Cote De Baleau 2020 (750ML)

94 JD / 94 JA / 93 VM / 93 JS / 92 WI / 92 WCI / 91 DE / 91 FS / 16++ JR

Another killer wine in the vintage is the 2020 Château Côte De Baleau, which comes from a cooler, north-facing vineyard on the eastern side of the appellation. Almost all Merlot, it offers a medium to full-bodied, mouth-filling, layered style that carries plenty of ripe tannins, terrific mid-palate depth, and textbook Right Bank Merlot notes of red and black cherries, leather, dried flowers, and chalky minerality. It picks up more and more minerality with time in the glass and is a bonafide mineral bomb. Give it just a few years in the cellar and enjoy it over the coming 15-20 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

They do such a good job of enrobing the limestone austerity enough to give a whiff of gunsmoke and toasted oak, without obscuring the blueberry and raspberry fruits, along with salinity and a tingle of minerality. Mathieu Cuvlier director, consultant Julien Viaud. 15ha. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

The 2020 Côte de Baleau is a beautiful, expressive wine that marries the natural intensity of the year with the sense of classicism that is such a signature. Medium in body, the Côte de Baleau has a bit more mid-palate depth this year, not a bad thing, to match its rather dark-ish personality. Hints of gravel, lavender, spice and dried flowers linger. This is an especially fine vintage. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Aromas of currants and blackberries with spiced chocolate, dried herbs and wet stones. Medium- to full-bodied with fine tannins and vivid acidity. Structured and meaty. Shows freshness and juiciness to its deep, dark-fruited character. Toned, firm finish. Drink from 2025. -James Suckling

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Cote de Baleau is a touch closed to begin, offering subtle notes of tar, new leather, and damp soil before giving way to a core of baked black plums and boysenberry preserves. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich and velvety, coating the mouth with spicy black fruit preserves, finishing long with a peppery kick. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent 

Elegant, floral and fresh on the nose, the wine is silky, vibrant and refined on the palate, serving up its layers of ripe, cherries and plums with ease. I am sure fans of Cote de Baleau are going to love it as much as I did. One of the best values from Saint Emilion, enjoy this on release, or give this just a few years in the cellar. Drink from 2023-2035-Jeff Leve, Wine Cellar Insider

Lashings of liquorice and dark chocolate combine with ripe blackcurrant and plums, giving a serious tone to this wine. It's well built, with good support from gently chewy and present tannins, with a long, minty, salty finish. There are touches of dried fruits to this, raisins and prunes, but the acidity is well balanced and this has a nice weight in the mouth. A little drying by the finish. Heft and power, but not brutish. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

Dark ruby ​​garnet, violet reflections, opaque core, delicate ocher edge lightening. Delicate dark berry fruit, ripe plums and cherries, tobacco-herbal-spicy nuances, restrained bouquet. Powerful, ripe cherries, chalky minerality, ripe, delicately rustic tannins, nougat on the finish, a hint of dried plums on the aftertaste, already developed, opulent but less complex style.-Peter Moser, Falstaff

Tasted blind. Dark crimson. Dark-fruited and a little closed on the nose. On the palate, firm, chewy but balanced. Lots of dark, not-overworked, fresh fruit. Straightforward with smooth tannic finish and enough freshness thanks to both acid and tannins. Not overdone.-Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson