Chateau Berliquet 2020

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A brilliant success for this property in the ascendant, the 2020 Berliquet opens in the glass with aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with hints of warm spices and violets. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's vibrant and dynamic, with polished tannins, a bright spine and a long, elegantly chalky finish. It represents another step up for Berliquet, which will soon benefit from a new winery."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Blackberry with charcoal and dark earth aromas that follow through to a medium to full body with fruit, iron and moss flavors. It’s structured and well-formed with excellent balance of acidity. Drink after 2027."

WEINWISSER: "69 % Merlot, 31 % Cabernet Franc, 40 hl/ha, Alkohol 14.5 vol%. Purpur mit opaker Mitte und lila Rand. Tänzerisches Bouquet mit Fliedernoten, Veilchenparfüm und Cassis-Blüten, dahinter Waldhimbeeren und parfümierter Pfeifentabak. Am dichten Gaumen mit weicher Textur, stützendes Tanningerüst, perfekt balancierte Rasse, zarte kernige Noten im Untergrund und ein geradliniger Körper. Im gebündelten Finale sehr kompakt, zeigt wenig Frucht, viel Würze und dunkle Mineralik, hat ein neues Qualitätslevel erreicht!"

JEB DUNNUCK: "Another brilliant Saint-Emilion in the vintage, the 2020 Château Berliquet is mostly Merlot yet includes close to a third Cabernet Franc, which no doubt contributes to its elegant, finesse-driven, floral character. It's incredibly pure and classy, with notes of red and blue fruits, sappy spring flowers, graphite, and baking spices all emerging on the nose. These carry to a medium-bodied, ultra-fine, pure, seamless 2020 that offers pleasure today and will offer pleasure in 15+ years as well. This wine is never the biggest or richest in a vintage, but it shines for its purity, balance, and elegance. It's beautifully done."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Attraktive Herzkirschfrucht, rote Waldbeeren sind unterlegt, zart nach Lakritze, feine Holzwürze, Orangenzesten. Saftig, frisch, Nuancen von Pflaumen und ein Hauch von Nougat, reife Tannine, frisch strukturiert, mineralisch und gut anhaftend, zeigt Länge und Potenzial."

DECANTER: "Gorgeous fragrance on the nose, really so inviting and scented. Smooth and supple, crisp and fresh, lovely purity of expression here, still quite subtle and delicate, salty, tangy, wild herbs, liquorice, clove and dark chocolate. Not bright in so much as the fruits are quite dark - blackcurrant and cherry, but such concentration with a lightness of touch. Very well worked, focused, pure, detailed, decisive and forward with chalky tannins, expressive of terroir. Lovely style on show here. Another amazingly good wine from this stable in 2020."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Medium-bodied, elegant, refined and with a strong, floral essence, you also discover sweet, fresh, cherries, licorice, plums, and hints of chocolate mint on the nose and palate, which is all topped off with its silky, vibrant, red pit fruit and mineral-edged finish. Drink from 2024-2045."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "A big wine with rich tannins and a dense structure, the wine is solid, the clay soil showing both in the wine's ripeness and its power. It is a fine wine, concentrated and with layers of black plum flavors. Drink this wine from 2026."

WINE SPECTATOR: " Nicely rendered, with a fresh, focused core of damson plum and red currant coulis laced with a floral edge and backed by a refined chalky note. The finish features warm tobacco accents to the blossom notes. A restrained style. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024 through 2035. 3,000 cases made."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Attractively polished nose and rather refined and refreshing. Sophisticated. Quite long and sinewy without any obvious sweetness. Though some palates may find the acidity too dominant."