Château La Tour de Bessan 2020

Lively and focused, this has well-defined strawberry and raspberry fruit with a pronounced herbal edge—dried herbs, liquorice, clove and toasted cedar giving a spice that lingers on the tongue and finish. The acidity is most prominent right now, with chalky tannins providing the overall frame. Needs a bit more time to harmonise so the acidity and tannins work together more seamlessly. Eric Boissenot consultant.

Currants, black cherries, and spices. Medium- to full-bodied with very fine, polished tannins and an extremely long, flavorful finish. Give this three or four years to come together, but it has lovely structure. Best ever?

Cask sample. A note of graphite, baked earth and gravel on the nose. The palate shows good, cool blueberry fruit with a subtle floral twist and juicy dark fruits as well. Well-judged tannins and a vibrant, fresh finish. (AC)

The 2020 La Tour de Bessan takes a while to unfurl on the nose: blackberry and bilberry fruit, and hints of licorice. A faint balsamic note emerges with time. Fine definition. The palate is medium-bodied with powdery tannins, quite Pauillac-like in terms of structure, sapid with a touch of volatility on the finish. There is a bit of heat here. I'd like to revisit this in a couple of years.

Fresh, bright, forward wine with a lean to its tobacco, red currants, mocha and spicy side. The wine is medium-bodied, energetic and floral with ample, juicy red fruits and savory herbs on the palate and in the finish. This is a solid value wine from the Margaux appellation. Drink from 2023-2036.

Deep ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, brightening on the rim. Delicate tobacco, fresh cassis, red cherries, a hint of tangerine zest, fine noble wood spices. Juicy, elegant, fine nougat, ripe cherries, integrated tannins, fresh and well balanced, will certainly mature with age.

Aromas of some new oak and butterscotch with red and dark berries. Medium weight on the palate with grippy tannin, generous fruit, quite long with a tight, restrained finish that should soften with further élevage and bottle age.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: velvety, broad bouquet, red and blue berries, wood. Firm palate with medium fruit, bourgeois structure, finely sandy tannins, sweet aromatics, bitter, peppery finish. Has room to improve.

Silky texture, broad bouquet, red and blue berries, oak. Firm palate with medium fruit, bourgeois structure, fine-sandy tannins, sweet aromatics, bitter, peppery finish. Can improve with time. 16/20 2025 - 2035

Attractive plum colour, an enticing nose with black cherry, damson and a kiss of oak. The palate opens with chocolate drops and cassis purée, silky tannins, well balanced. This is a wine that I find sometimes inconsistent between vintages, but it's a great quality 2020 with some appellation signature, good expansion through the mid-palate, a little tight on the finish but in the way that makes you feel this is young and will soften further with ageing. Vignobles Marie-Laure Lurton, Eric Boissenot consultant.

La Tour de Bessan 2020 is deep garnet-purple in color. It offers up notes of stewed red and black plums, boysenberries, and fragrant soil, with touches of lavender and wild thyme. The medium-bodied palate offers compelling energy, with plenty of vibrant black fruits and a soft texture, finishing with a skip in its step.

88-89

A very aromatic bouquet, scented with small flowers, sapid. Fresh and delicate on the palate, mouthwatering. A delight.

The nose offers delicate power and a certain controlled richness. It reveals notes of wild blackberry, blackcurrant and, more subtly, violet, combined with hints of blond tobacco, a fine touch of caramelization, fresh almond and a very discreet hint of fresh iris. The palate is fruity and offers juiciness, a certain minerality, harmony, good definition, indulgence and a mineral backbone. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy blackberry, crushed raspberry and, more slightly, bright small berries, combined with touches of violet, lilac, racy minerality (terroir) as well as fine hints of crushed blackcurrant, tonka bean and a subtle touch of caramelization. Good length.