Caiarossa 2020 (750ML)

95 VM / 95 JS / 94 DE / 94 JA

The 2020 Caiarossa is the best wine I have tasted off this property in some time, perhaps ever. Rich, deep and yet not at all heavy, the 2020 offers up an exotic mélange of dark cherry/plum fruit, mocha, licorice, new leather and incense. All the elements are so nicely balanced. I was deeply impressed with these new releases from Caiarossa. There was a time, a few years ago, when the wines were far less interesting. Since then, the team led by estate manager Alexander Van Beek, winemaker Jérôme Poisson and well-known Bordeaux consultant Axel Marchal have cleaned up the cellar and increased their focus on quality. The oldest vineyards here are just over 20 years old, so there is every reason to believe the best is yet to come. It's interesting to see that the trajectory at Caiarossa more or less tracks a similar increase in quality at Château Giscours in Margaux, Caiarossa's sister property, also owned by the Albada Jelgersma family. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

This is aromatic with dried cherries and plum skins as well as spiced chocolate, lilacs, walnut shell and nutmeg. Some wet stones, too. It’s full, structured and wide on the palate with super-fine tannins. It’s powerful but not heavy with freshness and crunchiness. Shows intensity and richness. Give it time. Made from biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Try from 2026. - James Suckling

Scented herbs and warm, sun-kissed black fruit on the nose - no surprise given it was the warmest summer since 1800 but with significant rain in June and at the end of August that allowed the grapes to ripen correctly. This smells like baked blackcurrants and roses. Supple and ample, generous and filling with gorgeous plump, but also quite defined, tannins that give the structure and the sense of tension. Fruit is tangy and ripe and with the acidity you get a push-pull of sharpness and ripeness. Round, direct, forward, this has energy and sculpting and I love the freshness that really lingers on the tongue. Well executed with lots of fragrance and a mineral, stone grip on the finish alongside dried herbs and liquorice spice. A delicious Tuscan wine with French flair (same owner as Château Giscours in Margaux, AJ Domaines). Jérôme Poisson general manager of both estates since 2020 and Axel Marchat consultant since 2016. A blend of 28% Cabernet Franc, 23% Syrah, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 13% Sangiovese, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Grenache. Each plot and variety was vinified separately and spontaneously in concrete and wooden tanks. After malolactic fermentation the wine was blended and aged for 14 months in barriques, 30% new, before spending two months resting in concrete and a further year in bottle before release. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

Combines the structure of the Bordeaux varieties and the generous welcome of Tuscany, here translating into dark fruits that soften to delicious toasted spices, and plenty of liqourice, cloves, incense and underbrush. This was the warmest vintage since 1800, with harvest from the end of August until September 22, but the concentration of the vintage is mitigated by plenty of acidity. Excellent structure, and it's a thoroughly enjoyable, precise and well made wine, with a kick of eucaplyptus freshness on the finish, along with fragrant spices. Jerome Poisson winemaker, 31ha of vines, owned by AJ Domaines. 30% new oak. Axel Marchal consultant. Vinified in a mix of concrete and wooden tanks, then barrel ageing followed by a year in bottle before release. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux