Château Les Grandes Murailles 2020

Fresh approach, straightforward development, crisp, firm but well-integrated tannins, good length; stylish.

Delivers vivid raspberry and boysenberry purée notes that stream through with good focus and freshness, while subtle warm earth, mulling spice and anise accents fill in along the way. This has a nice seamless feel, too. Best from 2024 through 2035. 500 cases made.

Strong and sleek, with good intensity and concentration, quite a dark core of liquorice and dark herbal fruits; a touch more savoury and tannic than fruity and fun at this stage, with some of the wood covering the acidity and lending a more sombre edge. Still, it’s well crafted and sleek with good structure and shape. I like the freshness; it hasn’t tried too hard and there is grip and drive. It will be one of the more accessible St-Emilions in its youth.

This shows notes of smoky plums, ripe mulberries, sweet spices, toasted hazelnut and wet earth. It offers an array of ripe, juicy tannins spread evenly throughout the medium- to full-bodied palate. Textured and creamy finish with notes of nut shell and cedar. Very fine. Give it a year or two to open.

The 2020 Les Grandes Murailles is just as impressive as it was from barrel. Bright, saline and punchy, Les Grandes Murailles is driven by clean veins of minerality that confer notable energy. Dark cherry, grilled herbs, chalk, mint and dried flowers lend notable complexity throughout. This is a fabulous showing.

Supple and vibrant, with layers of sweet, ripe black plums, chocolate, licorice, and smoke. Texturally, this is pure silk with a touch of chalk, perfect for showcasing its flawlessly ripe black cherries and plums with licorice and chocolate accents. Sourced from 100% old-vine Merlot, this will be delicious upon release and even better with age. Drink from 2023–2040.

Deep ruby, opaque core, purple reflections on the rim. Floral scents with vanilla and red cherry tints, blackberry nuances and a mineral touch. Juicy, sweet plum fruit, fresh, well-structured, round tannins, harmonious and well-balanced. An elegant food wine with very good ageing potential.

A total blockbuster of a Saint-Emilion, the 2020 Château Les Grandes Murailles comes from a tiny parcel and is all Merlot aged in 50% new oak, with 10% in amphora. Up-front red and black fruits, chocolaty oak, spice, chalky minerality, and graphite notes all define this stunning wine, which is full-bodied and has a concentrated, layered mouthfeel, building yet fine tannins, and a great finish. This vineyard was purchased by Clos Fourtet, with 2021 being the last release from this vineyard, so don't miss a chance to get some of the last bottling from this undeniably special terroir. As with many 2020s, the cellar will be your friend, and I'd hide bottles for 4-6 years and enjoy over the following two decades.

100% Merlot, alcohol 14.5% vol, pH 3.6, 38 hl/ha, 50% new barriques. Deep purple with an opaque core and a delicate lilac rim. Multi-layered bouquet of ripe blackberry, elderberry jelly and licorice, followed by perfumed pipe tobacco, dark fine wood and cassis liqueur. On the generous palate, creamy texture, wonderful extract richness, tightly knit tannic frame, supportive freshness and a muscular body. In the focused finish, a basket of blue berries, dark minerality and a gentle astringency. After a small misstep last year, it’s back!

Kunz barrel sample 2021: powerful, fruity, herbal bouquet, blackcurrant jelly, strawberries, pepper, wood, fresh herbs. Broad, powerful palate with fine, sand-like tannins, massive structure, sweet dark fruit, blocked aromatics, herbaceous finish.

Powerful, fruity, herbal bouquet: blackcurrant jelly, strawberries, pepper, wood, fresh herbs. Broad, powerful palate with fine, sandy tannins, massive structure, sweet dark fruit, restrained aromatics, herbal finish. 17/20 2026 - 2038

The 2020 Les Grandes Murailles is deep garnet-purple in color. Closed and grumpy to begin, with coaxing the nose offers notes of plum pudding, fruitcake, and Morello cherries, followed by suggestions of cedar, tar, and cracked black pepper. The medium to full-bodied palate is plush and juicy, with plenty of black fruit preserves flavors and an oak-laced finish.

94-95

An open, welcoming, limpid nose of fresh red fruits. A delight on the palate, deliciously fresh, pure and silky.

Very fruity, Grandes Murailles shows its freshness, as it likes to do every year! Relevant and precise, the wine reveals chalky nuances and an energy you can grasp and absorb. Precise and lively, the wine combines density and temperament. Its tannins are still somewhat austere, firm, but within the context of an incisive acidic structure, they very much benefit from this solid backbone. The wine is thus harmonious and persistent. Such vigor and serenity. It will go a very long way… and it is probably one of the last truly great Grandes Murailles since it will be integrated into Clos Fourtet in the near future.

Logo on the capsule: inverted T (Trescases) Dark, intense, purple color. Aromatic nose with ripe fruit. Smoky touch. Precise on entry, fleshy and velvety mid-palate; the wine delivers a lovely brightness of flavor, along with smooth, spicy nuances. It finishes long, with a beautiful texture. Very good.

This tiny vineyard of less than five acres in the shadow of the ancient arched walls of Saint-Emilion is planted entirely with Merlot. The wine is juicy, ripe, packed with black currant flavors backed up by tannins. Its texture is rounded, velvet with just a bite of tannins. Drink from 2026.