Château de Barbe, Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux, France, 2020

Slightly herbal on the nose, some savoury tones, vanilla and plum, a touch shy at this point - hints of dried flowers and black fruit. Rich, concentrated, round and full in the mouth - a generous weight but so well balanced, a touch fleshy and chewy, more so than the 2019, this had an added layer of fat and plush texture but still with the same kind of minty, salty, liquorice, stone and cola flavour with cool blue fruit. I prefer the slightly more finessed version in 2019, but this is sure to have fans too, it may just need a bit longer. Feels elegant, tannins are well placed and this has persistence. It shows the heat of the vintage slightly with peppercorn, cedar, clove and chocolate touches. A touch more restricted than the 2019 though in terms of ease, it's holding back some of the expression at this point, but there's power and poise and more will be revealed in time. Again, lovely clarity and purity to the fruit expression.