan-Ségla is aging for 18 months in French oak barrels, 60% new. It has an alcohol of 13.5% and a pH of 3.74. Deep purple-black colored, aromas of blackcurrant cordial, stewed red and black plums, chocolate-covered cherries and raspberry coulis erupt from the glass, leading to an undercurrent of tar, licorice, red roses and menthol, plus a hint of unsmoked cigars. The medium-bodied palate is elegant and yet manages seriously impressive intensity, which is well-sustained throughout the mid-palate and finish. Refined and refreshing, delivering beautifully soft, silt-like tannins and bags of bright red and black fruits, it finishes with amazing length and a stunning perfume. Between this and Château Canon, Nicolas Audebert and his team have knocked it out of the park this vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98+ RPThe 2020 Château Rauzan-Ségla checks in as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It's one of the more inky, backward wines I can recall from this address and has brooding notes of blackcurrants, spring flowers, tobacco, graphite, and crushed stone. A big, rich, concentrated 2020, it's medium to full-bodied, has ripe, building tannins, fabulous purity, and a great finish. There's a certain austerity here that makes me think this will be one for the cellar.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97+ JDShows nice range and texture, with a mix of plum, black currant and black cherry preserves carried by a very silky structure, while black tea, alder and sweet tobacco fill in through the finish. Approachable for its caressing edge, but there's no rush. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2036.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The 2020 Roc de Cambes is a potent, reticent wine that is going to need at least a few years to come into its own. Bright red-toned fruit, crushed flowers, blood orange, mint and dried herbs open first. Vibrant acids and open-knit aromatics lend energy as the 2020 gradually unfurls in the glass, with the Cabernet very much driving the flavor profile and overall feel. This exotic beauty is a total stunner. Give it time, though.Vinous Media | 95 VMAnother absolute gem of a wine is the 2020 Roc De Cambes, which is mostly Merlot from vines just next to the Domaine de Cambes vineyards. Black cherries, plums, black raspberries, vanilla bean, camphor, and graphite are just some of its nuances, and this concentrated, singular, medium to full-bodied beauty is going to offer tons of pleasure over the coming 15 years as well.James Suckling | 95 JDFragrant and full with deep, rich, dark and silky tannins underpinned by great freshness. It has a smooth texture, the flavours of sweet but fresh and vibrant cherry fruit and a touch of menthol just gliding across the palate, supported by tight-knit tannins. High-toned with well-defined edges and a consistency from start to finish. You could drink this now for its rich but seductive charming fruit-forwardness.Decanter | 95 DECBroad and concentrated, the 2020 Roc de Cambes unwinds in the glass with aromas of cassis, plums, wood smoke, violets and espresso roast. Medium to full-bodied, rich and velvety, with a fleshy core of fruit and powdery structuring tannins, this is the most muscular wine in Mitjaville’s cellar.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPA blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Roc de Cambes is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. Cedar and charcoal notes give way to vague notions of juicy plums and baked blackberries with a waft of bay leaves. The full-bodied palate has a solid structure of chewy oak tannins, with plenty of fruit to back it up and a spicy lift on the finish.The Wine Independent | 92 TWI

A 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 JDSo 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 JSThe 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 AGPowerful 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 WE

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 JSI’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 JDThe 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+ RPInky 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 DEC95–97. 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 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

Another absolutely perfect wine in this incredible vintage, the 2020 Château Tertre Roteboeuf comes from a tiny hillside vineyard (5.6 hectares) and is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc raised all in new Radoux barrels. This show-stopping wine has everything and reveals a dense purple hue, incredible aromatics of cassis, vanilla bean, burning embers, graphite, and smoke tobacco, full-bodied richness, flawless integration of its tannins and acidity, and a massive finish. The finest wine I’ve ever tasted from this address, it’s not going to hit maturity for another 7-8 years and will be a 30+-year wine. Hats off to the team of François Mitjavile for another singular, sexy, absolutely off-the-charts wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe 2020 Tertre-Rôteboeuf is stunning. It’s not quite the 2016, but it comes awfully close. Who knows in time where this will go? A vibrant, explosive Saint-Émilion, the 2020 Tertre-Rôteboeuf sizzles with tension and energy. Black cherry, gravel, spice, espresso and chocolate stain the palate with tremendous intensity and sheer nuance. Tightly wound and full of energy, the 2020 is simply magnificent. What a wine!Vinous Media | 98 VMThe 2020 Le Tertre Roteboeuf will delight admirers of Mitjaville’s singular style. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of rich dark berries and plums mingled with black truffles, exotic spices, espresso roast, cedar, vine smoke and toasty new oak, it’s full-bodied, layered and velvety, with an ample core of ripe, heady fruit framed by sweet, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, sapid finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPThis is a powerful, deeply focused and intense. Plenty of spice, cassis pastille, intense muscular tannins, fairly closed and austere right now, but a real sense of lift and juice becomes clear after 10 minutes of opening in the glass. Harvest began on September 21st, the earliest since Mitjavile arrived at the estate. Recently had the beautiful 1998 of Tertre Roteboeuf, and it is easy to see that this vintage also will allow the limestone terroir to become clearer with bottle age.Decanter | 95 DEC

Reminding me slightly of the 1998, the dense ruby/purple-hued 2020 Château Trotanoy offers a classic, concentrated, structured, regal style that this terroir seems to deliver with ease. Giving up a layered, primordial bouquet of smoked tobacco, black cherries, iron, graphite, and gravelly earth, it hits the palate with a massive array of fruit and tannins that somehow stays flawlessly balanced, offering ripe, silky, yet building tannins, flawless balance, and a gorgeous finish. It’s going to need a decade of bottle age to hit the early stages of maturity, but this is pure Pomerol brilliance. Is there a better performing Château on the Right Bank today? Not in my opinion.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDA sure fire hit in 2020 and one of my absolute favourites of the vintage. Perfumed black cherries, roses and dark chocolate on the nose: ripe and fresh aromas. The crystalline fruit purity and finesse is wonderful while still filling the mouth with a density to the crushed velvet-textured tannins that give the structure and cushioning. Seriously appealing and charming, it’s big and clearly powerful with layers of black fruit, but it has a sense of restraint where nothing feels overworked. Perfectly weighted with balance, poise and persistence – you know you’re drinking something special here.Decanter | 100 DECLove the perfume and finesse here with fresh flowers, blackberries, crushed stones and cement. Cedar. Full and very long with tight and muscular tannins that go on for minutes. Tight and thoughtful. Soulful. Try after 2030.James Suckling | 100 JSThe 2020 Trotanoy is 100% Merlot and has a deep garnet-purple color. It is shut down tight to begin, needing a lot of patience and vigorous shaking to unlock notes of tar, fertile loam, licorice, and black truffles, leading to a core of preserved plums and fruitcake, with emerging wafts of iron ore and unsmoked cigars. The full-bodied palate is almost impenetrable - densely laden with taut black fruits and earthy accents, supported by very ripe, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and profound. Give it 10-15 years at least and then prepare to be dazzled.The Wine Independent | 100 TWIThe 2020 Trotanoy is tremendous. Even better, it might not take forever to come around! Vertical in build, with tons of explosive energy, Trotanoy offers a beguiling mix of black cherry, plum, licorice, incense, dried herbs, menthol and graphite. There is a ton of energy and structure, along with the signature Trotanoy tannins, but all the elements are so well-balanced.Vinous Media | 98 VMDelivers a beam of alluring and lush mulberry, raspberry and black currant puree flavors while maintaining form and focus, with an underpinning of warm paving stone and humus for spine as well as focusing tobacco and alder accents along the edges. Clearly marked by the vintage, but with density and definition that differentiate this from the pack. Best from 2026 through 2040. 1,600 cases made, 163 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe wine is floral as well as rich, perfumed black currant fruits that show strongly on the dense palate. It is structured, and concentrated; promising aging as well as juicy fruits now. Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2020 Trotanoy is the most powerful wine in the Mouiex portfolio this year, delivering a rich bouquet of cherries, dark berries, fruitcakes, licorice, anise and brown sugar. Full-bodied, rich and muscular, with a ripe, heady core of sun-kissed fruit and considerable structuring extract, it concludes with a broad, expansive finish that largely conceals the wine’s 15% alcohol. Given its structure and substance, it will certainly require some patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RP

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

Blackcurrants, orange peel, flowers and tar with hints of graphite. Full-bodied with a creamy texture of exquisitely polished tannins. It goes on and on. Intense flavors at the end, too, with lead pencil and lots of blackberry. Very classic and precise.James Suckling | 98-99 JSUltra-classic notes of blackcurrants, freshly sharpened lead pencil, damp earth, and crushed stone emerge from the 2020 Château Lynch-Bages, which checks in as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, all hitting 13.4% natural alcohol and a pH of 3.73 and a massive IPT of 93, which might be the highest in the vintage. Full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, it has brilliant purity of fruit, a layered, building sense of structure, and a great finish. While not austere or closed, this serious Lynch-Bages will need 10-15 years of bottle age to hit maturity and have 40-50 years of overall longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97+ JDBold black fruits and dense, textured tannins are very much in the style of the estate. What is new in this vintage is the extra precision that lifts the wine, bringing together the beautiful black currant flavors of ripe Cabernet Sauvignon with a refined texture of sophisticated tannins. This is an impressive wine, sure to age over many years. Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2020 Lynch-Bages is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, aging for around 18 months in French oak barriques, 75% new. It has an alcohol of 13.41%, a pH of 3.73 and an IPT (tannin index) of 93. Opaque purple-black in color, it leaps from the glass with notes of crushed blackberries, cassis and boysenberries, plus touches of garrigue, red roses and cedar chest with hints of graphite and black olives. The medium-bodied palate has a rock-solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness supporting the tight-knit black fruit and earthy flavors, finishing long and mineral laced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPThe lowest amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend on recent record but the signature of Lynch Bages is very much in play here - tons of liquorice, grippy and charismatic cassis and blueberry fruit with a velvety texture layered with blackcurrant pastilles and rich dark chocolate. This is easily one of the best Pauillacs that I have tasted in the vintage, totally gorgeous. The 33hl/ha yield meant I was worried that it would be too concentrated, but it pulls it off, although you’ve got to assume that they will need to be careful over ageing. Lower alcohol than both 2018 and 2019, a more classical balance in fact. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.73pH, 75% new oak, 18 months in barrel.

Cassis, black raspberries, graphite, spicy oak, and floral notes all emerge from the 2020 Château Fombrauge, a wonderfully textured, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, yet elegant Saint-Emilion. A wine that builds beautifully with time in the glass, it complex, has ripe, silky tannins, and a great finish. Tasted on more than one occasion, it never failed to impress. Drink this richly textured, sexy, beautiful 2020 over the coming 15+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThis has aromas of cigar box, cedar, blueberries and pine cones. Firm, polished tannins provide sturdy support, yet remain silky. Medium to full body. Very fine and classy. Better from 2025.James Suckling | 94 JSFrom vines surrounding one of Saint-Emilion’s most beautiful château, this wine is massively rich with dense tannins, dark chocolate and rich berry flavors. Obviously, it has a fine future, ripe with powerful fruits and structure.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis wine is dark with dense tannins and a solid texture. Along with the richness, there is the potential of massive black fruit weight that will give a wine of power and concentration.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPFrankly ripe and forward, with a broad swath of dark plum, blackberry and boysenberry compote flavors that course through, supported by light licorice root and alder threads. Reveals a warm earth note that drapes over the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2035.Wine Spectator | 92 WSDark and ripe, suave, sleek and savoury. Striking and linear from start to finish. Clearly powerful, with concentration and intensity of flavour. Excellent acidity and life in general. It’s still precise and tense which does restrict the overall expression, just putting the liquorice and minty freshness ahead of the black bramble fruits, but this has been well handled. A lovely, tight, liquorice-tinged wine. 15% alcohol gives a hefty feel but is integrated thanks to the acidity and the fresh, stony nature. A lot to like and true to style.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2020 Fombrauge, so impressive in barrel, has a very opulent bouquet in bottle with ravishing red cherries and cassis fruit. It’s a little oaky, but there is enough fruit to soak that up. The palate is dense and powerful, clearly showing quite a bit of extraction, and I was hoping to find more complexity coming through on the finish. Not bad at all, but this falls just below my expectations from a few months back. Tasted twice with consistent notes.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Deep purple-black in color, the 2020 La Vieille Cure storms out of the glass with powerful notions of plum preserves, blueberry pie and baker’s chocolate, followed by suggestions of star anise, ground cloves and eucalyptus. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam-packed by rich, ripe black and blue fruits, backed up by firm, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and opulent.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93+ RPAlways a winner, I can’t remember the last vintage of this cuvée that didn’t put a smile on my face. The 2020 Château La Vieille Cure has lots of up-front cassis and black cherry fruits to go with complex floral, lead pencil, and green tobacco-like aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, seamless, and elegant, it has the vintage’s concentrated, pure style front and center. It will evolve for 10-12 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDA pretty deep and broad-shouldered Fronsac with impressive intensity. Nose has lots of blackcurrants, dark cherries, some cocoa powder and a hint of cigar box. Full-bodied on the palate with dense yet creamy tannins that will take a few more years to integrate. Lengthy and pretty plush. An outstanding Fronsac. Drinkable now, but better from 2025.James Suckling | 93 JSFresh and nicely balanced with cool blue fruit, mint and wet stone elements. The texture is dominant, a chalky, crushed velvet aspect to the tannins that coat the mouth, giving structure and weight. Plump and driving, this has good direction with just the most gorgeous cola, blue fruit and cooling mintiness. Doesn’t feel too overdone or overworked. Yes, it’s still hefty, with power and concentration underneath that extends vertically, and a touch of heat and clove, and tons of liquorice, but feels well presented. Lovely.Decanter | 92 DECThis has a nice fresh edge to the mix of damson plum and bitter cherry coulis notes, while leather, tobacco and savory hints fill in the background. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2023 through 2033. 10,480 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

I continue to absolutely love the wines from this Pomerol château, and their Grand Vin always brings a richness and depth that makes it a joy to drink. Coming from a larger vineyard near Petrus, La Fleur Petrus, and Le Gay, the dense purple hue of the 2020 Château Gazin is followed by a rocking bouquet of ripe black cherries, currants, melted chocolate, roasted herbs, and earth. Full-bodied, deep, opulent, and concentrated, give this gorgeous 2020 4-6 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following 25+.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDLovely texture to this Pomerol. Fine velvety tannins with plum, walnut and crushed stone character. Savory finish. Needs time to soften. Very classy and structured, yet so refined. 91.6% merlot and 8.4% cabernet sauvignon. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 96 JSDeep purple-black colored, the 2020 Gazin rolls effortlessly out of the glass with upfront scents of baked black plums, stewed black cherries and mulberries, plus hints of spice cake, chocolate box and cracked black pepper. The medium to full-bodied palate has a solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing savory.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPThe 2020 Gazin has a very alluring bouquet with pure blackberry, bilberry and pressed flower scents, nicely focused with beautifully integrated new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, ripe and tensile, gentle grip with quite a complex, lightly spiced and persistent finish. This is a wonderful Pomerol that has the substance to repay long-term cellaring.Vinous Media | 94 VMSupple and juicy, but still quite tight in terms of texture. A little reserved perhaps, the coiled and muscular mid-palate stops some of the push from the fruit which is really well defined with a crystalline aspect to it. Real purity and freshness, tannins have an appealing grip with a salty, cola, liquorice, dark chocolate and coffee powder edge to them. Lots of nuance and complexity.Decanter | 94 DECThis wine is dark with dense tannins and a solid texture. Along with the richness, there is the potential of massive black fruit weight that will give a wine of power and concentration.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

The Grand Vin 2020 Domaine De Chevalier ratchets everything up another notch and will be one of the legendary wines from this address. Notes of pure cassis, graphite, lead pencil, and scorched earth define its incredible aromatics, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. This is pure, classic, regal Pessac-Léognan is as good as anything in the vintage. Give bottles 4-6 years and it will evolve for 50, 60, 70+ years. I absolutely love this wine. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDIron, black mushroom and dark berry with some burnt orange peel. Flowers, too. It’s full-bodied with round tannins that turn linear and tight at the end. Excellent energy. Brightness and purity.James Suckling | 96-97 JSThe 2020 Domaine de Chevalier is brilliant. Bright, poised and wonderfully pure, the 2020 Domaine de Chevalier marries the radiance of the year with tremendous freshness. Red cherry fruit, blood orange, mint, star anise and cinnamon all meld together. The 2020 is a wine built on aromatic presence and persistence, more so than heft, with all the elements very nicely balanced. What a wine! Tasted two times.Vinous Media | 96 VMBright red fruits, creamy and deliciously textured - full, ripe and round but so well controlled. Vibrant and vivid yet balanced and sleek, you want to drink this now with great acidity and cool blue fruit touches and stony minerality. Tannins are present and mouthfilling but grippy and supportive not overwhelming. Feels stylish and really so drinkable. A great effort!Decanter | 96 DECThis impressively rich wine is centered on great swathes of black fruits. The tannins, with their stylish swagger, are a fine complement to the fruit, giving the wine structure and the potential for elegant aging.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2020 Domaine de Chevalier is a touch more tightly wound than the brilliant 2019 out of the gates, but it seems likely to equal that vintage with a bit of time. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of minty blackberries and cassis mingled with notions of burning embers, spices, rose petals and orange rind, it’s medium to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit, powdery structuring tannins and a long, saline finish. As I wrote last year, this estate in recent vintages has arrived at a sort of stylistic contemporary classicism that evokes the great wines of yesteryear from this address, and the 2020 continues that trend.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPWell-built, pulling ample and weighty waves of cassis, plum reduction and blackberry preserves along, atop a broad spine of warm loam, smoldering tobacco and singed alder. Long and deep through the fine-grained finish, with a warm paving stone note that won’t quit, thanks to well-buried acidity—not an easy feat in this vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2028 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

A focused and savory red with sleek and tight tannins. Very precise. Medium-bodied with fresh herbs, currants, blackberries and oyster shells. Stones and dried flowers, too. Fine finish. Tannins are round and complete. Already approachable. From biodynamically grown grapes. Better after 2025.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2020 La Lagune has turned out beautifully, offering up aromas of cassis, dark berries, loamy soil and sweet spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, velvety, layered palate that exhibits excellent depth and concentration structured around powdery tannins, concluding with a perfumed, violet-inflected finish. This is a strong effort and a worthy, somewhat more muscular follow-up to the sensual, charming 2019.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPA generous, richly textured wine, this has density as well as layers of black currant fruits. Its power does not detract from its style and swagger—a wine that will develop well. Organic.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2020 La Lagune is terrific. Rich, bold and explosive in the glass, the 2020 offers up a wild array of aromas and flavors. Spice, dried red cherry, cedar, tobacco and white pepper abound. More than anything, I very much admire the vibrancy and overall energy here. A whole range of floral and savory accents punctuate the finish.Vinous Media | 93 VMSmoky black fruits, tobacco, gravelly earth, and spicy oak all emerge from the 2020 Château La Lagune, one of the most concentrated, structured Haut-Médocs out there. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has terrific overall balance, building tannins, and a great finish. It needs to be forgotten for 4-5 years and will evolve for two decades or more if well-stored.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDThis comes in strong with both grip and attitude. Some austerity that shows through in the abundant tannic frame, but there is a juiciness that runs through the palate, a sense that it is light on its feet. Liquorice, black chocolate and a spiced tomato leaf adds layers, but things close down on the finish. This is certified organic and in biodynamic conversion. A yield of 30hl/ha.Decanter | 93 DEC

Blackcurrant, milk chocolate and floral scents - lovely expression, alive and forward. Stylish and compelling, this hits the mark straight away, bold and tangy, with a sharpness to the fruit profile from high acidity. Tannins give a layered effect with detail and precision and you can feel the sculpting. Juicy and alive, there’s great energy and charm, upfront and forward, shining out of the glass. Generous and almost sweet but then straightens and tightens on the finish, giving a tongue scraping clean element with salty, minerality, liquorice and oak spice. The 2019 is more cool and classic, but this will appeal to all. Showcases the talent and hardwork done at the estate for the past 15 years.Decanter | 94 DECDeep purple-black in color, the 2020 La Pointe offers up notes of baked black and red plums, cherry preserves and fresh blackberries, plus wafts of crushed rocks, underbrush and black truffles. The medium to full-bodied palate is chock-full of ripe black fruit flavors, supported by ripe, rounded tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long and earthy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPThe 2020 La Pointe has a well-defined, quite mineral-driven bouquet that opens nicely in the glass. Black cherries, raspberry and subtle violet scents, gaining intensity with aeration. The bottle opened at the château with Eric Monneret shows more graphite/pencil lead elements. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, linear in style, fresh with a vibrant saline finish. I appreciate the manner in which it fans out. Subtle but satisfying, this is a sophisticated Pomerol that adroitly expresses its sense of place.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis is spiced and toasty with notes of blackcurrants, plums, roasted spices, cedar, violets and grilled herbs. Full-bodied with plush, velvety tannins and a rich and succulent dark fruit character. Firm finish with hints of chocolate and wet stones. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 93 JSMassive and Merlot-dominated this wine shows the grape both in its seductively ripe aspect as well as the cool edge that comes from the Pomerol vineyards. The wine should develop slowly but with fine precision.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEA typical 2020 Pomerol, this is fleshy and forward, with crowd-pleasing plum and raspberry reduction notes lined with licorice and backed by warmed earth and sweet tobacco. This has just enough energy to carry it through the finish. A well-done wine. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2031. 5,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSLots of ripe red plums, chocolate, damp earth, and spicy, floral notes emerge from the 2020 Château La Pointe, a medium to full-bodied, round, supple, nicely concentrated Pomerol. With ripe tannins, a good sense of freshness, and terrific balance, it’s going to offer plenty of pleasure over the coming 10-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JD

The 2020 Château Meyney is a solid step up, with more elegance and finesse, as well as structure. Giving up medium-bodied aromas and flavors of darker currants, black cherries, classy oak, tobacco leaf, and damp earth, it has terrific overall balance, building, fine-grained tannins, and a great finish. It has some accessibility today yet will benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDLovely aromatic expression, floral and richly scented with ripe black cherry and salty blueberry. Cool and charming, this makes an impact straight away with a push of ripe, gently chewy tannins which expand and coat the mouth. More expansive and less narrow than some from this appellation at this point. Feels a bit more approachable but still with structure and push. Lots of freshness, wide, minty and salty. Nuanced, savoury and satisfying.Decanter | 93 DECAttractive aromas of ripe dark berries with dark spices, walnut, chocolate nibs and bark. Medium- to full-bodied with a dense, velvety texture and plush, fine-grained tannins. Very textural and creamy with a deep core of ripe dark fruit and a succulent finish. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 93 JShis estate has produced a densely textured wine, rich in tannins and packed with dark, concentrated black fruits. There is a muscular character, structured and with fine promise for longterm aging.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEA strong performance for this improving estate, the 2020 Meyney unwinds in the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, violets, cigar box and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, with a pure and fleshy core of fruit framed by sweet, powdery tannins and lively acids, it has retained energy and balance in this warm vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2020 Meyney has a very estuarine infused bouquet insofar that you could imagine looking out over the Gironde Estuary on some overcast winter’s day. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very well balanced with an elegant bead of acidity. Plenty of freshness and focus towards the finish, this is a splendid Meyney that continues it good run of form.Vinous Media | 92 VMSolidly built, with lilac, red currant and mulled damson plum notes that mix well, all held by a thin but tensile iron note through the middle, which then extends a mouthwatering feel on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2035. 17,688 cases made, 570 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS