Château Saint-Pierre 2020

94-95

Quite reduced on the nose, a salty oyster shell and iron nuance with slightly granular tannins. Fruit is ripe and this has a deep, rich and wide structure and frame with firm tannins, a cool minty freshness and good balance. Powerful and concentrated, an opulent showing with floral notes, blackcurrant jam, dried herbs and liquorice. Impressive but will take a while to soften and fully shine.

Restrained maturation profile; a slender yet dense entry, unhurried development over first-class tannins, long, fruity finish; an absolutely superb wine once again.

A plush, broad, toasty style, with warmed plum sauce and steeped blackberry notes forming the core, while sweet tobacco, ganache and dark earth hints fill in behind. A lovely sanguine thread adds a mouthwatering aspect to the finish as the fruit plays out. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2030 through 2038. 4,687 cases made.

A velvety-textured red with medium to full body, showing hazelnut, currant and chocolate character. Creamy texture. Delicious finish. Plenty going on here. Drink after 2025.

The nose, with its notes of espresso, smoke, tobacco, incense, spice and red currants, creates the perfume. On the palate, the wine is soft, seductive, and long, with a focus on its core of ripe, polished, earthy black currants, chocolate, and coffee beans. The finish is soft, polished, and fresh. Drink from 2024–2050.

Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, opaque core, delicate rim brightening. Subtle hints of liquorice and tangerine zest, fine tobacco nuances, black cherries in the background, inviting bouquet. Medium-bodied, fresh and elegant, red cherries, fine, supporting tannins, mineral and long lasting, certain ageing potential, a touch of nougat on the finish. (2025-2055).

Nice purity and precision, ample and ripe Cabernet fruit, dense yet within the medium-bodied range without opulence, pure and fresh with finely polished tannins and a long, pure finish.

I continue to absolutely love what this estate puts in the bottle, and it remains an incredible value given its quality. The 2020 Château Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) shows a deeper ruby/purple hue with gorgeous aromatics of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, gravelly earth, and chocolate. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it displays the vintage’s more elegant, pure, precision style, with perfectly integrated background oak, ripe tannins, and a great finish. This brilliant Saint-Julien will benefit from 4–6 years of bottle age and has 30+ years of overall longevity. Bravo.

Complex bouquet with delicate red-berry nuances, dried rosemary, a hint of violet, blackcurrant jelly and tarragon. On the palate, full and silky in texture, tautly focused, with a tight-knit tannic frame, deep-seated terroir spice and an athletic body. The concentrated finish shows small black berries, olive paste and dark minerality. Impressively confirms its strong en primeur showing! Drinking window pushed back.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: concentrated, velvety, creamy, fruity, dark bouquet; black berries, cassis, currants, dark tobacco, mahogany, dark chocolate. Dense, concentrated, multi-layered, powerful palate with dense, dark, velvety fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a creamy, finely muscular structure, rich, dark and varied aromatics, and a very long, dense finish with many lingering flavors.

Concentrated, velvety, creamy, fruity, dark bouquet: black berries, cassis, currants, dark tobacco, mahogany, dark chocolate. Dense, concentrated, multi-layered, powerful palate with dense, dark, velvety fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a creamy, finely muscular structure, diverse, robust, dark aromatics, and a very long, dense finish with many lingering flavors. 19/20 2026 - 2050

Old-school classic Pomerol, well held in bilberry and cassis fruit with punch and character. Full tannic grip right now, ageing potential, bitter on the finish.

The 2020 Saint-Pierre is deep garnet-purple in color. It has slowly emerging scents of fresh blackcurrants, black raspberries, and redcurrant jelly, plus hints of cast-iron pan, cedar chest, and menthol. The medium-bodied palate is tightly packed with black and red berry layers, plus loads of mineral sparks, framed by ripe, fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with impressive length.

As we had sensed, the cru has gained in definition and precision in its expression of fruit. This 2020 lives up to all its promises, with a straight palate, a little tight but promising, that stretches nicely over fine tannins.

A nose oscillating between fruit and vegetal notes, with aromas of Eucalyptus and a hint of menthol; on the palate, lovely power, notes of undergrowth and truffle, and impressive length.

Saint-Pierre is coming out of its oaky phase, as it usually does, just in time for release, even though it is so often quite oaky en primeur. It’s reassuring to know that the oak can be absorbed… but it’s not an absolute rule! Saint-Pierre stands out for its fruit intensity, its notes of licorice, and tannins that are on the verge of integrating. Charming, it has character, breadth, and a long life ahead!

The nose is fresh, elegant and racy, with a certain intensity, a stretched profile, a discreetly tight edge and good definition. It reveals notes of bright blackcurrant, crushed strawberry and, more lightly, bright black berries, combined with small touches of cornflower, graphite and toasty hints, as well as discreet accents of star anise and chocolate, with a subtle hint of vanilla. The palate is fruity, taut and juicy, with an airy feel, elegance, a juicy/tangy backbone, good definition, a certain indulgence, freshness, a touch of tension, smoothness, good definition, a slight elongation and a fine, tight character. On the palate, the wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy blackcurrant, bright blackberry and, more lightly, raspberry, combined with touches of violet, graphite and bourbon vanilla, as well as discreet hints of sweet blond tobacco and a subtle hint of hazelnut. A fine sapidity on the finish/persistence.

92–94. Barrel Sample. This wine is dark, with black plum and liquorice flavors that suggest some heavy extraction during fermentation. As the fruit with its spicy and juicy character pulls forward, the wine will reveal a sense of concentration and power.