Malartic Lagraviere 2020

Pessac-Leognan, Grand Cru Classé

Units	Size	Case size	GBP Price:	Quantities	Buy
24	75cl Bottle	Case 6	£168 per Case	Cases	[Add to shopping basket]

Tasting Notes
The 2020 Malartic Lagravière is fabulous. Dark, ample and explosive, the 2020 offers an exciting mélange of dark fruit, lavender, spice and licorice. Even with all of its obvious size, the 2020 retains terrific freshness and plenty of delineation. Score: 95 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2040 23 February 2023
The 2020 Malartic Lagravière is a powerful, tightly wound wine. There is perhaps a bit less opulence than in years past, but that just gives the wine an extra kick of energy and vibrancy that is quite attractive. Inky red cherry fruit, rose petal, spice, cedar and cinnamon all grace this beautifully taut wine from the Bonnie family. Tasted three times. Score: 93 - 95 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2045 01 June 2021
Huge depth, such beautiful texture running right through the palate, love the brambled juicy blueberry and blackberry fruits, crunchy and concentrated. Excellent quality. 65% new oak, harvest from 9 to 24 September, Eric Boislsenot consultant. Score: 94 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2026-2043 15 February 2023
Fragrant blossom aromatics give way to more concentrated waxy lemon and juicy lemongrass attack. Barrel fermented, with careful extraction. The warm summer comes through in traces of cumin spice and white pepper, and in the concentration of the flavours through the mid palate, but this is measured and deft, and extremely easy to recommend. Second year with Eric Boissenot as consultant, 65% new oak. A yield of 31hl/ha. Score: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2022 - 2030 19 May 2021
The 2020 Malartic-Lagravière, which represents just 40% of the total production, was cropped at 26hL/ha. It has a very delineated nose with intense blackberry, raspberry, sous-bois and incense aromas that just "sing" of Pessac-Léognan. The palate is medium-bodied, finely-knit tannins, fresh and vibrant with beguiling purity. Harmonious and silky smooth, it belies the depth and complexity of this marvelous Malartic. This is superb and it will mature beautifully in bottle. Score: 95 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2050 08 February 2023
The 2020 Malartic Lagravière, whose picking was completed on September 24, before the rains, has a bright, vivid nose of mineral-infused red fruit mixed with hints of blueberry and cassis. Very focused and precise, this is an aromatically sophisticated Pessac-Léognan. The palate is medium-bodied with graphite-tinged black fruit, hints of wild mint coming through, and lively and tensile toward the finish. This is one of the best vintages of Malartic Lagravière that I have encountered out of bottle. Ignore at your peril. Score: 94 - 96 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2050 01 May 2021
Based on a blend of 50.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47.8% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc that hit 14.2% natural alcohol, the 2020 Château Malartic-Lagravière offers a gorgeously pure nose of both red and blue fruits as well as lots of floral and mineral nuances. Still aging in 65% new French oak, it's medium to full-bodied and has the vintage’s rich, concentrated style yet gorgeous purity of fruit as well as ripe, polished, building tannins. It's one seriously good 2020 that will impress with short-term bottle age and keep for 25 years or more. It's up with the crème de la crème of the appellation. Tasted three times with consistent notes. Score: 93 - 95 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com 25 May 2021
The deep purple-black 2020 Malartic Lagraviere leaps from the glass with vibrant notes of Bing cherries, black raspberries, ripe plums and boysenberries, plus suggestions of pencil lead, wild sage and crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, the palate has lovely energy and freshness, offering a solid backbone of grainy tannins to support the lively red and black fruit layers, finishing savory. The tentative blend is 50.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47.8% Merlot, and 1.8% Cabernet Franc, with only 38% of production going into the grand vin. The alcohol is 14% this year. Commencing with the 2020 vintage, the estate has chosen a new bottle for the grand cru and second vin, highlighted by an engraved ship, the symbol of the estate Score: 92 - 94 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2025 - 2045 21 May 2021
Full bottle 1,305 g. Cask sample taken 6 April and I'm afraid it is written that it should be tasted before 10 April, five days ago… 50.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47.8% Merlot, 1.8% Cabernet Franc. Considerable changes to vinification and ageing here, not least shortening vatting times and careful tannin management in the press wines. Dark purplish crimson. Much more mineral than fruity on the nose. But very luscious fruit on the palate. With racy texture and notably fine tannins. Strongly saline finish. Distinctive and already rather appetising. Approachable young. Score: 17 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com 08 May 2021
Lots of blackberry, cherry and walnut aromas and flavors. Some tar, too. It’s full-bodied with chewy tannins that are polished and energetic. Score: 93 - 94 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 16 April 2021

Tasting Notes

The 2020 Malartic Lagravière is fabulous. Dark, ample and explosive, the 2020 offers an exciting mélange of dark fruit, lavender, spice and licorice. Even with all of its obvious size, the 2020 retains terrific freshness and plenty of delineation.

Score: 95

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2040 23 February 2023

The 2020 Malartic Lagravière is a powerful, tightly wound wine. There is perhaps a bit less opulence than in years past, but that just gives the wine an extra kick of energy and vibrancy that is quite attractive. Inky red cherry fruit, rose petal, spice, cedar and cinnamon all grace this beautifully taut wine from the Bonnie family. Tasted three times.

Score: 93 - 95

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2045 01 June 2021

Huge depth, such beautiful texture running right through the palate, love the brambled juicy blueberry and blackberry fruits, crunchy and concentrated. Excellent quality. 65% new oak, harvest from 9 to 24 September, Eric Boislsenot consultant.

Score: 94

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2026-2043 15 February 2023

Fragrant blossom aromatics give way to more concentrated waxy lemon and juicy lemongrass attack. Barrel fermented, with careful extraction. The warm summer comes through in traces of cumin spice and white pepper, and in the concentration of the flavours through the mid palate, but this is measured and deft, and extremely easy to recommend. Second year with Eric Boissenot as consultant, 65% new oak. A yield of 31hl/ha.

Score: 93

Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2022 - 2030 19 May 2021

The 2020 Malartic-Lagravière, which represents just 40% of the total production, was cropped at 26hL/ha. It has a very delineated nose with intense blackberry, raspberry, sous-bois and incense aromas that just "sing" of Pessac-Léognan. The palate is medium-bodied, finely-knit tannins, fresh and vibrant with beguiling purity. Harmonious and silky smooth, it belies the depth and complexity of this marvelous Malartic. This is superb and it will mature beautifully in bottle.

Score: 95

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2050 08 February 2023

The 2020 Malartic Lagravière, whose picking was completed on September 24, before the rains, has a bright, vivid nose of mineral-infused red fruit mixed with hints of blueberry and cassis. Very focused and precise, this is an aromatically sophisticated Pessac-Léognan. The palate is medium-bodied with graphite-tinged black fruit, hints of wild mint coming through, and lively and tensile toward the finish. This is one of the best vintages of Malartic Lagravière that I have encountered out of bottle. Ignore at your peril.

Score: 94 - 96

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2050 01 May 2021

Based on a blend of 50.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47.8% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc that hit 14.2% natural alcohol, the 2020 Château Malartic-Lagravière offers a gorgeously pure nose of both red and blue fruits as well as lots of floral and mineral nuances. Still aging in 65% new French oak, it's medium to full-bodied and has the vintage’s rich, concentrated style yet gorgeous purity of fruit as well as ripe, polished, building tannins. It's one seriously good 2020 that will impress with short-term bottle age and keep for 25 years or more. It's up with the crème de la crème of the appellation. Tasted three times with consistent notes.

Score: 93 - 95

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com 25 May 2021

The deep purple-black 2020 Malartic Lagraviere leaps from the glass with vibrant notes of Bing cherries, black raspberries, ripe plums and boysenberries, plus suggestions of pencil lead, wild sage and crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, the palate has lovely energy and freshness, offering a solid backbone of grainy tannins to support the lively red and black fruit layers, finishing savory. The tentative blend is 50.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47.8% Merlot, and 1.8% Cabernet Franc, with only 38% of production going into the grand vin. The alcohol is 14% this year. Commencing with the 2020 vintage, the estate has chosen a new bottle for the grand cru and second vin, highlighted by an engraved ship, the symbol of the estate

Score: 92 - 94

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2025 - 2045 21 May 2021

Full bottle 1,305 g. Cask sample taken 6 April and I'm afraid it is written that it should be tasted before 10 April, five days ago… 50.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47.8% Merlot, 1.8% Cabernet Franc. Considerable changes to vinification and ageing here, not least shortening vatting times and careful tannin management in the press wines. Dark purplish crimson. Much more mineral than fruity on the nose. But very luscious fruit on the palate. With racy texture and notably fine tannins. Strongly saline finish. Distinctive and already rather appetising. Approachable young.

Score: 17

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com 08 May 2021

Lots of blackberry, cherry and walnut aromas and flavors. Some tar, too. It’s full-bodied with chewy tannins that are polished and energetic.

Score: 93 - 94

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 16 April 2021

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