P23. Cos d'Estournel, St‑Estèphe “Based on 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot, the deep purple- hued 2020 Château Cos d'Estournel has, dare I say, an almost Lafite‑like sense of elegance and class, offering gorgeous cassis and darker currants fruits as well as tobacco, lead pencil, acacia flowers, and graphite. Hitting 13.46 alcohol, with a pH of 3.9 and an IPT of 80, this flawless, full‑bodied, incredibly elegant Saint‑Estèphe has silky tannins, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. It will need a decade of cellaring to hit its prime drink window. Of the trilogy of 2018, 2019, and 2020, it's clearly my favorite (that’s splitting hairs), with a similarity to the 2016, and will most likely merit another point at maturity.” 99 pts, Jeb Dunnuck 483001 6 bottle limit $450 P24. Domaine de Chevalier, Pessac‑Léognan “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.” 98+ pts, Jeb Dunnuck 362820, 457570 6 bottle limit $180 P25. Château Ducru‑Beaucaillou, St‑Julien “Lastly, the 2020 Château Ducru‑Beaucaillou is another legendary wine from this château that has been on an incredible run over the past decade. A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot that was brought up all in new French oak, it has a saturated purple hue to go with an incredible, mineral‑laced bouquet of crème de cassis, liquid violets, graphite, and tobacco leaf. More structured and concentrated than any of the Léovilles, this blockbuster, deep, concentrated, full‑bodied Saint‑Julien has off‑the‑charts purity, ultra‑fine tannins, and a great, great finish. I wrote in my notes, "Like the 2010, only better." You won't find a more concentrated yet flawlessly balanced and elegant wine out there. It's going to need a decade of cellaring and will have 40, 50, if not 60 years of longevity.” 100 pts, Jeb Dunnuck 347372, 482982 6 bottle limit $480
2020 BORDEAUX
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