Château Lilian Ladouys Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, 2020 - Magnum

"A very pretty, medium-bodied wine with fine tannins, lovely fruit and a creamy finish. Nicely integrated for the vintage in this appellation."

"This estate continues to deliver the goods, and the 2020 Château Lilian Ladouys is another smoking wine readers will love. Lots of ripe black fruits, tobacco leaf, chocolate, and damp earth give way to a medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, textured, beautifully balanced red that will drink well for 20 years or more."

"Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 Lilian Ladouys comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of crushed black cherries, kirsch and warm cassis, plus hints of cinnamon stick, dusty soil and wild sage. The medium-bodied palate delivers mouth-filling black berry and earthy layers, supported by ripe, approachable tannins and a racy backbone, finishing on a lingering mineral note. A property to watch—in 2018, the Lorenzetti family purchased two neighbor estates, Château Clauzet and Château Tour de Pez, adding these to the Lilian Ladouys vineyard to almost double its planted area to 77 hectares. These additional vineyards are composed of gravelly soils of the same level as the best blocks of Lilian Ladouys. Soils are a typical Saint-Estèphe mix of sandy gravel and clay with some limestone deposits. It is planted at 8,500-10,000 vines per hectare, with an average vine age of 37 years in 2020."