2020 Château Petit-Village

The 2020 Petit Village has an airy nose with aromas of pressed flowers, well defined, though in need of a little more cohesion. The palate is balanced and quite savory compared to its peers, with good depth. It's a little rustic in style, with a dash of cracked black pepper on the finish. It could use a bit more length. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

The 2020 Petit Village was much talked about on the place de Bordeaux, so I was curious to taste it. On first encounter last summer, it appeared to be rather chunky and extracted, but while waiting for the delivery of a new novelty shape bottle, the wine was obliged to spend a prolonged period in tank, and it seems to have acquired some additional polish and integration in the process. Exhibiting aromas of minty blackberries, cassis, spices and creamy new oak, it's full-bodied, rich and layered, with a creamy, textural profile and good depth at the core. This is still a big-boned vision of Pomerol, but it has turned out better than I anticipated last summer.

A rockstar of a wine, the 2020 Château Petit-Village is even better from bottle than barrel, offering a deep ruby/plum color as well as a powerful, masculine style in its iron-laced red and black fruits, roasted tobacco, chocolate, and spring flower-like aromas and flavors. A wine that builds beautifully with time in the glass, it's full-bodied, has a plump, layered mid-palate, sweet tannins, and a hell of a finish. This ripe, concentrated, powerful Pomerol is easily the finest I've tasted from this château. It should hit maturity with 7-8 years of bottle age and cruise in cold cellars over the following 20-25 years or more.