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B-21 Top Recommendation Read More
Bordeaux remains, as ever, the world's top destination for top affordable gems with serious collectible appeal. These top scoring “six lollipop” selections unbeatable priced under $60 for B-21 Bordeaux lovers to stock the cellar to enjoy over the next few decades and an exceptional range perfect for 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 fresh energetic dark fruit hinting of graphite and smokey spice and declared “a ripe, layered, elegant Pauillac” with “a great finish” by Jeb Dunnuck
- Sourced from prime Saint Emilion terroir opposite Chateau Canon, the opulent 96 pt. 2019 Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot is a blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon boasting a rich core of dark concentrated fruit and chalky minerality with “very fine-grained tannins and a mineral lift on the finish” according to the Wine Independent’s Lisa Perotti-Brown, earning it the #11 spot on the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2022.
- From the under the radar sibling of Chateau Gloria described by Inside Bordeaux’s Jane Anson as “a St-Julien name that I can't recommend highly enough,” the elegant 96 pt. 2018 Chateau Saint-Pierre is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot with “an almost Pauillac-like stature and structure” according to Jeb Dunnuck that “will keep for two to three decades.”
- Crafted by one of Margaux’s “rising stars” according to Antonio Galloni of Vinous, the lush and polished 97 pt. 2019 Chateau Giscours is a powerful blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot revealing “a velvety, seamless profile and bright animating acids” according to the Wine Advocate’s William Kelley “with a long, resonant finish.”
- “Already impressive” with “serious potential” according to the Wine Enthusiast’s Roger Voss, the elegant and deliciously intense 96 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.
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Dark, winey, structured and very Pauillac, this is laden with cassis and blackberry puree flavors scored by charcoal and warm earth, with tobacco and cast iron notes. Very long, focused and seriously well-built finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2027 through 2040.
95 points, James Molesworth, Wine Spectator (Mar 2023)
The 2020 Haut-Batailley, matured in 60% new oak for 14 months, has a vivacious nose with mint-infused blackberry and raspberry fruit, a light pencil lead note underneath. Certainly one of the more intense aromatics in Pauillac with disarming purity. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and a wonderful bead of acidity keeping it tensile throughout. There's a sweet core of plummy fruit, hints of orange rind towards the finish that contains plenty of energy. Excellent.
94 points, Neal Martin, Vinous (Feb 2023)
Excellent quality, lovely depth and richness, fine tannins, elegant and balanced with a gourmet edge of blueberry, cassis, smoked oak and graphite, well balanced and easy to recommend. 3.85ph, 60% new oak.
93 points, Jane Anson (Feb 2023)