Always a winner, I can't remember the last vintage of this cuvée that didn't put a smile on my face. The 2020 Château La Vieille Cure has lots of up-front cassis and black cherry fruits to go with complex floral, lead pencil, and green tobacco-like aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, seamless, and elegant, it has the vintage's concentrated, pure style front and center. It will evolve for 10-12 years.
93 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Mar 2023)
The 2020 La Vieille Cure is fabulous. Rich and sumptuous in the glass, the 2020 offers up a heady mélange of black cherry, mocha, licorice, plum, incense and chocolate. There's gorgeous depth and texture here. The 2020 is a superb Vieille Cure.
93 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Feb 2023)
A pretty deep and broad-shouldered Fronsac with impressive intensity. Nose has lots of blackcurrants, dark cherries, some cocoa powder and a hint of cigar box. Full-bodied on the palate with dense yet creamy tannins that will take a few more years to integrate. Lengthy and pretty plush. An outstanding Fronsac. Drinkable now, but better from 2025.
93 points, Zekun Shuai, James Suckling (May 2023)
The 2020 La Vieille Cure is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. Broody tar, black truffles, and damp earth notes give way to a fragrant core of baked black plums and fruitcake with a waft of sandalwood. The full-bodied palate is laden with black fruit preserves and exotic spice accents, supported by plush tannins, finishing with great length.
93 points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent (Mar 2023)
Fresh and nicely balanced with cool blue fruit, mint and wet stone elements. The texture is dominant, a chalky, crushed velvet aspect to the tannins that coat the mouth, giving structure and weight. Plump and driving, this has good direction with just the most gorgeous cola, blue fruit and cooling mintiness. Doesn't feel too overdone or overworked. Yes, it's still hefty, with power and concentration underneath that extends vertically, and a touch of heat and clove, and tons of liquorice, but feels well presented. Lovely.
92 points, Georgina Hindle, Decanter (Dec 2022)
This has a nice fresh edge to the mix of damson plum and bitter cherry coulis notes, while leather, tobacco and savory hints fill in the background. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2023 through 2033. 10,480 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.
91 points, James Molesworth, Wine Spectator (Mar 2023)