Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Grand Village (Lafleur), which is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, comes from more clay soils and from cuttings from Château Lafleur in Pomerol. It's a gorgeous wine that brings serious power and richness while staying nicely balanced. Ripe black fruits, truffle earth, chocolate, and some floral, earthy notes define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, ripe yet building tannins, and a great finish. It's certainly a bigger, richer vintage at this address, and this beauty will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age. I can't imagine it not drinking well for a solid two decades. It's worth pointing out that production was down from an average 5,000 cases to over 3,000 cases in 2020, so there's certainly less of this beauty to go around. If you see a bottle, don't miss it.
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Vinous
The 2020 Grand Village Rouge is a rich, heady wine. Black cherry, plum, mocha, licorice and cloves are all dialed up in a gorgeous wine that balances fruit intensity and vibrancy, all in a medium-bodied style that is hugely appealing. This is beautifully done. Bet after 2023.
In most of France, wines are named by their place of origin and not by the type of grape (with the exception of Alsace). Just like a red Burgundy is by law, always made of Pinot noir, a red Bordeaux is a blended wine composed mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Depending on the laws of the village from which the grapes come, the conditions of the vintage and decisions of the winemaker, the blend can be further supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and in rare cases, Carmenere. So popular and repeated has this mix of grape varieties become worldwide, that the term, Bordeaux Blend, refers to a wine blended in this style, regardless of origin.