Chateau Tronquoy-Lalande Saint-Estephe 2020

95 Points, Jeb Dunnuck 
Coming from a vintage compared to 2016 and 2019 by the château, the 2020 Château Tronquoy-Lalande checks in as 52% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot, hitting 13.5% alcohol. Beautiful cassis, plums, damp earth, and chocolate notes all emerge from this beauty, which is a layered, medium to full-bodied, gorgeously textured Saint-Estèphe. The tannins are present yet polished, and it has a great mid-palate and outstanding length. I’d wager this is one of the finest vintages of this cuvée to date. It has the purity of fruit and opulence to shine even today, yet I suspect it won’t hit prime time for 7-8 years, and it should have 20 years of prime drinking at that point.

95 Points, Vinous
The 2020 Tronquoy-Lalande puts in the surprise performance of the tasting with a quite stellar showing. It has superb mineralité on the nose, very well defined and full of vigor—perhaps the most sophisticated within the flight of Saint-Estèphe wines. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins. It’s a “solid” and structured wine, but it also conveys delineation and tension toward the hoisin-tinged finish. Very persistent on the finish, this is a class act. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

94 Points, Decanter
“Gorgeous milk chocolate aroma on the nose, alongside brambly, ripe blackcurrant and black cherry. Plump fruit alongside marked acidity in the mouth, with a crushed stone aspect to the finish. Svelte, easy, pristine yet deep, with serious dark fruit and a grippy end.”