Blackcurrant tends to cassis, polished oak, sweet spice, a tiny little pyrazine note. Juicy, medium plus intensity acidity, tangy, dense tannins are chalky and aa little too much for the fruit. Finishes with a little woody bitterness. Not one of the better vintages I've had. Hmm.
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Bordeaux 2020 - 10 red & 1 sweet wine: Arrivage tasting by a merchant. Be aware, the sample size is quite small but here are a few observations: 1) Overall quality: This is another good vintage in Bordeaux but clearly not on the same level as 2016 or 2019. 2) Ripeness: What I tasted showed less ripe than 2015/18/19. Most wine show fresh dark and blue fruit, the two right banks showed well behaved too. None of the wines showed alcohol heat (a problem in many 18s and some 15s). Overall, I expected more ripeness but maybe the wineries I sampled all just got the picking date right. 3) Complexity: 2020 will not reach the heights of 2016 and for me is also a step or two behind 2015/18/19. 4) Precision: The precision was quite good, although not on the level of the 2016s. 5) Structural frame: The tannins are ripe but have more edges than in 16/18/19 and will need time to soften, the acidity is high and well-integrated, the texture is not as airy as in 2016 but a step above 15/18 and maybe even 19. Overall, the wines showed quite harmonious but without the magical balance of the 2016s (and the best 15/18/19s I had).
TN: Brief impressions. One of the winners today, this had a beautiful, classic, elegant Pauillac note with a fresh dark fruit core, minerality and cedar notes. Light and airy and one of the more balanced wines. It may be not highly complex but very complete.
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Cassis, cigar box, dried flowers, spice, herbs and blackberries crowd into the perfume. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated and rich. There is a lushness to the fruits, along with a softness and polish to tannins that is perfect for the wine and the vintage. Length, purity, complexity and a seemingly, endless, creamy finish caps everything off. This is the finest vintage ever produced at Grand Puy Lacoste. Fans of the estate, and Pauillac should be all over this wine. Drink from 2026-2060.
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At a tasting of recently bottled 2020s. I can't remember enjoying a GPL this much before. 13.5% alcohol (as are most of the wines this vintage) is a welcome relief from 14.5% + that global warming has given us in many recent years; with 2022 likely to be another high alcohol vintage. Lovely sea breeze / crushed oyster shell nose unique to GPL, medium weight fruit and an excellent long complex finish. A must have vintage for GPL lovers and I bought a half case.
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94-95 vvPunkte (76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 13.5%) Wunderbare Pauillac-Nase, dunkle Frucht, Rauch, Kräuter, viel Cassis, kühler Stein, Leder, Tabak, tiefgründig. Im Gaumen fleischig aber dennoch elegant, zeigt Rasse und Kraft, schaft die Balance zwischen Wucht und Gradlinigkeit, zwischen Struktur und Frucht, die Elemente sind gut proportioniert und die Tannine über jeden Zweifel erhaben, der Wein hinterlässt einen sehr langen, kräuterwürzigen und dunkelfruchtigen Abgang. Ein grossartiger GPL mit sehr guten Anlagen für eine lange Reife. 2028-2050 (April/Mai 2021) vvWine.ch
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Dark garnet in hue, the wine comes alive with its aromatic display of peppery, savory cassis, cigar box, forest floor and herbs. Concentrated, ripe, round and with richness and flesh, the big, juicy gulp of chewy cassis in the endnote is exactly what I was looking for. Wait 8-9 years and enjoy it over the next 2-3 decades after that. 94-96
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Very deep Quite compact (to me) on the nose. Plump blackcurrant, a touch of graphite and raspberry – nice ripeness but cool. Dark and pure. The palate has a salty edge and a plump core, good density and richness and plentiful ripe tannins. Juicy in part but has a savoury and contemplative side. Long and sandy.
- Tasted again on Saturday (8th) Good perfume, nice ripe (red) fruit and cassis, good purity, some creaminess. Lovely density, plump and plush, well-integrated oak and a cherry edge. Some green notes. Very fine – lovely texture.
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76%CS/24%M 13.5% alc Dunkles Purpurgranat. Superfeine Cabernetnase auf Cassis und Lakritz. Am Gaumen für einen GPL bereits erstaunlich zugänglich, ein Korb dunkler Beeren, Zeder und feiner frischer Tabak, langer Abgang auch hier wieder auf Tabak und etwas Weihrauch. Hohe Tanninqualität. Hat wahrscheinlich sehr grosses Potenzial. 95 - 97
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1/9/2024 - pmik Likes this wine: 95 Points
Jesper Hedegaard smagning
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11/18/2023 - nwebstar Likes this wine: 89 Points
Langtons Bordeaux 2020 Arrival Tasting (Sydney, Australia): A little empty in the mid and back palate. Not particularly appealing
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11/17/2023 - chatters wrote:
Blackcurrant tends to cassis, polished oak, sweet spice, a tiny little pyrazine note. Juicy, medium plus intensity acidity, tangy, dense tannins are chalky and aa little too much for the fruit. Finishes with a little woody bitterness. Not one of the better vintages I've had. Hmm.
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11/16/2023 - Isaac D wrote:
Jumps out of the glass. Roses, plums, licorice, strawberries. Wait 10 years. 96+
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9/14/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote: 92 Points
Black and blue fruit. Mouth watering acidity and velvety tannins. Balanced. Modest ABV. Taste 3 times for science.
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4/23/2023 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux 2020 - 10 red & 1 sweet wine: Arrivage tasting by a merchant. Be aware, the sample size is quite small but here are a few observations: 1) Overall quality: This is another good vintage in Bordeaux but clearly not on the same level as 2016 or 2019. 2) Ripeness: What I tasted showed less ripe than 2015/18/19. Most wine show fresh dark and blue fruit, the two right banks showed well behaved too. None of the wines showed alcohol heat (a problem in many 18s and some 15s). Overall, I expected more ripeness but maybe the wineries I sampled all just got the picking date right. 3) Complexity: 2020 will not reach the heights of 2016 and for me is also a step or two behind 2015/18/19. 4) Precision: The precision was quite good, although not on the level of the 2016s. 5) Structural frame: The tannins are ripe but have more edges than in 16/18/19 and will need time to soften, the acidity is high and well-integrated, the texture is not as airy as in 2016 but a step above 15/18 and maybe even 19. Overall, the wines showed quite harmonious but without the magical balance of the 2016s (and the best 15/18/19s I had).
TN: Brief impressions. One of the winners today, this had a beautiful, classic, elegant Pauillac note with a fresh dark fruit core, minerality and cedar notes. Light and airy and one of the more balanced wines. It may be not highly complex but very complete.
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3/21/2023 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Cassis, cigar box, dried flowers, spice, herbs and blackberries crowd into the perfume. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated and rich. There is a lushness to the fruits, along with a softness and polish to tannins that is perfect for the wine and the vintage. Length, purity, complexity and a seemingly, endless, creamy finish caps everything off. This is the finest vintage ever produced at Grand Puy Lacoste. Fans of the estate, and Pauillac should be all over this wine. Drink from 2026-2060.
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1/26/2023 - Roger Patterson wrote: 88 Points
Very ripe and full bodied but a little hot and tannins are rough. At UGC LA.
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11/13/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine: 95 Points
At a tasting of recently bottled 2020s. I can't remember enjoying a GPL this much before. 13.5% alcohol (as are most of the wines this vintage) is a welcome relief from 14.5% + that global warming has given us in many recent years; with 2022 likely to be another high alcohol vintage. Lovely sea breeze / crushed oyster shell nose unique to GPL, medium weight fruit and an excellent long complex finish. A must have vintage for GPL lovers and I bought a half case.
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5/22/2021 - vvWine.ch wrote: 95 Points
94-95 vvPunkte (76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 13.5%) Wunderbare Pauillac-Nase, dunkle Frucht, Rauch, Kräuter, viel Cassis, kühler Stein, Leder, Tabak, tiefgründig. Im Gaumen fleischig aber dennoch elegant, zeigt Rasse und Kraft, schaft die Balance zwischen Wucht und Gradlinigkeit, zwischen Struktur und Frucht, die Elemente sind gut proportioniert und die Tannine über jeden Zweifel erhaben, der Wein hinterlässt einen sehr langen, kräuterwürzigen und dunkelfruchtigen Abgang. Ein grossartiger GPL mit sehr guten Anlagen für eine lange Reife. 2028-2050 (April/Mai 2021) vvWine.ch
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5/20/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Dark garnet in hue, the wine comes alive with its aromatic display of peppery, savory cassis, cigar box, forest floor and herbs. Concentrated, ripe, round and with richness and flesh, the big, juicy gulp of chewy cassis in the endnote is exactly what I was looking for. Wait 8-9 years and enjoy it over the next 2-3 decades after that. 94-96
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5/6/2021 - Shrewsram Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very deep
Quite compact (to me) on the nose. Plump blackcurrant, a touch of graphite and raspberry – nice ripeness but cool. Dark and pure.
The palate has a salty edge and a plump core, good density and richness and plentiful ripe tannins. Juicy in part but has a savoury and contemplative side. Long and sandy.
- Tasted again on Saturday (8th)
Good perfume, nice ripe (red) fruit and cassis, good purity, some creaminess.
Lovely density, plump and plush, well-integrated oak and a cherry edge. Some green notes. Very fine – lovely texture.
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4/29/2021 - Léognan Likes this wine: 96 Points
76%CS/24%M 13.5% alc
Dunkles Purpurgranat. Superfeine Cabernetnase auf Cassis und Lakritz. Am Gaumen für einen GPL bereits erstaunlich zugänglich, ein Korb dunkler Beeren, Zeder und feiner frischer Tabak, langer Abgang auch hier wieder auf Tabak und etwas Weihrauch. Hohe Tanninqualität. Hat wahrscheinlich sehr grosses Potenzial. 95 - 97
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