Chateau Lagrange 2020

JEB DUNNUCK: "Coming from depressingly low yields of just 26 hectoliters per hectare (the lowest since 1991), the 2020 Château Lagrange checks in as 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot that was raised in 60% new French oak. It's a gorgeous, complete Saint-Julien offering remarkable purity in its cassis, violets, chocolate, and leafy tobacco-like aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with terrific balance, a pure, focused mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and beautifully integrated oak, it's going to benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and cruise over the following 2+ decades in cold cellars."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2020 Lagrange is a fine follow-up to the excellent 2019. Offering up aromas of crème de cassis and plums mingled with hints of violets, licorice, pencil shavings and vanilla pod, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with a deep core of ripe but vibrant fruit that's framed by powdery tannins that assert themselves with gentle grip on the finish."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "The perfume kicks off with mint, cigar box, black and red currants, black cherries and tobacco leaves. And with all that, the wine is just getting started because it is even better on the palate with its multiple-layers of supple, fresh, vibrant, sweet, ripe fruits, elegant silky tannins, length and purity. Starting with the 2016 vintage, Lagrange has been on a hot streak and 2020 could be their best vintage yet. If you haven't tasted what they are doing, you need to grab a bottle and pull a cork! Drink from 2027-2055."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Attractive nose of blackberries, blackcurrants, walnuts, ink and kaffir leaves. It’s medium- to full-bodied, firm and structured, with chewy and tight tannins. Dark and intense, with a long and persistent finish. Turns to graphite and cedar. Needs time to open and soften. Try from 2026."

WEINWISSER: "Tänzerisches Bouquet, frisch gepflückte Schattenmorelle, Flieder und rote Johannisbeerdrops. Am eleganten Gaumen mit feinspröder Textur, körniges Extrakt und mittlerem Körper. Im gebündelten Finale verschlankt sich der St. Julien zusehends, Graphit und Wacholdernoten, zeigt aktuell nicht seine ganze Klasse, aber alles ist am richtigen Platz, Potenzialwertung. Legte in den vergangenen Jahren zu."

DECANTER: "Aromatically very expressive on the nose. Perfumed with ripe fruits and floral characters. Supple and juicy, a lovely lifeforce and bounce. Tannins are plush yet plump giving a roundness to the expression letting the bright red fruits shine and acidity keep everything lifted. Has a joyous quality, so easy to like this - refreshing and enjoyable. The texture and weight is great, lovely medicinal edges as well as some salinity with cooling minty touches and a long finish. Really well worked, not pushed and delivered with poise. It’s lightly framed in terms of texture, more layered vertically than wide, giving an aerial freshness throughout."

FALSTAFF: "Kräftiges Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Reife Pflaumen, kandierte Orangenzesten, zarte schokoladige Nuancen. Saftig, rote Kirschen, frisch und lebendig, seidige Tannine, mineralisch-salzig, delikate Textur, bleibt sehr gut haften, sicheres Entwicklungspotenzial, sehr trinkanimierender Stil. (2025–2055)"

WINE SPECTATOR: "Very sleek, with a racy iron edge driving through in lockstep with cassis and cherry coulis flavors. Reveals a subtle black tea accent on the finish, with the minerality eventually holding center stage. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2036. 11,200 cases made, 1,100 cases imported."