Winemaker Notes
Very impressive black fruit on the nose. A powerful mouth with soft tannins and freshness and good length.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lots of crushed stone with blueberry and blackberry character. Some cedar. Full and juicy with a citrus undertone to it all that gives an attractive tangy undertone. Try after 2026.
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Wine Enthusiast
This sophisticated wine is a fine blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Its structure and black fruits, both still young, are impressive and full of potential. With its balance and style, the wine is going to age well. Drink from 2026.
Cellar Selection -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep purple-black color, the 2020 de France opens with classic cassis, ripe black plums and graphite scents, plus touches of bay leaves and fertile loam. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with juicy black fruits, supported by soft tannins and a lively backbone, finishing with a peppery kick. Barrel Sample: 90-92
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Decanter
Coffee, cocoa and black chocolate, savoury but well balanced by dark fruits. Has a ton of personality, a little austere and not overly seductive for sure, but will soften and the tannins are bouncy rather than bitter. Enjoyable, spicy because of the concentration on the finish.
Barrel Sample: 91 -
Jeb Dunnuck
Blackcurrants, blackberries, truffly earth, tobacco, and sappy flower nuances all emerge from the 2020 Château De France, a medium-bodied, balanced, floral, complex Pessac-Léognan that shows the purity and vibrancy of this great vintage. It's terrific today yet will keep for 10-12 years.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Recognized for its superior reds as well as whites, Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank claims classified growths for both—making it quite unique in comparison to its neighboring Médoc properties.
Pessac’s Chateau Haut-Brion, the only first growth located outside of the Médoc, is said to have been the first to conceptualize fine red wine in Bordeaux back in the late 1600s. The estate, along with its high-esteemed neighbors, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pique-Caillou and Chateau Pape-Clément are today all but enveloped by the city of Bordeaux. The rest of the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are in clearings of heavily forested area or abutting dense suburbs.
Arid sand and gravel on top of clay and limestone make the area unique and conducive to growing Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc as well as the grapes in the usual Left Bank red recipe: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and miniscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
The best reds will show great force and finesse with inky blue and black fruit, mushroom, forest, tobacco, iodine and a smooth and intriguing texture.
Its best whites show complexity, longevity and no lack of exotic twists on citrus, tropical and stone fruit with pronounced floral and spice characteristics.