2020 Château Cantemerle, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux

The 2020 Cantemerle is tightly wound on the nose, requiring a lot of coaxing to reveal the blackberry, cedar and tobacco scents; a touch of iodine emerges with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black and red fruit, a light licorice touch on the back palate and a solid, slightly monochromatic finish. Hopefully this will develop more personality and race by the time of bottling, but given the potential of this fine estate, I was expecting more.Drink from 2026 to 2040Neil Martin, Vinous.com (May 2021)

Cask sample taken 6 April. 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. 40% new oak. Dark purple crimson with black core. Distinctive aroma that brings together not just cassis and damson but also the more lifted scent of Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. Gently leafy (not unripe) and with a light floral note like peony. Really pretty. On the palate, darker fruited but also with a marked dark-chocolate-like sweetness. Smooth, chewy tannins. Lots of flavour and a fruit and oak sweetness on the finish (though of course it is as dry wine), as well as the more savoury side from the dry tannins. Well integrated even now.Dink 2025 - 2032julia_harding MW, JancisRobinson.com (April 2021)

Deep purple-black in color, the 2020 Cantemerle reveals a great intensity and purity of blackcurrant cordial, stewed plums and black raspberry scents, plus hints of dried Provence herbs, Indian spices and woodsmoke. The medium-bodied palate delivers approachable chewy tannins and just enough freshness to support the savory-laced black fruit flavors, finishing with an herbal lift.Drink from 2024 to 2036Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (May 2021)

A red-fruit fresh, vivid, and minerally nose; elegantly balanced medium-full wine, lively, very finely tannic, a perfectly proportioned Médoc; sweetly red- and black-fruit ripe, clear in mineral aromas, with tannins so silky as to be almost imperceptible; a lovely, rich yet restained classic style, packed with flavor, long, graceful, effortless, refreshing, and with gorgeous black-fruit sweet persistence. You sense the richness conveyed by the now old vines, planted in the early 1980s when the property was the first to be purchased by an insurance company. A great success, and likely to be great value. What a wine on which to finish a career for Philippe Dambrine, director since those early days!Drink 2026 - 2046Michael Schuster, The World of Fine Wine (May 2021)

Lots or richness and fruit for this winery, showing blackberry, blackcurrant and dark-chocolate character. It’s full and layered. Well done.james_suckling (April 2021)

This has the tight tannins of the vintage with damson and an edge of bitter dark chocolate, but it is a success all the same - confident, succulent, elegant and classic. Philippe Dambrine retires as director of the estate as of this vintage, replaced by Laure Canu from Château Angélus. A yield of 45hl/ha, 40% new oak, 6% Petit Verdot completes the blend.Drink 2028 - 2042jane_anson_mw, Decanter.com (May 2021)