Saint-Julien 4° Grand Cru Classé 2020 - Parker 93+

Winemaker and vineyard: The vineyard is composed of the four noble Medoc grape varieties: 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The heart of the vineyard is located on two plateaus of deep Garonne gravels from the Güntz era on the edge of the Gironde, a preferred terroir for Cabernet Sauvignons. These are indeed these famous Medoc gravel hilltops, in proximity to the Gironde, which offer the best conditions for the flourishing of Bordeaux grape varieties. Restoring the heat of the sun during the night, and draining excess rainwater, the vine finds there the ideal conditions to ripen its grapes. These will give wines, of a deep red, balanced and generous, both silky and powerful.

Tasting: Rich and muscular, the 2020 Beychevelle offers up aromas of cassis, blackberries and baked plums mingled with notions of spices, pencil shavings and toasty new oak. Medium to full-bodied, thick and fleshy, with an ample core of fruit framed by powdery, generously extracted tannins that assert themselves on the finish, this is a more powerful, chunky Beychevelle than the suave 2019. (robertparker.com)

Service: Serve at room temperature (16-18°C), to accompany a skewer of lamb simmered with spices.