Couvent des Jacobins 2020

Fruity attack, fleshy development, ripe, crisp tannins, just the right length, well-integrated élevage.

This takes a severe tone in the opening beats, a little austere with tannins standing to attention, but there is a ton of flavour as it opens, with cocoa beans and cigar box, black pepper spice and a creamy cassis and raspberry fruit through the mid-palate. A yield of 32hl/ha. Organic certified as of this vintage. Tasted twice.

Dark chocolate, bark, dried flowers, cherries, walnuts, crushed stones and orange zest on the nose. Graphite, too. Textured, mineral and expansive with a full body and firm, chalky tannins. Broad yet focused. I like the cool freshness at the end. Best yet? From organically grown grapes. Try in 2026.

The 2020 Couvent des Jacobins has come together well. It remains a big, deep wine. Blackberry jam, chocolate, spice, licorice and copious new oak are all dialed up. This is not at all subtle, but it’s a style that works well here.

Smoke, oak, espresso, and chocolate-covered plums are at the core of this wine. Supple in texture, with layers of silky, fresh, sweet black cherries and chocolate, this is going to be delicious on release, and it has the stuff to age as well. This is easily the finest vintage of Couvent des Jacobins produced yet. Drink from 2023-2042.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, soft brightening on the rim. Blackberries, black cherries, fine nuances of wood and spices, a touch of nougat. Medium body, some chocolate, ripe tannins, mineral, still seems a bit closed and underdeveloped, will benefit from bottle ageing.

The 2020 Couvent Des Jacobins showed beautifully, with a medium- to full-bodied, plump, elegant style as well as lots of red and black fruits, notes of loamy earth and flowers, fine tannins, and a great finish.

The 2020 Couvent des Jacobins is a blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it waltzes from the glass with showy notes of juicy black plums and crushed blueberries, giving way to fragrant scents of black raspberries, violets, and menthol. The full-bodied palate is spritely and energetic, with plush tannins and a long, perfumed finish.

90-91

Dark, intense, and beautiful color. Moderately aromatic, fruity nose. Soft on the attack yet slightly lively, the wine unfolds with savory, fruity notes. However, it finishes on an austere, medium-length finale. Blend: 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Yield: 32 hl/ha.

Fresh fig and fig leaf stand out on the first nose. The palate is silky and spicy, with enveloping tannins, a lovely precise juice, sapid and clean, finishing on fine bitters reminiscent of citrus peel. Very straight and elegant.