Chateau Pedesclaux 2020

JAMES SUCKLING: "A crunchy and fresh 2020 with sliced oranges and redcurrants as well as cedar and nutmeg. Full-bodied with very firm and tight tannins. Bright finish. Crushed stone at the end as well. Needs three to five years to soften. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 34% merlot, 5% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. First year with organic farming. Try after 2027."

WEINWISSER: "34 % Merlot, 56 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 5 % Cabernet Franc, 5 % Petit Verdot, 37 hl/ha, 60 % neue Barriques. Extrem dunkles Purpur mit opaker Mitte und zartem lila Rand. Faszinierendes Bouquet mit reifer Brombeere, edler Cassiswürze und Brasiltabak, dahinter Schokopastillen und erkalteter Earl-Grey. Am satten Gaumen mit weicher Textur, feinkörniges Extrakt, stützende Rasse und kraftvoller Körper. Im gebündelten Finale mit zarter schwarzbeeriger Frucht, Tabakblatt und Baumnuss, endet mit fein spröder Adstringenz. «Best-Buy» von Pauillac!"

DECANTER: "Tense and coiled, lovely styling here with bright and vibrant black fruits, a soft hit of creaminess alongside liquorice-laced tannins. Power and brawn, clearly structured and intense, this will age very well just a bit shy and tight right now. Dark chocolate, menthol freshness, plum and rosemary. Excellent tannic grip and I love the sweetness on the palate as well as overall freshness. Something very captivating about this and upscored from a tasting in September."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2020 Château Pédesclaux reminds me of the 2016 with its concentrated, pure, classic Pauillac style. A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it has a great nose of pure blue fruits (currants, cassis) as well as ample lead pencil, chalky minerality, and violet aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and elegant on the palate, it has the purity and polish to shine even today, yet my money is on it benefiting from 4-6 years of bottle age, and it should evolve gradually over the following 15+ years."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart floral unterlegte Nuancen von Cassis und Herzkirschen, zart tabakig, angenehme Würze, mineralischer Touch. Mittlerer Körper, rotbeerige Nuancen, frischer Säurebogen, feine, integrierte Tannine, mineralisch-salzig im Nachhall, gutes Reifepotenzial, lebendiger Stil."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "The first thing you notice is the beautiful sense of purity in the red fruits before finding all the flowers and leaves of tobacco. On the palate, the wine is vibrant, firm, fresh and layered with crushed rocks, currants, blackberries, and spice. The tannins are soft and ripe, with a gentle polish to the lifted, red fruits in the elegant finish. Give it a few years in the cellar and enjoy over the following 2 or more decades. Drink from 2025-2050."