Type of Wines

wines

Fresh citrus and tropical fruit aromas with sweet spices. Good delineation of tangy citrus and fleshy peach on the palate. (Drink between 2021-2026)Decanter | 91 DECLime, sliced-apple and stone aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied. Attractive fruit and freshness at the end.James Suckling | 91-92 JSThe 2020 Ferran Blanc is a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon, weighing in at around 13% alcohol. It skips out of the glass with cheery notes of fresh pineapple, white peaches and lemon tart, plus touches of lime leaves and grapefruit peel. The light to medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled and refreshing, delivery bags of bright citrusy flavors and a chalky finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RP

The Coeur de Vendanges bottling from Domaine Chermette is made from vines in excess of one hundred years of age and is always as good as any Cru bottling out there. The 2020 version is another exceptional wine, delivering a beautifully deep and pure aromatic constellation of black cherries, a touch of plum, pomegranate, gamebird, a gorgeous base of granitic soil tones, roses, peonies, a nice touch of fresh thyme and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and quite elegant in profile, with a stunning core of fruit, excellent soil signature, a nice foundation of ripe tannin and excellent focus and grip on the long, poised and perfectly balanced finish. To my palate, this is one of the finest vintages of Coeur de Vendanges that I have ever had the pleasure to taste! (Drink between 2025-2055).John Gilman, A View from the Cellar | 93+ JGThe 2020 Beaujolais Coeur de Vendanges Vignes Centenaires is showing very nicely, bursting with aromas of juicy cherries, ripe berry fruit, licorice and peonies. It’s medium to full-bodied, fleshy and gourmand, with an enveloping core of fruit, melting tannins and succulent acids. This is a comparatively rich, gourmand rendition of this reference-point cuvée—consistently one of France’s finest wine values—but that additional power doesn’t come at the expense of its habitual charm and facility.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Vieilles Roussannes is also terrific, with a deep, rich, concentrated style that carries classic Roussanne apple and stone fruits as well as honeyed toast, spice, and subtle floral nuances. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and fabulously well-balanced, it’s going to drink well for 4-5 years, then probably shut down, only to re-emerge in another decade with a more mineral, honeyed, nutty, complex profile.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDBarrel-fermented and matured in 50% new oak, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Vieilles Roussanne boasts layered, nuanced aromas of toasted grain, ripe pear and mouthwatering pineapple. Full-bodied and lush, it finishes long, with a silky texture and sexy vanilla overtones. Like the other white wines at this estate, I’ve lengthened the drinking window, as they appear to age so well.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

The 2020 Chambertin from Trapet is sublime. It owns 1.85ha over three parcels in a variety of soils and 15% of the vines are trained high on stakes (’en echalas’). This diversity gives a complex fruit expression, from plum and black cherry to pomegranate and red currant, shot through with floral notes, spice and mineral. However, it is also a wine of power and depth, with the tannin and extract to live 80 years or more. One certainty: Trapet has mastered the art of Chambertin. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035Decanter | 99 DEC(Chambertin- Domaine Trapet Père et Fils) The Trapet family’s 2020 Chambertin is a great young wine. The bouquet delivers beautiful precision and purity in its constellation of black cherries, sweet dark berries, cassis, black minerality, cigar wrapper, grilled meats, just a touch of mustard seed, cedar and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and utterly complete, with a rock solid core, superb soil signature, ripe, firm tannins and a long, vibrant and complex finish. Great juice in the making, but this will need plenty of cellaring time to unfurl. (Drink between 2037-2100)John Gilman | 98 JGThe king of the cellar is the 2020 Chambertin Grand Cru, a magical wine in the making that unwinds in the glass with aromas of cherries, blackberries, rich soil tones, espresso roast, rose petals, licorice, oyster sauce and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it’s seamless and complete, with huge concentration, lively acids and rich, velvety tannins, concluding with a long, resonant finish. Well-connected and well-heeled readers will derive immense pleasure in comparing the 2020 with the 2019 and 2018 renditions several decades from now.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPThe 2020 Chambertin Grand Cru was picked on 7 September and a small plot around five days later. It has a beautiful, quite ethereal bouquet with a complex mélange of red and black fruit, the 80-90% whole bunch completely assimilated with wonderful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, harmonious and smooth, immense depth and elegance as it fans out towards the finish with perfect sapidity. Sublime.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMAn even more restrained nose timidly expresses slightly riper aromas of plum, dark currant, rose petal and plenty of sauvage character. There is both excellent volume and mid-palate density to the bigger-bodied to the sappy and intensely mineral-driven flavors that are blessed with a taut muscularity on the moderately austere, serious and very firmly structured finale. This is expressly built-to-age and a wine that is definitely going to need at least a decade before could be reasonably approached.Burghound | 93-95 BH

The flagship from this great estate is the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Boisrenard, which is based on 80% Grenache and small doses of 17 other varieties. This deeply hued beauty offers a stunning bouquet of blackberries, scorched earth, licorice, ground pepper, and sappy garrigue. I always find a Burgundian-like texture on this wine, and the 2020 is no exception – this is one to put into a blind tasting of Grand Cru Red Burgundies and shock your friends. Medium to full-bodied, ultra-pure, with grippy, sappy tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish, it’s pure class all the way. It’s going to need at least 4-6 years of bottle age, but this is a wine you don’t want to miss, and one of the finest wines I’ve tasted from this estate.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDFull and generous on the palate, no lack of fruit or depth here. Powerful and plentiful fine tannins and a great, rising sense of energy and freshness. Impressive, with real finesse and precision - no excess weight, but great surging intensity and freshness. Contains at least 1% of all the 18 possible varieties of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Grapes are grown across a variety of soil types in the lieux-dits Beau Renard, Cabrières and Coteau de l’Ange, vinified mostly in tronconic wooden vats, then aged in oak barrels of various sizes and ages, including 5% new oak. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2037Decanter | 96 DEC

Glass-staining purple. Assertively perfumed cassis, cherry liqueur, fruitcake and floral aromas take on espresso, olive and smoky bacon accents with aeration. Juicy, chewy and energetic on the palate, offering densely packed, alluringly sweet black and blue fruit preserve, floral pastille, licorice and mocha flavors that become deeper and spicier as the wine slowly stretches out. The floral and mineral notes repeat emphatically on a wonderfully long, juicy and mineral-dominated finish that’s framed by building, well-wrought tannins.Vinous Media | 96-98 VMAt first this feels like you’re standing in front of a set of locked gates. Huge power and structure without that much weight, thanks to the wonderful freshness that’s intertwined with the tarry depths of this Hermitage masterpiece. As it aerates smoked bacon, menthol and licorice notes develop, but I’d need much more space to give you all the aromas! The huge tannins at the finish are finely chiseled, suggesting this has decades of life ahead of it. From 40 to 100-year-old syrah vines. From biodynamically grown grapes.James Suckling | 96-97 JSThe flagship 2020 Hermitage La Chapelle was bottled in June and, as usual, comes mostly from the Le Méal lieu-dit but also includes portions from Bessards as well. Deep purple-hued, with wonderful notes of crème de cassis, graphite, incense, and spice, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a supple, elegant texture, fine tannins, and a great finish. It doesn’t have the sheer density or power of, say, the 2010 or 2015, but it shines for its purity and balance and is a gorgeous Hermitage. While the Maison Bleue is more opulent and expansive, this is the long-distance runner. Give bottles 4-6 years at a minimum and enjoy over the following two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 95+ JDAfter the past several vintages, the 2020 Hermitage La Chapelle will need to add significant richness and concentration if it is to compete at that level. That said, it is still an excellent wine, with classic aromas of crushed stone, cassis, espresso and black olives. It’s full-bodied, fine and silky, giving an impression of great elegance on the lingering finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPMeasured, fresh and harmonious in 2020, this Chapelle is potent, fairly concentrated and quite savoury in style. Tannins are fine, plentiful, a touch dry, but they give plenty of support for medium- to long-term ageing. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2036Decanter | 93 DEC

You are immediately set at ease by the confidence and sheer easy appeal of this wine. A silky and seductive La Chapelle that rivals plenty of first wines in this vintage. The texture is rich and taut at first, then softens in the glass, with a charge of freshness that keeps the momentum and the energy high. Not many wines that rival the 2010 and 2016s, but here it very much does - exuberant with chocolate and cracked pepper but pulls back at the right moment. Harvests from 7th to 29th September. I love it.Decanter | 94 DECBlackberries, some crushed stones and iodine with a sandalwood undertone. It’s full and racy with firm tannins.James Suckling | 93-94 JSA blend of 44.7% Merlot and 55.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2020 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion has an alcohol of 14.3%. It rolls effortlessly out of the glass with seducing notes of warm black plums, black cherry compote and blackberry pie, plus suggestions of lavender, crushed rocks and underbrush with a hint of sassafras. The medium-bodied palate is delicately played and refreshing, offering lots of soft-spoken black fruit and earthy layers with a soft texture and seamless acidity, finishing with a spicy kick.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPBlack cherries, currants, tobacco, and leafy herb notes all emerge from the 2020 La Chapelle De La Mission Haut-Brion. and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a round, layered mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and just a big, rich, yet concentrated vibe that’s very much in the style of the vintage. It’s going to have two decades of longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 92-94 JDThe 2020 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion is rich, dense and so inviting, right from the very first taste. Ripe red purplish/berry fruit, rose petal, spice and gravel all meld together in the glass, but what impresses most about La Chappelle is its exceptional balance. Aromatics, fruit and structure are all so well-balanced. The 2020 is an especially fine La Chappelle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

A perfumed and exceptionally pretty nose combines notes of dark raspberry, exotic tea and a broad range of floral elements. The succulent, refined and admirably punchy medium weight plus flavors possess excellent delineation and a taut muscularity that becomes more prominent on the saline and bitter pit fruit-suffused finale. This well-balanced and very promising effort delivers first-rate length.Burghound | 92-94 BH

An airy nose freely offers up notes of pepper and white flowers along with plenty of pear, apple and quinine hints. There is fine richness to the very round middle weight flavors that exude a subtle minerality on the saline, focused and mildly austere finale. This is not especially complex, but it is indisputably Chablis-like and is a wine that may well develop more depth in time.Burghound | 89-92 BH

The 2020 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru is far more successful than the Les Clos. It has much more energy and vitality on the nose for a start with fresh green apples, crushed stone, flecks of blood orange and struck flint. Over the course of an hour, you can see it just gain more intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sharpened acidity, quite vibrant and tensile with oyster shell and light spicy notes percolating through on the finish. This is definitely worth seeking out.Vinous Media | 93 VMMore moderate though hardly invisible oak is present on the cooler and more elegant aromas of white flower, spice and mineral reduction. There is a much more refined, if less powerful, mouthfeel to the punchy and almost delicate flavors that culminate in a citrus, sneaky long and bone-dry finale that is youthfully austere. This also appears to have a much better chance at absorbing its wood.Burghound | 91-94 BH

Aromas of dried lemons, grapefruit, beeswax, seaweed and pears. Excellent focus, with a compact, driven and mineral palate. Biscuity touches, evolving to hints of pie crust, too, on a long finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSLike the Preuses, the wood treatment is agreeably subtle and easily allows the restrained aromas of citrus rind, oyster shell and quinine to be appreciated. The refined, pure and borderline painfully intense larger-scaled flavors exude ample minerality on the saliva-inducing, chiseled and impressively lengthy finish. Promising.Burghound | 92-94 BH

This wine is perhaps the most emblematic Givry wine from Thenard, with a ripe mulberry fruit accented with notes of earth, Havana cigar, and smoke. The texture is super dense, and there is plenty of tannin, but a fresh acidity balances all this concentration. Clos St. Peter is of course next to Clos St. Paul, reasonably high on the slope, and it is a two-hectare monopole of Domaine Thénard. An excellent introduction to the appellation.Decanter Magazine | 93 DEC

With 3.65ha spread over eight plots, Fèvre is the largest owner in Vaulorent. Didier Seguier says marl soil gives the density, while Kimmeridgian supplies the minerality. Great complexity on both the nose and palate, this has the richness and structure of the grand cru. Absolutely no need to rush drinking this. Stunning.Decanter | 96 DECOne of the finest wines in the portfolio this year is the 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent, a taut, youthfully reserved bottling of immense promise. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of citrus zest, beeswax, crisp white peach, white flowers, freshly baked bread and oyster shell, it’s medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless, with terrific tensioning intensity in a tightly wound format. It’s warmly recommended, though patience will be required.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP(Chablis “Vaulorent”- Domaine William Fèvre) I am always impressed that Didier Séguier chooses to only bottle the finest parcels of old vines in Vaulorent under that label, with the remainder of the domaine’s holdings being bottled under a Fourchaume label. But, when one tastes this hard on the heels of the very fine Fourchaume domaine wine, one can see that these old vines are a step up in quality. The bouquet of the 2020 Vaulorent jumps from the glass in a stunning blend of pear, apple, tart orange, lemon zesty, a kaleidoscopic base of limestone minerality, a touch of anise and a floral topnote redolent of white lilies. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a rock solid core of fruit, superb mineral drive and cut, snappy acids and great balance on the long and zesty finish. Great juice. (Drink between 2027 - 2065)John Gilman | 94+ JGThe restrained and layered nose makes clear that this could be from nowhere else but Chablis with its aromas of algae, iodine, oyster shell and spiced pear. The texture of the medium-weight flavors is also sleek and intense with slightly better density if a bit less refinement to the youthfully austere bitter lemon-suffused finish. Lovely and while qualitatively equal to the MdT, it offers a markedly different expression.Burghound | 93 BH

A wine from a selection of sites over 3.9ha in Butteaux, Forêts and Montmains. Butteaux is very cold and mineral, while Forêts is elegant and floral. Great precision and focus here, allied with crystalline citrus fruits on the palate. Shows density, but is also very fresh, with lovely mineral characters on the finish. A highly successful Montmains.Decanter | 93 DECConsisting of roughly equal parts Montmains, Butteaux and Forêts (the three sous-climats of Montmains), the 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains offers up aromas of crisp green apple, white flowers, bee pollen and oyster shell. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, it’s taut and precise, concluding with a saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP(Chablis “Montmains”- Domaine William Fèvre) The 2020 Montmains here is also lovely, with perhaps just a bit more definition and complexity than in the Beauroy. The nose is pure and bright, offering up scents of apple, tart orange, wet stone minerality, citrus peel, dried flowers and a nice shading of oyster shell. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and racy in personality, with fine focus and grip, a lovely core and a long, minerally and beautifully balanced finish. A lovely example. (Drink between 2026 - 2055)John Gilman | 92+ JG(Chablis Montmains 1er Cru, Domaine William Fèvre, White) From all three sections of the vineyard as usual. Racy lemon colour. Pure crystalline nose, very little reduction, very classical left bank Chablis, very intense but neither heavy nor exotic. The kimmeridgian is speaking underneath a graceful layer of flesh. Fruit and stones both keep coming back at the finish.Jasper Morris | 92-95Here too the nose is elegant, pure and layered but with more floral and spice nuances adding breadth to the cooler and more restrained aromas. There is both excellent intensity and density to the mineral-driven flavors that terminate in a bone-dry, sneaky long and balanced finale. This too is really very good.Burghound | 91-93 BHThe 2020 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru comes from 3.8 hectares of vines over 12 parcels and offers pressed white flower scents and a touch of crushed rock. The well-defined palate features red apple mixed with subtle spicy notes that dovetail into a generous, leesy finish. Fine.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

(Chablis “les Preuses”- Domaine William Fèvre) The 2020 les Preuses from Domaine Fèvre was one of the finest white wines I tasted from the entire vintage during my trip in November and December. The perfect ripeness of the vintage, coupled to such great acidity are the hallmarks of the best wines of 2020 and these attributes are on full display in this stunning young wine. The nose soars from the glass in a mineral bath of les Preuses Kimmeridgian limestone terroir, carrying notes of apple, pear, fresh lime, straw, oyster shell, white flowers and a topnote of beeswax. On the palate the wine is pure, precise, snappy and very, very complex, with great depth at the core, stunning mineral definition, laser-like focus and stunning length and grip on the simply beautiful young finish. All this great wine needs is time in the cellar to blossom. (Drink between 2031 - 2080)John Gilman | 97 JGThe 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses is, if anything, even more electric than the formidable Valmur, wafting from the glass with notions of citrus oil, freshly baked bread, oyster jus and wet stones. Full-bodied, satiny and chiseled, it’s racy and intense, with a bright spine of acidity and a long, intensely saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPFrom 1.5ha on soils that are high in clay content above Bougros, together with 1ha just above Bouguerots. Distinct precision here, not a blockbuster but intense and focused. Lovely crystalline fruit and will age beautifully.Decanter | 95 DECAromas of quinine, essence of wet stone and seashore add breadth to the nose of pear, apple and anise. Once again there is fine density and intensity to the mouthcoating medium-weight flavors that flash outstanding length on the bracingly saline-suffused finale. This has already developed very good depth and more will almost surely follow. This is potentially outstanding.Burghound | 95 BHThe 2020 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru comes from 2.5 hectares of vines in two locations, one east-facing and one southwest-facing. It has quite a deep, intense nose featuring lemon zest, crushed stone, linden and touches of citrus peel. The cohesive palate is smooth and harmonious with fine salinity, if maybe not quite building on its initial promise, as the finish pulls up just a little short compared to the Bougros. Still, this should age well in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

Fèvre’s largest grand cru, with 4ha located higher up in Les Clos, meaning this is cooler climate and with much more chalk than Kimmeridgian. 50% of the vines were planted by William Fèvre’s father in the 1940s. Perfect balance between precision, concentration, acidity and ripe fruits, with oak that’s not at all apparent. A fresh, glorious wine.Decanter | 97 DECChoosing a favorite among the last three grand crus in the Domaine Fèvre lineup is simply impossible in 2020. The les Clos is yet another stunning young wine, offering up a refined and complex bouquet of pear, tart orange, fresh lime, flinty, chalky minerality, citrus peel, dried flowers and a nice touch of smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and seamlessly balanced, with a beautiful harness of acidity, a great core of fruit and a very long, very minerally and oh, so complex young finish. A great wine by any measure! (Drink between 2032 - 2080)John Gilman | 97 JGThe 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos is another brilliant effort from Fèvre’s immensely able winemaker, Didier Seguier, and his team. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of confit citrus, fresh bread, oyster shell, orange zest and crisp orchard fruit, it’s full-bodied, satiny and muscular, with a concentrated, tensile profile and a long, intensely saline finish. It’s the broadest and most powerful wine in the range, while remaining quintessentially Chablisien.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPA cool, restrained and airy nose grudgingly divulges its combination of lemon rind, green apple, quinine and acacia blossom scents that are also trimmed in discreet wood. There is again excellent volume and concentration to the powerful and muscular flavors that also coat the palate with dry extract on the impressively complex and hugely long finish. This is classic Les Clos in that it manages to be at once big and overtly powerful while remaining refined and classy. This is, in a word, stunning.Burghound | 96 BHThis lemon- and green apple–infused white stays lean, racy and long, combining power and intensity. On the austere side today, with a mineral underpinning and chalky finish. Best from 2025 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2020 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru comes from 10 parcels scattered mainly over the top of the hill. It has a well-defined, crisp and (for the vintage) quite austere nose due to the location higher up the slope. The fresh palate is nicely detailed with lime and lemon thyme and good salinity. Quite strict on the mineral-driven finish. Good potential, but it will need time.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

The 2020 Meursault Les Tillets opens with notes of crisp green apple, freshly baked bread, white flowers and crushed mint. Medium-bodied, satiny and elegant, it’s lively and precise, with a pretty core of fruit and a mouthwatering finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPThis too is quite firmly reduced and unreadable today. More interesting are the delicate but punchy flavors that evidence plenty of minerality on the vibrant, focused and beautifully well-balanced finale. Once again, more depth would be beneficial, but this wine has an excellent track record in that regard. Worth checking out.Burghound | 89-91 BH

Detailed and delicate, this has a seductive charm to it, slowly displaying scented blueberries and raspberries, before layers of salty minerality, liquorice, and cooling blue fruits come into play as well as tobacco and liquorice adding a savoury touch. It’s not immediately upfront - more calm and collected, slowly growing in stature and presence. Tannins are fine but mouthcoating, giving the structure, this isn’t a light wine, but it’s supremely elegant and excellently textured. Impressive complexity and drama here, still very serious but it’s sublime too. A luminous wine I’d love to own.Decanter | 98 DECA lovely softness and texture to this wine with a medium to full body, plenty of fruit and fine velvety tannins. It’s lovely to taste now and will age beautifully. Really seductive. Hard not to drink now but one for the cellar. Best to try after 2025.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2020 Gruaud-Larose is a powerful, dense wine. Super-ripe dark cherry, kirsch, menthol, licorice, rose petal and espresso infuse the palate with tons of intensity. Unctuous and flamboyant, the 2020 also offers a good bit of energy to keep things in balance. The 2020 is very much an extrovert, a gorgeous extrovert at that. Sweet floral and spice accents, along with a kick of sweet French oak, linger.Vinous Media | 95 VMRock-solid, with a core of dark plum, boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors held together with cedar, savory, tobacco and monkeyd apple wood notes that add texture and energy through the finish. Built for the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2030 through 2040. 9,250 boxes made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

The 2020 Léoville Las Cases has developed into a powerhouse. Then again, that is Las Cases. En primeur, I thought the 2020 was a bit shy, but its true personality has to emerge. Blackberry jam, gravel, spice, menthol, licorice, espresso and plum all saturate the palate. Vivid and explosive, the 2020 is dizzyingly rich, with plenty of Las Cases tannins that will require patience. I am not sure when the 2020 will be ready to drink, but it won’t be anytime soon. Las Cases is one of the wines of the vintage in 2020, that much is pretty clear.Vinous Media | 98+ VMThis is incredibly classic in style with so much currant, lead pencil, crushed stone and sweet tobacco. It’s full-bodied with minerally, stoney and powerful tannins. It goes on and one. Real Las Cases here. Solid as a rock. Progresses to violet, graphite and licorice at the end.James Suckling | 98-99 JSPerfumed touches on the nose, quite high toned, blackcurrant but almost liqueur with rose petal and candy floss nuances. On the point of ripeness, still tense, not hugely expansive in the mouth or particularly weighty but juicy with a really confident energy to it - vibrant and compelling. Tannins are perfectly integrated, so fine, this has a silky overall texture with a hint of grip coming towards the mid palate. Driven and straight, not deviating from the core. Almost unfriendly, but you know this has been well made - it’s sleek, with sinewy muscles, just caged right now needing time to come around. I love the precision to the elements, there’s such a sharp attention to detail with a liquorice, slate and pencil lead tang. The flavours need coaxing a little; this is a sleeping beauty waiting to awaken, but when it does it will be delicious because of the precision. A wonderful wine that makes you really think about how it’s going to evolve.Decanter | 97 DECThe wine’s richness comes both from the dark tannins and the pure, classic black currant flavors. Acidity, yes, but surrounded by dense fruits and tannins that give the wine considerable structure and the potential to age for many years. An impressive wine.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2020 Léoville Las Cases is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot, aging in 80% new French oak barriques, weighing in with an alcohol of 13.68%, a pH of 3.8 and an IPT (tannins index) of 79. The Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested from the 21st to the 27th of September, the Merlot from the 12th to the 15th of September and the Cabernet Franc on the 18th and 19th of September. With an opaque purple-black color, it slowly unfurls to reveal beguiling notes of fresh blackcurrants, Morello cherries, candied violets and dark chocolate, giving way to an undercurrent of crushed rocks, unsmoked cigars, clove oil and fragrant earth. The medium-bodied palate is a powerhouse of energy, delivering tightly wound red and black fruits, mineral and floral layers, supported by fantastic tension and incredibly ripe, silt-like tannins. The finish has jaw-dropping fragrance and depth.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPSleek and slightly austere in feel, with a cold cast iron note framing a core of tightly compressed cassis, plum and blackberry fruit flavors. Shows subtle flashes of tobacco and smoldering charcoal, as the finish lingers with verve. A stoic red. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Best from 2030 through 2045.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe flagship 2020 Château Léoville Las Cases checks in as 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Merlot, raised in 80% new French oak. Hitting 13.68% in alcohol with a Ph of 3.8 and an IPT of 79, it shows the dense, concentrated, focused style of the vintage and it’s going to be one of the longer-lived wines of the vintage. Deep purple-hued, with an incredible sense of minerality in its blackcurrant and black cherry fruits, it’s full-bodied, has a rich, layered mid-palate, lots of tannins, and a great finish. It’s a beautiful wine and holds onto the more inward, concentrated style of the vintage while still showing serious depth of fruit. It’s going to take a decade (or more) of bottle age to get anywhere close to the early stages of maturity but will keep for 30-40 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97+ JD

This is distinctly floral, with peach, lime blossom, citronella and mineral aromas and flavors. Sleek and elegant, offering intensity through the lingering aftertaste of lemon and orchard fruits. Shows terrific length and harmony. Best from 2026 through 2036. 30 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 97 WSA suggestion of the exotic is present on the aromas of citrus confit, white peach, passion fruit and pretty floral nuances. While the larger-scaled flavors possess a bit more size and weight, they’re actually slightly finer, though not denser, than those of the BBM while delivering outstanding length on the bone-dry, youthfully austere and decidedly built-to-age finale that exhibits first-rate length. This is a Ramonet Bâtard of relative finesse though to be sure, it does not lack for punch or potential longevity. I quite like this as it’s stylish and even classy, which isn’t an adjective always applied to Bâtard.Burghound | 96 BH

The 2020 Chablis Mont de Milieu 1er Cru has a more powerful bouquet than its peers with scents of orange blossom, Nashi pear and an underlying gunflint note trying to surface. The palate is well balanced with orange rind and a touch of peach skin on the entry. Very poised and harmonious with impressive volume, I admire its tension and persistence on the saline finish. This will not require much bottle maturation, yet it has the substance to last 15-20 years. Excellent. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis.Vinous Media | 93 VM

In this wine, the tannins are velvety, with black fruits that are immensely concentrated. The texture and powerful tannins provide superb foils for the fruit. Drink from 2027. Organic and biodynamic.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEAromas of blackberries, black olives, lead pencil and blueberries. Full-bodied with very velvety tannins. It’s big and rich for Margaux, but then it tightens at the finish. It will come around with bottle age. One for the cellar. 88% cabernet sauvignon and 12% merlot. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 96 JSBlueberries, plums, black cherries - dark bramble fruits with herbal, medicinal nuances on the nose. Ripe and juicy, this is calm and supremely controlled on the palate - harmonious but you can feel the construction and winemaking. Fruit forward, round and generous but still with clear direction and precision alongside taught salinity and minerality. Tannins are slightly granular with edges of liquorice, clove, aniseed and cola giving a sense that this still needs time to soften a bit more. Two thirds barrel aged, one third in amphora.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2020 Durfort-Vivens is aged in two-thirds new barrel and one-third amphora. It has a fresh and lively bouquet, black cherries intermixed with veins of blue fruit, very pure and oddly Burgundy-like. The oak is nicely integrated. The palate is well balanced with grainy tannins, quite strict and saline, lightly spiced and then easing down with a pliant, graphite-tinged, almost Pauillac-like finish. Give this 4-6 years in bottle.Vinous Media | 92 VM

Here there is less citrus and more floral influence on the white pepper and mineral reduction-inflected nose. The sleek, intense and attractively textured medium-weight flavors possess a bracing salinity on the agreeably dry, chiseled and well-focused finale that is just a bit firmer. Lovely.Burghound | 91 BHThe 2020 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru has a flinty, focused, energetic nose that feels more harmonious than the preceding Côte de Léchet. The palate is taut, fresh and saline in the mouth, showing great depth and concentration toward the finish. This will be worth looking out for.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM