Château Lagrange St.-Julien 2020

Jeb Dunnuck : 95+ Points

(3/29/2023) Coming from depressingly low yields of just 26 hectoliters per hectare (the lowest since 1991), the 2020 Chateau Lagrange checks in as 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot that was raised in 60% new French oak. It's a gorgeous, complete Saint-Julien offering remarkable purity in its cassis, violets, chocolate, and leafy tobacco-like aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with terrific balance, a pure, focused mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and beautifully integrated oak, it's going to benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and cruise over the following 2+ decades in cold cellars. Maturity: 2027 - 2047.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni : 94 Points

(12/2022) The 2020 Lagrange is fabulous, just as it was from barrel. Super-ripe dark cherry, plum, mocha, licorice, cedar and new leather are all amplified in this gorgeous, striking Saint-Julien. Soft and racy, with no hard edges and exceptional balance, Lagrange is a winner. Drinking Window: 2026 - 2045.

Wine Advocate : 95 Points

(4/6/2023) The 2020 Lagrange is a fine follow-up to the excellent 2019. Offering up aromas of creme de cassis and plums mingled with hints of violets, licorice, pencil shavings and vanilla pod, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with a deep core of ripe but vibrant fruit that's framed by powdery tannins that assert themselves with gentle grip on the finish. Drink Date: 2027 - 2055.

Vinous - Neal Martin : 95 Points

(1/2024) The 2020 Lagrange has wonderful control and mineralité on the nose, very precise and well defined, a touch of dried rose petal emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, white pepper and a saline undertow. Very complex and persistent on the finish, this is one of the more cerebral wines of the vintage. It's not to be underestimated (though too often, it is). Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Drinking Window: 2030 - 2060.