Château Petit-Village 2020

Delivers warmed plum sauce and fig paste notes mixed with melted black licorice, all set against a Black Forest cake background. The fleshy finish has a tug of earth to keep it just honest enough. For fans of the style. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2031.

Sleek and well worked, tannins make the immediate impression. The texture and frame are more dominant than the fruit at this stage, but I like the quiet seduction of the powdery texture and the dark, perfumed blackcurrant underneath. Smoke, toasty notes, warmth and some green pepper Cabernet character cut the fruit short, though this is quite suave with powdery, prominent tannins. Classic Pomerol, rich in wood, creamy and will age well.

A creamy and velvety-textured red with chocolate, berry and walnut aromas and flavors. It’s medium-bodied with a nice fruit and soft tannin balance. Very long. Give this four to five years to come together. 60% merlot, 32% cabernet franc and 8% cabernet sauvignon. Best after 2027.

60% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Franc, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Notably dark-blackish crimson. An edgy, damp-fur nose indicates very ripe fruit here. Very sweet start with quite luscious fruit. Note of char on the (rather sudden) finish. Not quite a whole. (JR)

The 2020 Petit-Village comes across as heavy and monolithic, with plenty of depth but also a very strong oak imprint. I expected more based on the en primeur sample, but Petit-Village remains a work in progress and by far the biggest question mark in Pomerol. Can a great wine be made here? I don’t know.

Silky, lush, and opulent, the wine opens with a strong floral note before moving into waves of chocolate, plums, cherries, wet earth, and spices. The wine is supple-textured, with velvety tannins and fabulous energy from start to finish. 2020 is the first vintage to show off its new, stylish label and wax capsule, as well as the debut vintage kicking off a new era of high-quality wine here. Drink from 2024–2050.

Closed, a little peppery, menthol, restrained use of wood, slightly floral. With air contact, more and more dark berry, very pure, clear and rich in nuance. On the palate homogeneous and fine, silky, fine-grained yet chewy tannins, cultivated acidity. A very intense tactile minerality quite elegantly integrated into the opulent body.

Aromatically sweet and ripe with jammed plum, red berries, some aromatic herbal notes, sage and mint with a hint of wood and butterscotch. Ample and generous with fine roundness, grainy tannin, sweet red fruit flavours and a fine length.

A rockstar of a wine, the 2020 Château Petit-Village is even better from bottle than barrel, offering a deep ruby/plum color as well as a powerful, masculine style in its iron-laced red and black fruits, roasted tobacco, chocolate, and spring flower-like aromas and flavors. A wine that builds beautifully with time in the glass, it's full-bodied, has a plump, layered mid-palate, sweet tannins, and a hell of a finish. This ripe, concentrated, powerful Pomerol is easily the finest I've tasted from this château. It should hit maturity with 7-8 years of bottle age and cruise in cold cellars over the following 20-25 years or more.

Densely woven bouquet, noble cassis spice, redcurrant nectar, delicate hint of mint, tarragon and light graphite. On the generous palate, silky texture, fine-sandy extract, incredibly deep, a dancing verve and a well-trained frame. In the concentrated finish, wild cherry, profound terroir spice and a long-lasting aftertaste. As good as ever, powerfully confirming the magnificent en primeur result!

Kunz barrel sample 2021: velvety, dense, full, powerful bouquet; strawberry jelly, blueberries, pralines, currants, mint, fine herbs. Tightly knit, multi-layered palate with dense, powerful, refined fruit, diverse sweet aromatics, creamy texture, plenty of fine tannins, very long, powerful, fresh finish with many lingering flavors.

Sensual, dense, full, powerful bouquet: strawberry jelly, blueberries, pralines, currants, mint, fine herbs. Tightly interwoven, multi-layered palate with dense, powerful, refined fruit, varied, sweet aromatics, creamy structure, plenty of fine tannins, very long, powerful, fresh finish with many lingering aromas. 19/20 2026 - 2048

Excellent quality, with grip, power and depth, slathers of bitter black chocolate, blackberry and oyster shell, intense and concentrated but without excess – giving it plenty of vintage signature in Pomerol, where 2020 has so much going for it. This was the year that the 10.5ha Petit Village was sold by AXA Millesimes, moving into the Moulin family portfolio that also owns neighbouring Beauregard, technical director Diana Berrouet-Garcia (who has since moved over to Le Pin), and Vincent Priou. 50% new oak for ageing, along with larger sized oak casks and amphora, 27hl/ha yield. An estate to follow over the next few years, as they look to focus on the oldest vines in the historic heart of the vineyard.

The grand vin offers a high-ranking stature. It shows the voluptuous maturity of the vintage’s great Merlots, but the high proportion of Cabernet (40%) gives it a savory, elongated dimension that will age for at least 25 years.

It offers on the nose notes of cocoa and generous stewed black fruits, which also carry through on the palate, preceded by a fresh, forthright attack. Sophisticated and sapid, its vigorous, ripe tannins stand at attention before a long, fresh, mineral and saline finish.

What character and complexity in the bouquet of Petit-Village 2020. It reveals subtle fruity and floral notes with aromas of black berries and a hint of Sichuan pepper, as well as notes of mint and eucalyptus. The attack promises finesse and subtlety. The wine combines breadth and elegance. Its power is measured; it embodies a kind of quiet strength, an attitude typical of great wines. This is a great Petit-Village that marries the charm of Merlot with the firm yet assured character of its fine-grained tannins. The finish is mouthwatering, almost saline, and persistent. A truly great wine in the making with a long, fruity persistence. I confirm my en primeur score by underlining this wine’s potential. Sooner or later, it will be rated even higher!

Dark, intense, and beautiful color. Very aromatic nose, with fruit that is fresher than ripe. Soft, fruity, and pleasant palate, with medium presence mid-palate. Finish is a bit discreet and without edges.

A powerful and dense wine, this shows concentration. A good amount of the two Cabernets brings structure behind the great black fruits. It is a wine for aging. Drink from 2026.