2020 Chateau Clos Lunelles (750ml)

Merlot from Côtes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France

B-21 Top Recommendation
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A newly arriving container filled with top rated Bordeaux, these 2020 Bordeaux selections boast outstanding quality across the board at unparalleled value pricing, from a vintage of “brilliant wines” according to the Wine Advocate’s William Kelley and described by Vinous critic Antonio Galloni as “a year brimming with phenomenal wines at all levels, from the big names down to bottles the average consumer can still afford to purchase by the case.”

Although there were no significant heat spikes throughout the growing season, 2020 was a warm growing season overall in Bordeaux, with generally well-timed rain in the Spring followed by extremely dry summer weather that prevented the development of mildew. While summer drought conditions led to smaller berries and yields for Cabernet Sauvignon, mid-August rains on the Right Bank plumped up Merlot and cool September evenings during the last phase of ripening preserved freshness in the wines. Inside Bordeaux’s Jane Anson noted that “clay-limestone soils did brilliantly against the heat of the summer, favoring the St Emilion plateau” with an impressive array of wines also coming from the gravel soils of Pauillac and St Julien. Describing the white wines of 2020, Anson declares there are “plenty of delicious bottles,” the earlier harvest delivering “exotic fruit flavors with grip and personality.” Describing 2020 as “an incredibly exciting vintage for Bordeaux,” Antonio Galloni of Vinous finds remarkable quality in each of the Left Bank appellations, while calling Saint Emilion “one of the sweet spots of 2020” and noting “readers will find a bevy of compelling wines from satellite appellations” including Haut-Medoc and Fronsac. Called “an incredible classic vintage” by Jeb Dunnuck producing “a solid swath of cellar-worthy buys in the $65-and-under range” according to the Wine Spectator’s James Molesworth, critic James Suckling summed up the vintage well, declaring “if you buy or drink a bottle of top-rated 2020 Bordeaux, you are going to be more than happy. In fact, you most likely will be elated” and noting “many of the wines give pleasure for a young wine but the best will age for decades ahead.”

Summing it up as “a great modern-day Bordeaux vintage,” Antonio Galloni notes the wines are “less extracted, more vibrant and, frankly, much more fun to drink,” this well priced, wide-ranging offer a terrific opportunity to stock up on an array of age worthy Bordeaux from an exceptional 2020 vintage that according to Neal Martin of Vinous “delivers the goods.”

95JS

94JD

94WI

93D

Wonderful aromas of crushed blackberries and raspberries with orange peel and some chalk. Medium-bodied with fantastic tannins that are polished and chewy. Savory and salty with a powdery texture. One of the best I have had. 80% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon. Drink in three or four years.

95 points, James Suckling (May 2023)

A terrific Castillon, the 2020 Clos Lunelles has an incredible limestone-like character as well as perfumed notes of cassis, acacia flowers, violets, and chalky earth. Full-bodied and concentrated, with ripe tannins and a salty, salivating character that keeps you coming back to the glass, it's a no-brainer purchase that will evolve for 10-15 years.

94 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Mar 2023)

The 2020 Clos Lunelles is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a little shaking to wake up notes of fresh blackberries, kirsch, and black raspberries, giving way to suggestions of dusty soil, garrigue, and cracked black pepper. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut with muscular black fruits and a firm, grainy texture, delivering just enough freshness, finishing long and earthy.

94 points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent (Mar 2023)

Fragranced and open, forward and alive in the glass. Nicely fruited, warm and bright blackcurrants and blackberries; a good level of focus and detail here. Super-tense on the tongue, puts you squarely on limestone, nothing is hiding here; it’s terroir in the glass.

93 points, Georgina Hindle, Decanter (Jan 2023)

Alcohol By Volume: 14.5%

#FRCLME20BE

$27.88

Compare At: $32.99

This item is a pre-order estimated to arrive 11/30/2024. 60+ bottles available.

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