Château Citran 2020

A little stony and mineral right now, with licks of slate and pencil lead clearly marking the palate and just covering the blackcurrant and plum fruit. More textural and savoury than overly fruity or even acidic. Compact and taut for now, with a lovely frame, gentle and elegant but still not giving too much away. Mineral and focused.

Plenty of blackcurrant, crushed stone and tobacco on the nose and palate. Medium body and juicy fruit. Slightly austere finish. Should soften with age. Try after 2023.

Full bottle 1,199 g. Maison Ginestet collaborating with the Ch Citran technical team, it says on the back label, with an additional textbox highlighting that the wine doesn't come from Ch Citran vineyards (it is only selected by them). Relatively high acidity and raspy tannins that come with a dab of vanilla, but the fruit is fresh and good. Presumably you're not going to be asked to pay much for this. (TC)

The 2020 Citran is fortunately showing less reduction on the nose than it did from barrel, revealing blackberry and briary scents, touches of graphite and pressed iris flower. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. Moderate depth, filling out nicely towards the finish. This is a fresh and tensile Citran that should age well over the next 15-20 years.

Bright, crisp, sweet-and-tart red fruits with a strong savory, herbal edge and a medium-bodied, dusty, menthol-packed finish are what you will find here. Drink from 2023 to 2034.

Inky dark purple colour. Generous dark fruit, some roasted oak notes, cassis and tobacco, with a generous palate, supple and rounded, showing some oak-derived spiciness, meaty, and a rather long finish.

Red and black fruits, spice, saddle leather, and tobacco leaf notes all emerge from the 2020 Château Citran, a rock-solid, medium-bodied, balanced Haut-Médoc. It has the pure, focused, nicely structured style of the vintage and is going to evolve for 15 years or more.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: slender, austere bouquet, red cherries, wood. Slim, firm palate with sandy tannins, light fruit, light finish.

Slim, austere bouquet, red cherries, wood. Lean, firm palate with sandy tannins, light fruit, light finish. 15/20 2024 - 2032

Well-balanced fruit and acidity, with leafy, aromatic raspberry and blackberry notes, but the bitterness on the finish is a little distracting.

88-89

Between ground coffee and small black berries, the nose is indulgent, rounded and warm. The fruit carries onto the palate, with a delicate texture, all lightness and finesse, before a silky finish.

Undeniably, Citran 2020 is reassuring! It shows good clarity and harmony. Sleek and streamlined, the wine can be enjoyed in its youth. One might wish for a bit more substance, but the policy of small steps is very reasonable!

The 2020 Citran is deep garnet-purple in color. It offers up suggestions of cedar and baking spices, over a cassis and black raspberries inspired core. Medium-bodied, the palate is delicate and refreshing, with a chewy texture and a savory finish.

The dry core of this wine shows strongly. Along with tannins and a bitter edge of extraction, it seems the fruit has gone AWOL.