La Chapelle de La Mission 2020

Aromatically expressive, with redcurrant, red berry and soft floral flecks with soft cedar edges. Such high and piercing acidity, but then it softens quite quickly, sharp then creamy, bringing lots of life and then body. Still quite streamlined and focused, with lovely fruit purity and mineral-edged tannins giving a gentle salinity on the palate that also hints at wet stone. Feels nicely complete and accessible, with touches of clove and cinnamon. I like the intensity, but it's refined, delivering a pleasing, flavourful palate. It does get a bit hot on the finish, making you question the alcohol. Minerality is the final flavour.

A powerful 2020 for a second wine with blackberry, black olive and blueberry aromas and flavors. Blackcurrants as well. It’s full-bodied yet racy and structured with a long and intense finish. Give it three or four years to soften. Better after 2026.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, narrow bright rim. Fine noble wood spices, a hint of liquorice, black berry fruit, nuances of lime and cedar. Juicy, ripe cherries, fine cassis, fresh, well-structured, well-integrated tannins, red berry fruit, mineral finish, lively style.

Elegant dark berry notes, fine oak, tobacco and a herbal spiciness. Medium weight but still good density of fruit and a refreshing tannic backbone, well-integrated oak at this stage and a fine length.

Looking at the reds, the 2020 La Chapelle De La Mission Haut-Brion is flat-out stunning and unquestionably a great wine in its own right. Cassis, black raspberries, tobacco, and sandalwood are just some of its nuances, and it's medium to full-bodied, with incredible elegance, fine tannins, and a great finish. In general, 2020 isn't the best vintage for the second wines, but you wouldn't know that from tasting this beauty.

Delicate bouquet with red-berry contours, sandalwood, light tobacco and Sichuan pepper. On the elegant palate, a soft texture, supportive freshness and medium body. The focused finish shows morello cherry, cardamom and cloves, ending with fine-grained astringency. Drinking window set slightly further out.

Kunz Barrel Sample 2021: velvety, sweet, powerful bouquet, plums, strawberries, nougat, mocha cream. Balanced, silky, fresh palate with powerful, sweet fruit, fine tannins, creamy texture, intense, refined aromatics, long, full finish. Has room to improve.

Silky, fruity, medium-bodied bouquet with fine notes of plum, blackberry, tobacco and licorice. Balanced, refined palate with sweet fruit, fine tannins, powerful, fresh, sweet aromatics, a finely bourgeois structure and a spicy finish. 17/20 2025 - 2037

Confident tannic frame that holds the damson and charred black cherry and pomegranate fruit in place, along with spiced turmeric and smoked earth. Things widen out through the mid palate, and the texture becomes appealingly velvety. Full of joy. Harvest September 7th to 29.

The 2020 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion is composed of 55.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44.7% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out with boisterous scents of black cherry compote, stewed black and red plums, and blueberry pie, followed by suggestions of vanilla pod, dark chocolate, and clove oil with a touch of cedar. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam packed with ripe, seductive black fruit preserves, framed by velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and spicy.

A nose of black licorice and apple–blackcurrant tart, slightly restrained. More expressive on the palate, with a fine grain of tannin that takes hold from the very first sip and leads the wine sumptuously to a gourmet, mocha-tinged finish. A delight!

To open the ball is one of La Chapelle’s roles, but also to set the tone. From the outset, the wine shows precise, crystalline definition. It has body and expresses itself with great clarity, combining charm, relevance and sapidity. You can feel its energy, in tune with its breadth, resulting in a highly convincing harmony. A wine that blends charm and freshness. What a magnificent introduction!

Lovely fruity nose, gourmand, silky and harmonious. It reveals notes of pulpy blackcurrant, bright blackberry and, more lightly, strawberry, with touches of licorice and violet, a subtle hint of eucalyptus, as well as fine hints of mocha and a touch of toasty notes. The palate is nicely driven, silky and dynamic, offering freshness, energy, a lovely tangy framework, fine precision, and a profile that is both tense and airy. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of juicy/pulpy blackberry, crushed blackcurrant and, more lightly, Morello cherry, with hints of tangy red berries as well as fine hints of violet, chocolate, toast/roasting and a touch of toasted almond. Salinity and sapidity. Lovely silky-rich mouthfeel. The tannins are plush. Very nice tang!