Dark and brooding, blackcurrant, black cherry and milk chocolate with floral flecks. Thick but so juicy, really alive in the glass, forward and bold, still with bite but also density of tannins, fleshy right now. Herbal medicinal raspberry and strawberries and red cherries comprise the fruit flavours on the palate. Tannins are super smooth, really harmonious, while still having density and plushness. There are wines in this vintage that make you smile and this is one of them - very charming. The sucrosity gives a tiny bit of sweetness to the cheeks and the acidity is great. I love the savoury nature too, the liquorice and clove are well balanced and it really gives the Pauillac power. Very complete, a shining star.

The 2020 Haut-Bages-Libéral is supple and seamless, bursting with aromas of sweet dark berries, petals and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy palate. Succulent and polished, it will offer a broad drinking window. As readers will remember, this wine derives from biodynamically farmed vineyards located on clay-limestone and gravel soils to the north of Château Latour (as well as a parcel of gravel sandwiched between Pichon-Baron and Lynch-Bages).