Château Poujeaux 2020

Generous in feel, with lightly mulled plum and black currant fruit lined with loam and savory touches. Shows modest toast on the finish, allowing the fruit to linger. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2028. 17,000 cases made.

Bramble fruits on the nose. Supple and generous, this shows quite clear salty minerality, with pencil lead, cola and liquorice notes lining the fruit, giving a dark, seductive tone. Good depth, texture and weight. Round, complete, driven, deep and long. Feels a touch closed and pent up right now, or a bit one‑note, but clearly stylish. A hint of spice on the finish, with some dark chocolate bitterness that lingers. Shows power right now rather than the softness of fruit that will come with time.

This has a dusty character with black cherries and currants, as well as hints of cocoa, wet earth and raw mushrooms. Medium- to full-bodied with ripe, plush tannins that continue to build up throughout the deep, dark-fruited palate. It’s a muscular Poujeaux with a spicy and chocolatey finish. Try after 2026.

Cask sample. Dense black fruit with firm but floury tannin. Austere fruit, tightly buttoned. Finishes with tart blackcurrant fruit and a lingering bitter aftertaste. Very much the old school of Bordeaux, which is nice in a way, although it is very different from many of the plush-fruited 2020s. (RH)

The 2020 Poujeaux has come together beautifully. Black cherry, leather, spice and menthol are promising at first. On the palate, the 2020 is a bit strict, with fine length and plenty of persistence, yet not fully expressive. I would be prepared to cellar this.

Flowers, smoke, cherries, espresso and powdered cocoa open the perfume. The wine is medium-bodied, with lift, vibrance and loads of sweet, ripe, juicy pure red fruits with a touch of citrus and dark chocolate in the endnote. This is a strong vintage for Poujeaux. In fact, it could be about the best vintage I have ever tasted here. Drink from 2024-2045.

Deep ruby, opaque core, bright purple rim. Ripe plum fruit, black cherries, a hint of cardamom and a little nougat. Juicy, elegant, ripe cherries, fresh, good structure, mineral and well balanced. Good ageing potential.

Fine combination of lush dark fruit, cassis, dark cherry, with some ripe herbal sage notes; a classic freshness with fine acidity and tannic grip; long and lingering, still restrained but with fine material and substance.

Also solid, the 2020 Château Poujeaux exhibits a deeper ruby/purple hue to go with impressive aromatics of ripe black cherries, cedary herbs, and leather. These carry to a medium-bodied, nicely textured Moulis that has the ripe, yet firmer tannins of the vintage. Drink bottles any time over the coming decade or more.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: silky, elegant, fresh bouquet; red and blue berries, blueberries, cassis, cedar. Densely interwoven, elegant, powerful palate with fresh dark fruit, fine tannins, delicately creamy structure, powerful, fresh finish.

Silky, elegant, fresh bouquet, red and blue berries, blueberries, cassis, cedar. Densely woven, elegant, powerful palate with fresh dark fruit, fine tannins, delicately creamy texture, powerful, fresh finish. 18/20 2026 - 2045

Poujeaux is delivering signature cool, serious flavours in this vintage—perfectly suiting the old-school classic character of this beautiful wine. Expect plenty of liquorice, cocoa bean, cassis, mint, and a long life ahead. Yield: 34 hl/ha.

The 2020 Poujeaux is deep garnet-purple in color. Blackberry preserves, fresh blackcurrants, and Morello cherry notes spill from the glass with hints of dried sage and chargrill. The medium-bodied palate delivers a good amount of black fruits, with chewy tannins and an herb-laced finish.

90-91

On the nose, saline notes, barely opened rose, cocoa, dark fruits, and spices. Fresh on the attack, powerful on the palate with noble tannins wrapped in chocolatey notes that make the wine indulgent right through to a long, persistent finish. It’s lip-smackingly good.

What an expression of fruit in the bouquet of Poujeaux 2020! While it is often marked by nuances of élevage in its youth, the wine reveals notes of black berries and sweet spices. The attack is juicy, creamy, and heralds a fairly dense wine. The tannins are velvety and powerful. They provide good support across the palate and ensure respectable ageing potential.

A wine that impresses. Clean blackcurrant nose. The attack is supple, all about the fruit, but very quickly a concentrated, ample flesh takes over, with blackcurrant and noble vegetal notes. A full wine with controlled extraction. Its identity is driven by the quality of its tannins and its power. A wine built for aging.

92–94. Barrel Sample. Owned by a member of the Cuvelier family, this estate has produced a ripe, juicy wine bright with black currant and rich with generous tannins. The future is good for this carefully structured wine.