2020 Château Haut-Nouchet
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Tasting notes
Checking in as a Merlot-dominated blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in one-third new barrels, the 2020 Château Haut Nouchet offers up a medium-bodied, elegant, focused (if not austere) style as well as a great perfume of red and black fruits, spicy oak, cedarwood, and tobacco. It shines for its purity as well as its balance, and my money is on it benefiting from just 3-4 years of bottle age.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2020 Haut Nouchet is vibrant, focused and bristling with energy. Bright red fruit, blood orange, crushed rocks and rose petal abound. The 2020 comes across as far fresher from bottle than it did from barrel. This is very nicely done. Élevage has done wonders for the 2020, especially in bringing out a good deal of both precision and Cabernet Sauvignon character.
The 2020 Haut Nouchet is a dark, potent wine. Blackberry, grilled herbs, leather, smoke and chocolate add to an impression of gravitas. There's real depth here, along with some edginess in the tannin that needs to soften. Today, the 2020 is a bit burly in feel.
Deep purple-black in color, the 2020 Haut Nouchet rolls out of the glass with expressive notes of baked black plums, boysenberries and spiced blackberries, plus wafts of wild mushrooms, Marmite toast and powdered cinnamon with a touch of bouquet garni. The medium-bodied palate delivers plenty of juicy black fruits with baking spice accents and a soft texture, finishing with a refreshing lift.