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B-21 Top Recommendation Read More
A sweet deal on top scoring Bordeaux blends built for the cellar, these “six lollipop” selections are unbeatably priced under $60, an array of high scoring Left and Right Bank reds at terrific value pricing whether choosing a favorite or mixing a case.
- Crafted by the talented team behind Chateau Lynch-Bages, the powerfully aromatic 95 pt. 2020 Chateau Haut-Batailley is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot offering ripe energetic dark fruit hinting of graphite and smokey spice, described as “very Pauillac” by the Wine Spectator’s James Molesworth and called “well balanced and easy to recommend” by Inside Bordeaux’s Jane Anson. The richly textured 2020 Chateau Haut-Batailley was aged in 60% new French oak for 14 months, yielding “a ripe, layered, elegant Pauillac” with “a great finish” according to Jeb Dunnuck, already offering pleasurable drinking and promising to evolve over the next several decades.
- Earning the #11 spot on the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2022, the thrilling 96 pt. 2019 Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot is a blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from 20 prime hectares behind Clos Fourtet and opposite Chateau Canon on Saint Emilion's limestone plateau, offering a rich core of dark concentrated fruit with chalky minerality and “very fine-grained tannins and a mineral lift on the finish” according to the Wine Independent’s Lisa Perotti-Brown. Aged in 65% new French oak with the remainder in a mix of foudres, amphora and once-used barrels for 18 months, the 2019 Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot will reward a few years of patient cellaring with decades of enjoyment.
- Declared one of Margaux’s “rising stars” by Antonio Galloni of Vinous, the elegant and deliciously intense 97 pt. 2020 Chateau Giscours is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44% Merlot revealing rich, aromatic fruit hinting of subtle spice and crushed gravel, with silky, integrated tannins and “one heck of a great finish” according to Jeb Dunnuck. Crafted by esteemed winemaker Lorenzo Pasquini before his move to D’Yquem, the enticing 2020 Chateau Giscours was aged in 50% new French oak for 17 months, “already impressive” with “serious potential” over the next several decades according to the Wine Enthusiast’s Roger Voss.
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A ripe and layered red with lots of currant and chocolate character, as well as some walnut and cocoa powder. Crushed stones, too. It’s full and layered with round tannins and a juicy and plush texture. Crushed velvet that turns to silk. Very cool and long. Plenty going on here. Give it three to four years to come together. But will age beautifully for years to come. A blend of 65% cabernet sauvignon and 35% merlot. Try after 2026.
97 points, James Suckling (Feb 2022)
The 2019 Giscours is every bit as compelling today as it was from barrel. Dark and sumptuous in feel, Giscours shows off its notable dimension and breadth. Succulent black cherry, plum, leather, tobacco, menthol and licorice intensify as this gorgeous, beautifully layered Margaux builds with time in the glass. The 2019 is a big wine, but not quite as exuberant as the 2018. Tasted two times
96 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Feb 2022)
The 2019 Giscours has turned out very well in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berries, cherries, burning embers, lilac and violets framed by a discreet patina of new oak. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's polished and perfumed, with a velvety, seamless profile and bright animating acids, concluding with a long, resonant finish. Alexandre Van Beek and his team are taking this estate to heights it hasn't hit since the 1970s, and this is another of the great bargains of the 2019 en primeur campaign.
95 points, William Kelley, Wine Advocate (Apr 2022)