Château Malescasse 2020

From holdings on the edge of the plateau of Grands Poujeaux, the 2020 Malescasse is a Merlot-driven bottling that offers up aromas of dark berries, orange zest, violets and pencil shavings, followed by a medium- to full-bodied, velvety and seamless palate that's fleshy and gourmand.

Drinking beautifully now, this blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and a dash of Petit Verdot is from a historic Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel château in the Haut-Médoc – a good source of value in Bordeaux – and scooped a Platinum medal in the 2023 Decanter World Wine Awards. The purity of ripe plum, blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, subtly integrated cedary oak and a brooding, darker streak make it a pleasure to drink, with or without food. Equally, you could lay it down for 5–10 years if you prefer a more savoury profile to your claret. Mix-six price: £26.99.

Exceptional Cru Bourgeois. Cask sample. Spicy cedar and cigar box with an earthy, gravelly note on the nose – textbook Médoc. Rich, creamy oak intertwines with the cigar notes on the palate, quite sweet as well as savoury, with a slightly charred smoky note on the finish. Lots to enjoy here. (AC)

The 2020 Malescasse is very endearing on the nose, well-defined with lifted blackberry and bilberry fruit, a subtle estuarine scent filtering through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation, nicely balanced and pure with lightly spiced, graphite-tinged black fruit toward the finish. This is a well-crafted Haut-Médoc and comes highly recommended. Bravo.

Flowers, cigar box, currants, forest floor, smoke, espresso and baking spices create a complex nose. On the palate, the wine is loaded with sweet, dark red berries with a hint of cocoa, soft textures and freshness on the finish. Drink from 2024–2040.

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, faint brightening on the rim. Delicate tobacco-scented blackberry fruit, floral nuances, gentle orange zest, somewhat restrained bouquet. Medium body, subtle plum, integrated tannins, mineral, long, delicately leafy savouriness on the finish.

Medium-deep garnet colour. Pure, youthful aromas of mild oak, butterscotch, bright red fruit, plum, fresh herbs, tobacco and fine spices. The palate is digest with good volume, grainy tannin, a supple texture with a fresh backbone, well-tended oak and savoury red fruit leading to a long finish.

Coming from the northern part of the Médoc and 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, raised in 40% new barrels, the 2020 Château Malescasse offers a terrific bouquet of cassis, spicy oak, chocolate, and leafy herbs. This carries to a medium-bodied Haut-Médoc with ripe tannins, solid mid-palate depth, and a great finish.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: floral, silky, red-berry bouquet—redcurrants, cherries, chocolate, mocha. Velvety, medium-bodied palate with sweet fruit, fine tannins, delicate aromatics, finely knit structure, and a long, refined finish.

Floral, silky, red-berried bouquet, currants, cherries, chocolate, mocha. Velvety, medium-bodied palate with sweet fruit, fine tannins, fragrant aromatics, a delicate, fine-grained structure, and a long, refined finish. 17/20 2025 - 2038

Austere and earthy, needs more time to unwind in the bottle. After a few hours in the glass it shows supple and concentrated autumnal blackberry and bilberry fruits and serious Médoc tannic architecture. Enjoyable, will age. 35hl/ha yield. Two bottles tasted, first one corked.

The 2020 Malescasse is deep garnet-purple in color. It bursts with notes of wild blueberries, Morello cherries, and cassis, plus hints of dried herbs and black olives. The medium-bodied palate is filled with expressive black berries and grainy tannins, finishing with an herbal lift.

Scents of faded rose, crunchy red fruits, and a palate full of freshness, with subtle noble bitterness reminiscent of citrus peel that gives the wine great energy. Not to mention a vibrant aromatic complexity and a saline, licorice-tinged finish.

Château Malescasse, owned by Vignobles Austruy since 2012, continues to honor its classification and its recent entry into the Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels! This new vintage shows freshness and elegance. Spring-like and licorice notes offer an alluring nose. The richness of dark fruit makes this wine flavorful. On the palate, balance is the watchword: the attack is supple, with tension, and we find that same freshness and perfectly structured tannins that tighten slightly on the finish. Already a true pleasure to drink!