The Wine Cellar Insider (94-96)

Crushed rocks, currants, cherries, flowers, licorice, smoke, cocoa and espresso covers all the bases in the perfume. Elegant and edgy, silky, soft and mineral driven, the fruits show a beautiful purity, freshness and refinement on the palate, leaving you with salty tannins and sweet plums that continue to linger and expand in the finish. The wine is made from a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Full bottle 1,325 g. Cask sample taken 7 April. Certified organic. Medium-intensity purple. Quite a distinctive nose of vegetation and herbs rather than brow-beating sweet fruit – attractive. Then on the palate there's some richness but this seems to have more elements at play than many of its peers. More transparent and expressive. Finishes decidedly dry but not drying. 14%

Wine Advocate (92-94+)

Opaque purple-black in color, the 2020 Fontenil needs a little swirling and coaxing to release opulent scents of plum preserves, blueberry compote and chocolate-covered cherries, plus suggestions of candied violets, ground cloves and fertile loam. The full-bodied palate is rich with generous black and blue preserves layers, supported by beautifully plush tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing long and fragrant.

Wine Advocate (92-94+)

Opaque purple-black in color, the 2020 Fontenil needs a little swirling and coaxing to release opulent scents of plum preserves, blueberry compote and chocolate-covered cherries, plus suggestions of candied violets, ground cloves and fertile loam. The full-bodied palate is rich with generous black and blue preserves layers, supported by beautifully plush tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing long and fragrant.

Vinous - Neal Martin (90-92)

The 2020 Fourcas Hosten displays very good intensity on a nose of ebullient blackberry, cedar and crushed violet scents that burst from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins. A slight herbaceous element lends freshness, and white pepper and graphite appear toward the grippy, almost sinewy finish. This is quite a bold Listrac that will require 4–5 years in bottle, but it comes across as cohesive and shows good cellaring potential.

Fourcas Hosten Blanc 2020, a discreet gem from the Listrac-Médoc region of Bordeaux, ranks among the finest white wines. Rooted in a blend of 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Sémillon, this wine, produced by the celebrated Château Fourcas Hosten, is light and refreshing with elegant citric tones. Fermented at low temperatures and aged for several months in French oak barrels, the Fourcas Hosten Blanc 2020 embodies distinctive fruity aromas layered with hints of vanilla and spice.

The cellar masters' meticulous precision is cherished in every sip, underpinning their philosophy of reviving and enhancing the natural qualities of the wine. Fourcas Hosten Blanc 2020, with its brilliant green hues and textured palate, embodies the essence of the Médoc terroir, famed for its gravelly soil, climate and the excellence of its grape varieties. Enjoy this radiant nectar as it is, or pair it with your choice of seafood or white meats for the ultimate dining experience.

Vinous - Neal Martin (87)

The 2020 Frank Phélan, which will be released in 2023, has a well-defined nose, hints of black olive tinging the black fruit with raspberry and mulberry surfacing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a soft opening, quite rounded and fleshy, perhaps missing a little tension on the finish. As such, it's an early-drinking Saint-Estèphe that should give several years' drinking pleasure.

James Suckling (93-94)

Lovely, pretty fruit to this with a medium to full body and round tannins that fold nicely into the wine. It’s rich and layered. 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (86-88)

The 2020 Goulée by Cos d'Estournel is perfumed and silky in the glass. Cedar, sweet pipe tobacco and crushed flowers lend attractive aromatic presence. This is an especially gracious style that feels a bit light, especially on the mid-palate and finish, where there is some loss of persistence.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (86-88)

The 2020 Goulée by Cos d'Estournel is perfumed and silky in the glass. Cedar, sweet pipe tobacco and crushed flowers lend attractive aromatic presence. This is an especially gracious style that feels a bit light, especially on the mid-palate and finish, where there is some loss of persistence.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (86-88)

The 2020 Goulée by Cos d'Estournel is perfumed and silky in the glass. Cedar, sweet pipe tobacco and crushed flowers lend attractive aromatic presence. This is an especially gracious style that feels a bit light, especially on the mid-palate and finish, where there is some loss of persistence.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (86-88)

The 2020 Goulée by Cos d'Estournel is perfumed and silky in the glass. Cedar, sweet pipe tobacco and crushed flowers lend attractive aromatic presence. This is an especially gracious style that feels a bit light, especially on the mid-palate and finish, where there is some loss of persistence.

James Suckling (96-97)

This is really fantastic with so much intensity and focus. Firm, linear tannins frame the wine beautifully. Polished and fine. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and posed. Complex flavors of blackberry, black olive, mushroom and bark. Persistent finish. Best of the trilogy?

James Suckling (96-97)

This is really fantastic with so much intensity and focus. Firm, linear tannins frame the wine beautifully. Polished and fine. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and posed. Complex flavors of blackberry, black olive, mushroom and bark. Persistent finish. Best of the trilogy?

James Suckling (96-97)

This is really fantastic with so much intensity and focus. Firm, linear tannins frame the wine beautifully. Polished and fine. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and posed. Complex flavors of blackberry, black olive, mushroom and bark. Persistent finish. Best of the trilogy?

James Suckling (96-97)

This is really fantastic with so much intensity and focus. Firm, linear tannins frame the wine beautifully. Polished and fine. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and posed. Complex flavors of blackberry, black olive, mushroom and bark. Persistent finish. Best of the trilogy?

James Suckling (96-97)

This is really fantastic with so much intensity and focus. Firm, linear tannins frame the wine beautifully. Polished and fine. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and posed. Complex flavors of blackberry, black olive, mushroom and bark. Persistent finish. Best of the trilogy?

James Suckling (96)

Fascinating aromas of blueberries, crushed stone, and blackcurrants. Very aromatic. Full-bodied with juicy tannins that are creamy and intense. Slightly bitter, burnt citrus character. This is very muscular with velvety tannins. Needs time to soften. Try after 2025 but will age a long time.

James Suckling (96)

Fascinating aromas of blueberries, crushed stone, and blackcurrants. Very aromatic. Full-bodied with juicy tannins that are creamy and intense. Slightly bitter, burnt citrus character. This is very muscular with velvety tannins. Needs time to soften. Try after 2025 but will age a long time.

James Suckling (96)

Fascinating aromas of blueberries, crushed stone, and blackcurrants. Very aromatic. Full-bodied with juicy tannins that are creamy and intense. Slightly bitter, burnt citrus character. This is very muscular with velvety tannins. Needs time to soften. Try after 2025 but will age a long time.

James Suckling (96)

Fascinating aromas of blueberries, crushed stone, and blackcurrants. Very aromatic. Full-bodied with juicy tannins that are creamy and intense. Slightly bitter, burnt citrus character. This is very muscular with velvety tannins. Needs time to soften. Try after 2025 but will age a long time.

Vinous - Neal Martin (95)

The 2020 Gloria is another Saint-Julien with an unapologetically backward nose, yet it has razor-sharp delineation and superb mineralité. It's just tightly coiled at the moment. Very harmonious, the palate is medium-bodied and satiny in texture, with sapid black fruit and a precocious yet beautifully controlled and persistent finish. Outstanding. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Vinous - Neal Martin (95)

The 2020 Gloria is another Saint-Julien with an unapologetically backward nose, yet it has razor-sharp delineation and superb mineralité. It's just tightly coiled at the moment. Very harmonious, the palate is medium-bodied and satiny in texture, with sapid black fruit and a precocious yet beautifully controlled and persistent finish. Outstanding. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Vinous - Neal Martin (95)

The 2020 Gloria is another Saint-Julien with an unapologetically backward nose, yet it has razor-sharp delineation and superb mineralité. It's just tightly coiled at the moment. Very harmonious, the palate is medium-bodied and satiny in texture, with sapid black fruit and a precocious yet beautifully controlled and persistent finish. Outstanding. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.