From a small bottle. Not decanted. Another great 2020 Bordeaux vintage. Full bodied, complex and with another 10 years in the cellar sure to be a great wine. 93 pts. at the moment.
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K&L Grand Bordeaux Tasting: Getting lush, cassis aromas on the nose. Texturally this feels very silky with ripe, melty tannins. Palate is dark-fruited, but it is not over-the-top and there is some restraint. This is very tasty and elegant, and lacks the velvety plushness I get from a lot of '20 Bordeaux.
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K&L Bordeaux Tasting: 14% ABV. Deep ruby appearance. Perfectly ripe black bramble fruits, charcoal, tobacco leaf, clove. Very deep pitch to the fruit. Medium density on the palate yet this packs big drive and concentration. Nice length of finish. Wonderful aciidty level given the density of the fruit. Tannins are still rounding into form. Great potential here.
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deep, dark purple. expansive nose of ripe cassis, cedar, graphite and liquorice. dry and very structured in the mouth, it broadens a bit in the mid-palate to expressive fruit with a spice streak. superb length with an agreeable sweet touch playing with mineral notes.
very good finesse to the power… and it should take about a decade to unwind those to an approachable stage. should be an outstanding wine.
76% Cab Sauv/ 24% Merlot; eighteen months in oak barrels (70% new, 30% second use)
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Saturday Afternoon Bordeaux (K&L Wines, San Francisco): Incredible saturation and depth of color. Backward. Medium weight but powerful. Fluid blackberry and cedar. Surprisingly elegant and airy through the midpalate. Tremendous penetration and focus. Furry, dry, uncompromising finish. It opens up just enough to show its fantastic potential that won't be realized for decades. Stunning, classic Pauillac.
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Quite tight on the nose. Coaxing reveals layers of smoky blackcurrant, warm spices and cedar. Elegant but very structured on the palate. Will need a long time in the cellar but huge potential.
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Going from brief notes; There’s a more baked quality to the fruit in the 2020 Pichon Baron compared to the sweet, balanced and immediately appealing 19 vintage, it showed more spicy tannins as well. This was quite full throttle and a more longer lived example with a touch of greenness perhaps underneath. I wouldn’t be approaching this for many years 2031+
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deepish purple color, cassis, red plums and raspberry on the nose, notable oak, light bramble, on the palate a firm earth note, darker spectrum of fruit, tannins and oak a more overt presence, very good length and also very good balance- of late I have often found this wine over-oaked in recent vintages but the sheer power of 2020 reduces that risk greatly here.
[***+, 2040+]
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I really couldn't get a sense of this wine on the palate. On the nose it was expressive bouquet but on the palate, the finish was abrupt. I realize this is young. There is no doubt I just killed a young bottle. With that I'd be hard pressed to make much of this or buy based on this experience. I'll chalk this up to a learning experience.
There are plenty of more competent palates to weigh an opinion on but this is my take based on this sample.
Hold
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Union Grands Crus Bordeaux (UGC) 2020 Tasting (Hangar 14, Bordeaux): A wine that exudes class from start to finish. Clean, precise, concentrated but not heavy blue and black fruit wrapped in lovely tannin and acidity. A smooth ride where the finish starts at the beginning and never ends.
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With an intensity of color that matches the intensity you taste, and feel, here you find a wine that coats your palate with its multiple layers of rich, dark, deep, black, and dark red fruits coupled with smoke, tobacco, Cuban cigars, spice, dark chocolate, and burning oak embers. This incredible wine is perfectly poised on the corner of power, and intensity with an almost, endless, seamless, regal, and refined finish. This is clearly going to be one of the all-time great vintages of Pichon Baron. Drink from 2028-2065.
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A taste at the UGC yielded a near-identical tasting note to my encounter with this superb wine in 2021. This is sort of a modern version of the 1989 with its black fruit, coal, and inky nori. Clean, cool, deep - just thrilling. 96-98
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(60 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 % Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot) Dunkelfruchtig, komplex, mit viel Mineralik, Rauch, Teer, Kräuter, Minze, Eukalyptus, Rauch, wow, eine tiefgründige Nase ist das. Der Gaumen ist kompakt, top strukturiert, ein Monument eines Weines, viel Druck und dabei hochelegant, feinste Gerbstoffe, saftige Frucht, sensationelle Säurestruktur, viel Länge. Riesiges Potential. Auf ein Duell Comtesse vs. Baron im Jahr 2050 freue ich mich - sofern ich dann noch lebe. 2030-2050+ (Verkostet am 8. November 2022 in Zürich) www.vvwine.ch
At a tasting of recently bottled 2020s. Old fashioned dark and tannic. Lovely nose, big bodied, with a very persistent finish. Will need at least 10 years before drinking. As a general observation of the vintage the c. £150+ wines are dark and tannic and will need a lot of time (except Comtesse) whereas the wines around £100 have plentiful yet soft tannins and a good fruit and balance. I prefer the latter style because wines blockbuster wines often fail to achieve harmony after a decade and sometimes never. No need to take the risk when there are wines like Leoville Barton at half the price.
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Arvi Bordeaux 2020 Arrivage (Dolder Grand, Zurich): Bordeaux 2020 Arrivage tasting. Key observations: 1/ Tannins were generally soft and well-integrated, but still left room for structure, 2/ fruit generally ripe and well-defined, no over-extraction, 3/ all appellation were showing great, but if I had to pick out then it would be Paulliac, 4/ top wines were Petit Village (completely unexpected, 97) and Lynch Bages (96).
Tasting note: Deep and concentrated with a dark berry fruit core extending into depths of dried herbs, black tea, bitter chocolate. Sparkled floral notes of violets and sweet spice. Lots of tension and even if this is brutally young, the structure was amazing with seamless tannin integration.
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The 2020 Pichon Baron shows a rich, flattering nose, full of lush black fruit with touches of black licorice and ink. Dense and deep with a wonderful umami note, striking a fun contrast to the 2019.
95-98 points
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Wie immer einer der schönsten Cabernet Charaktere des Jahrgangs. Super Frucht mit saftigem Tannin und toller Transparenz. Frappierend frisch, zugleich gediegen, kraftvoll und elegant. Kraft ohne Anstrengung. Ewig lang und gaumenwässernd. Mehr davon! Es gibt kraftvollere Barons, aber selten so detaillierte. 96-98
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96-98 vvPunkte (60 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 % Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot) Anfangs minime Reduktion, öffnet sich rasch, tiefgründig und komplex, dunkle Frucht, Stein, Teer, Torf, Kräuterspeck, kalter Kamin, darüber Eukalyptus. Im Gaumen dicht, saftig, gradlinig, straff, ein Mund voll wein, dennoch frisch und saftig, sensationlle Säure, markante Gerbstoffe, diese sind von top Qualität, stützen die knackige Frucht, der Wein hat viel Zug und eine ausgezeichnete Länge. Grosser Baron. 20230-2050+ (April/Mai 2021) vvWine.ch
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Richly colored with purple around the edges the wine struts its creme de cassis, tobacco, cigar box, earthy, forest floor and peppery spice nose with ease. On the palate the wine is round, polished, sweet, fresh, ripe, long and elegant. This is a refined, classic, potentially forward vintage of Pichon Baron that should start showing quite well with just a decade of aging. The wine was made from blending 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, 13.6% ABV. Yields were only 33 hectoliters per hectare. 97-99
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NOTABLE BARREL SAMPLES OF 2020 RED BORDEAUX; 4/27/2021-5/4/2021 (Hong Kong SAR China): 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot from deep gravel, sand clay soils on the Pauillac plateau with old vines of average age 65 yrs planted at 9,000/ha. Fermentation by parcel and by varietal in 44 tanks (64-220HL) plus 8 oak vats (80-135HL) specifically for Merlot. Malolactic in tank. Aging in ~80% new oak barrels for ~18 months. Barrel sample presented in April 2021. Ownership: AXA Millesimes (since 1987) Managing Director: Christian Seely (since 2000)
A(ccuray)=2: Med deep ruby/red. Classic Pauillac bouquet. B(alance)=3: Refined components with firm structure. C(omplexity)=2: Dark berries, spices, cedar, tobacco. D(epth)=2: Enticing mouthfeel. Full palate and hi-tone tapering finish.
Wine Tally Score [2,3,2,2]= 9/10
Patience please.
For story-telling label graphics, see: [https://www.instagram.com/WineTally2020/] [https://www.facebook.com/WineTally/] For a unique multimedia resource, see [https://winetally.wixsite.com/vingnette]
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Expressive and rich nose of pure cabernet fruit in a background of mineral, cedar and leafy elements. Dense in the mouth, tannic with high acid, spicey and sweeter in its long length. 94-95
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Nr opaque Great density, lovely, fragrant blue/black fruits with super floral character, spice and toast. There is some salinity too, which gives definition to the plumpness. Huge appeal. Concentrated and intense, structured with very fine blue fruits, savoury and spicy notes. Super purity of fruit, fine chalky tannins, very long.
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3/10/2024 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a small bottle. Not decanted. Another great 2020 Bordeaux vintage. Full bodied, complex and with another 10 years in the cellar sure to be a great wine. 93 pts. at the moment.
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12/16/2023 - ylkim30 Likes this wine:
K&L Grand Bordeaux Tasting: Getting lush, cassis aromas on the nose. Texturally this feels very silky with ripe, melty tannins. Palate is dark-fruited, but it is not over-the-top and there is some restraint. This is very tasty and elegant, and lacks the velvety plushness I get from a lot of '20 Bordeaux.
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12/16/2023 - iBurg1229 Likes this wine: 95 Points
K&L Bordeaux Tasting: 14% ABV. Deep ruby appearance. Perfectly ripe black bramble fruits, charcoal, tobacco leaf, clove. Very deep pitch to the fruit. Medium density on the palate yet this packs big drive and concentration. Nice length of finish. Wonderful aciidty level given the density of the fruit. Tannins are still rounding into form. Great potential here.
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12/16/2023 - WindFlyer Likes this wine:
deep, dark purple. expansive nose of ripe cassis, cedar, graphite and liquorice. dry and very structured in the mouth, it broadens a bit in the mid-palate to expressive fruit with a spice streak. superb length with an agreeable sweet touch playing with mineral notes.
very good finesse to the power… and it should take about a decade to unwind those to an approachable stage. should be an outstanding wine.
76% Cab Sauv/ 24% Merlot; eighteen months in oak barrels (70% new, 30% second use)
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12/16/2023 - drwine2001 wrote:
Saturday Afternoon Bordeaux (K&L Wines, San Francisco): Incredible saturation and depth of color. Backward. Medium weight but powerful. Fluid blackberry and cedar. Surprisingly elegant and airy through the midpalate. Tremendous penetration and focus. Furry, dry, uncompromising finish. It opens up just enough to show its fantastic potential that won't be realized for decades. Stunning, classic Pauillac.
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12/16/2023 - tcarter Likes this wine: 96 Points
Super approachable for a 2020. Sharper than the 2019. Double decanted and served 3 hours later.
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11/22/2023 - Irish_Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Quite tight on the nose. Coaxing reveals layers of smoky blackcurrant, warm spices and cedar. Elegant but very structured on the palate. Will need a long time in the cellar but huge potential.
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10/13/2023 - Geerath wrote:
Going from brief notes; There’s a more baked quality to the fruit in the 2020 Pichon Baron compared to the sweet, balanced and immediately appealing 19 vintage, it showed more spicy tannins as well. This was quite full throttle and a more longer lived example with a touch of greenness perhaps underneath. I wouldn’t be approaching this for many years 2031+
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10/12/2023 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:
deepish purple color, cassis, red plums and raspberry on the nose, notable oak, light bramble, on the palate a firm earth note, darker spectrum of fruit, tannins and oak a more overt presence, very good length and also very good balance- of late I have often found this wine over-oaked in recent vintages but the sheer power of 2020 reduces that risk greatly here.
[***+, 2040+]
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10/3/2023 - MJP Hou TX wrote:
From 375. Sampled over 3 days.
I really couldn't get a sense of this wine on the palate. On the nose it was expressive bouquet but on the palate, the finish was abrupt. I realize this is young. There is no doubt I just killed a young bottle. With that I'd be hard pressed to make much of this or buy based on this experience. I'll chalk this up to a learning experience.
There are plenty of more competent palates to weigh an opinion on but this is my take based on this sample.
Hold
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6/10/2023 - PlanetX wrote: 97 Points
Union Grands Crus Bordeaux (UGC) 2020 Tasting (Hangar 14, Bordeaux): A wine that exudes class from start to finish. Clean, precise, concentrated but not heavy blue and black fruit wrapped in lovely tannin and acidity. A smooth ride where the finish starts at the beginning and never ends.
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5/23/2023 - merlotsmile wrote:
Bordeaux 23-05-23 (Left Bank): X
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3/21/2023 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
With an intensity of color that matches the intensity you taste, and feel, here you find a wine that coats your palate with its multiple layers of rich, dark, deep, black, and dark red fruits coupled with smoke, tobacco, Cuban cigars, spice, dark chocolate, and burning oak embers. This incredible wine is perfectly poised on the corner of power, and intensity with an almost, endless, seamless, regal, and refined finish. This is clearly going to be one of the all-time great vintages of Pichon Baron. Drink from 2028-2065.
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1/29/2023 - englishman's claret wrote: 97 Points
A taste at the UGC yielded a near-identical tasting note to my encounter with this superb wine in 2021. This is sort of a modern version of the 1989 with its black fruit, coal, and inky nori. Clean, cool, deep - just thrilling. 96-98
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1/26/2023 - Roger Patterson wrote: 90 Points
Elevated aromatics of ripe raspberries and cassis, a little brett, cedar. Integrated tannins and well balanced
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1/9/2023 - vvWine.ch wrote: 97 Points
(60 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 % Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot) Dunkelfruchtig, komplex, mit viel Mineralik, Rauch, Teer, Kräuter, Minze, Eukalyptus, Rauch, wow, eine tiefgründige Nase ist das. Der Gaumen ist kompakt, top strukturiert, ein Monument eines Weines, viel Druck und dabei hochelegant, feinste Gerbstoffe, saftige Frucht, sensationelle Säurestruktur, viel Länge. Riesiges Potential. Auf ein Duell Comtesse vs. Baron im Jahr 2050 freue ich mich - sofern ich dann noch lebe. 2030-2050+ (Verkostet am 8. November 2022 in Zürich) www.vvwine.ch
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11/14/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine: 97 Points
At a tasting of recently bottled 2020s. Old fashioned dark and tannic. Lovely nose, big bodied, with a very persistent finish. Will need at least 10 years before drinking. As a general observation of the vintage the c. £150+ wines are dark and tannic and will need a lot of time (except Comtesse) whereas the wines around £100 have plentiful yet soft tannins and a good fruit and balance. I prefer the latter style because wines blockbuster wines often fail to achieve harmony after a decade and sometimes never. No need to take the risk when there are wines like Leoville Barton at half the price.
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11/8/2022 - sirpat00 wrote: 95 Points
Arvi Bordeaux 2020 Arrivage (Dolder Grand, Zurich): Bordeaux 2020 Arrivage tasting. Key observations: 1/ Tannins were generally soft and well-integrated, but still left room for structure, 2/ fruit generally ripe and well-defined, no over-extraction, 3/ all appellation were showing great, but if I had to pick out then it would be Paulliac, 4/ top wines were Petit Village (completely unexpected, 97) and Lynch Bages (96).
Tasting note:
Deep and concentrated with a dark berry fruit core extending into depths of dried herbs, black tea, bitter chocolate. Sparkled floral notes of violets and sweet spice. Lots of tension and even if this is brutally young, the structure was amazing with seamless tannin integration.
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3/16/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine: 97 Points
See 2019
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9/14/2021 - englishman's claret wrote: 96 Points
The 2020 Pichon Baron shows a rich, flattering nose, full of lush black fruit with touches of black licorice and ink. Dense and deep with a wonderful umami note, striking a fun contrast to the 2019.
95-98 points
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6/21/2021 - Mali Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wie immer einer der schönsten Cabernet Charaktere des Jahrgangs. Super Frucht mit saftigem Tannin und toller Transparenz. Frappierend frisch, zugleich gediegen, kraftvoll und elegant. Kraft ohne Anstrengung. Ewig lang und gaumenwässernd. Mehr davon! Es gibt kraftvollere Barons, aber selten so detaillierte. 96-98
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5/22/2021 - vvWine.ch wrote: 97 Points
96-98 vvPunkte (60 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 % Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot) Anfangs minime Reduktion, öffnet sich rasch, tiefgründig und komplex, dunkle Frucht, Stein, Teer, Torf, Kräuterspeck, kalter Kamin, darüber Eukalyptus. Im Gaumen dicht, saftig, gradlinig, straff, ein Mund voll wein, dennoch frisch und saftig, sensationlle Säure, markante Gerbstoffe, diese sind von top Qualität, stützen die knackige Frucht, der Wein hat viel Zug und eine ausgezeichnete Länge. Grosser Baron. 20230-2050+ (April/Mai 2021) vvWine.ch
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5/20/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Richly colored with purple around the edges the wine struts its creme de cassis, tobacco, cigar box, earthy, forest floor and peppery spice nose with ease. On the palate the wine is round, polished, sweet, fresh, ripe, long and elegant. This is a refined, classic, potentially forward vintage of Pichon Baron that should start showing quite well with just a decade of aging. The wine was made from blending 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, 13.6% ABV. Yields were only 33 hectoliters per hectare. 97-99
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5/14/2021 - Peter Z. Likes this wine: 96 Points
Primeur sample
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5/4/2021 - WineTally Likes this wine:
NOTABLE BARREL SAMPLES OF 2020 RED BORDEAUX; 4/27/2021-5/4/2021 (Hong Kong SAR China): 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot
from deep gravel, sand clay soils on the Pauillac plateau with old vines
of average age 65 yrs planted at 9,000/ha.
Fermentation by parcel and by varietal in 44 tanks (64-220HL) plus
8 oak vats (80-135HL) specifically for Merlot.
Malolactic in tank. Aging in ~80% new oak barrels for ~18 months.
Barrel sample presented in April 2021.
Ownership: AXA Millesimes (since 1987)
Managing Director: Christian Seely (since 2000)
A(ccuray)=2: Med deep ruby/red. Classic Pauillac bouquet.
B(alance)=3: Refined components with firm structure.
C(omplexity)=2: Dark berries, spices, cedar, tobacco.
D(epth)=2: Enticing mouthfeel. Full palate and hi-tone tapering finish.
Wine Tally Score [2,3,2,2]= 9/10
Patience please.
For story-telling label graphics, see:
[https://www.instagram.com/WineTally2020/]
[https://www.facebook.com/WineTally/]
For a unique multimedia resource, see
[https://winetally.wixsite.com/vingnette]
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4/27/2021 - Yorgos wrote: 95 Points
Expressive and rich nose of pure cabernet fruit in a background of mineral, cedar and leafy elements. Dense in the mouth, tannic with high acid, spicey and sweeter in its long length. 94-95
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4/21/2021 - Shrewsram Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nr opaque
Great density, lovely, fragrant blue/black fruits with super floral character, spice and toast. There is some salinity too, which gives definition to the plumpness. Huge appeal.
Concentrated and intense, structured with very fine blue fruits, savoury and spicy notes. Super purity of fruit, fine chalky tannins, very long.
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