Petit Village - Pomerol 2020

Alexandre Ma

95

byAlexandre Mathe4/18/2023

Wine Advocate

93.00

byWilliam Kelleythe4/6/2023

The 2020 Petit Village was much talked about on the place de Bordeaux, so I was curious to taste it. On first encounter last summer, it appeared to be rather chunky and extracted, but while waiting for the delivery of a new novelty shape bottle, the wine was obliged to spend a prolonged period in tank, and it seems to have acquired some additional polish and integration in the process. Exhibiting aromas of minty blackberries, cassis, spices and creamy new oak, it's full-bodied, rich and layered, with a creamy, textural profile and good depth at the core. This is still a big-boned vision of Pomerol, but it has turned out better than I anticipated last summer.

Wine Spectator

90

byJames Molesworththe3/31/2023

Delivers warmed plum sauce and fig paste notes mixed with melted black licorice, all set against a Black Forest cake background. The fleshy finish has a tug of earth to keep it just honest enough. For fans of the style. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2031.

Jeb DUNNUCK

97

byJeb Dunnuckthe3/30/2023

A rockstar of a wine, the 2020 Château Petit-Village is even better from bottle than barrel, offering a deep ruby/plum color as well as a powerful, masculine style in its iron-laced red and black fruits, roasted tobacco, chocolate, and spring flower-like aromas and flavors. A wine that builds beautifully with time in the glass, it's full-bodied, has a plump, layered mid-palate, sweet tannins, and a hell of a finish. This ripe, concentrated, powerful Pomerol is easily the finest I've tasted from this château. It should hit maturity with 7-8 years of bottle age and cruise in cold cellars over the following 20-25 years or more.

The Wine Cellar Insider

96

byJeff Levethe3/22/2023

Silky, lush, and opulent, the wine kicks off with a strong floral note before moving on to its waves of chocolate covered, plums, cherries, wet earth and spices. The wine is supple-textured, with velvety tannins and fabulous energy all the way through, from start to finish. 2020 is the first vintage to show off its new, stylish label and wax capsule as well as the debut vintage kicking off a new era of high-quality wine here. Drink from 2024-2050.

Alexandre Ma

95

byAlexandre Mathe3/15/2023

Vinous

91

byAntonio Gallonithe2/24/2023

The 2020 Petit-Village comes across as heavy and monolithic, with a lot of depth but also a very heavy oak imprint. I expected more based on the en primeur sample, but Petit-Village remains a work in progress and easily the biggest question mark in Pomerol. Can a great wine be made here? I don't know.

Jamessuckling.com

97

byJames Sucklingthe1/16/2023

A creamy and velvety-textured red with chocolate, berry and walnut aromas and flavors. It’s medium-bodied with a nice fruit and soft tannin balance. Very long. Give this four to five years to come together. 60% merlot, 32% cabernet franc and 8% cabernet sauvignon. Best after 2027.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

93

byJane Ansonthe1/16/2023

Excellent quality, with grip, power and depth, slathers of bitter black chocolate, blackberry and oyster shell, intense and concentrated but without excess - giving it plenty of vintage signature in Pomerol, where 2020 has so much going for it. This was the year that the 10.5ha Petit Village was sold by AXA Millesimes, moving into the Moulin family portfolio that also owns neighbouring Beauregard, technical director Diana Berrouet-Garcia (who has since moved over to Le Pin), and Vincent Priou. 50% new oak for ageing, along with larger sized oak casks and amphora, 27hl/ha yield. An estate to follow over the next few years, as they look to focus on the oldest vines in the historic heart of the vineyard.

Vinous

92-94

byAntonio Gallonithe6/1/2021

The 2020 Petit-Village is a gorgeous wine. In fact, it is one of the best wines I have tasted here. Inky, aromatically expressive and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2020 is compelling right out of the gate. The 2020 boasts superb energy, tension and class. Could this be a turning point for the estate? We will see. For now, the 2020 is certainly compelling. The 2020 represents about 50% of the estate's production as opposed to two-thirds, which was more the norm when Petit-Village was part of AXA.

Jeb DUNNUCK

91-93

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/28/2021

Checking in as a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Château Petit-Village should certainly be an outstanding wine, and then some. Brought up in 60% new French oak, with the sum of the Cabernet Franc and Merlot brought up in larger barrels, it has a terrific nose of ripe black fruit, chocolate, tobacco, and graphite. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a dense, concentrated mid-palate, it displays a rather focused, firm mouthfeel, ripe, building tannins, and a great finish

Vinous

91-93

byNeal Martinthe5/27/2021

Having been acquired by the Moulin family, the 2020 Petit Village has undergone a makeover with a spanking new label and wax seal. As for the wine itself, the nose is fragrant and pure, featuring dark cherries, boysenberry, hints of marmalade and light estuarine scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a structured opening. This feels quite firm and contains that charcoal trait that I remarked upon apropos of the 2018. Fresh and full of tension, the Cabernet component drives the finish, traces of dark chocolate lingering on the aftertaste. I think the tannins here just need a little more refinement, and maybe that will come during élevage. This shows an improvement over underperforming recent vintages, but give it another 3–4 years to see what this Pomerol is really capable of.

Decanter.com

93

byJane Ansonthe5/25/2021

Plenty of changes to keep track of here, as they look to focus the blend on the historic heart of the vineyard (around 50% of the total), and also keeping separate any young vines (meaning under eight years) and any that have viruses. Elegant, inky damson colour, a ton of density and intensity, but the tannins are supple and fragrant, they cradle rather than close in. Pulses of saltine crackers ripple through the blackberry fruit, and this has a ton of charm. Aged in 50% new oak, and using some larger sized oak casks and a few amphora as an experiment. A yield of 27hl/ha. First year in organic conversion. Harvested 8 September to 15 for the Merlot, and for the Cabernets just one day on September 23. Technical director Diana Berrouet-Garcia. Rainfall low in both July and August as everywhere in Pomerol - 2mm in July and 25mm August. New owners (the Moulin family of Galeries Lafayette, shared with neighbouring estate Beauregard). 3.8pH. You will also find a slightly lighter bottle as of this vintage, and a new label.

The Wine Cellar Insider

93-95

byJeff Levethe5/21/2021

Dark in color, the wine quickly focuses on its floral, plum, spice, licorice and earthy character. The wine is medium-bodied, silky and fresh with a sensuous, supple textured, sexy finish. This is the best vintage of Petit Village I have tasted in ages. The wine is a blend of 60% Merlot, 32 Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the first vintage to show off its new, stylish label and wax capsule. 93-95

Wine Advocate

93-95

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe5/20/2021

Composed of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the opaque purple-black colored 2020 Petit Village storms out of the glass with powerful scents of blackberry preserves, plum pudding and blueberry pie, plus hints of mocha, molten licorice, dried mint, sassafras and violets with a hint of vanilla pod. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating black fruit preserves with loads of spicy and floral accents, supported by plush tannins and just enough freshness, finishing on a lingering minty note. Impressive!

Anthocyanes

94-96

byYohan Castaingthe5/11/2021

Très beau nez de fruits noirs, gourmand et frais, violette et mure, très bel éclat ! Bouche tout en velouté et en suavité avec un côté enrobé et crémeux. Une belle tension d'ensemble qui apporte une finale sur l'allonge et surtout une trame aromatique très fruitée et gourmande. Un Petit-Village qui évolue en terme stylistique avec une gourmandise et une fraicheur assumée. Très argileux dans son toucher de bouche. Très belle bouteille en devenir. Bravo !

Falstaff

94-96

byPeter Moserthe5/10/2021

Verschlossen, etwas pfeffrig, Menthol, zurückhaltender Holzeinsatz, leicht floral. Mit Luftkontakt immer schwarzbeeriger, sehr pur, klar und nuanenreich. Im Mund homo- gen und fein, seidig bis feinkörnig im Gerbstoff und trotzdem zum Kauen, kultivierte Säure. Eine sehr intensive taktile Mineralität, ganz elegant in den opulenten Körper eingebaut.

My Bettane + Desseauve

95-96

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/7/2021

2020 marque la première année de conversion bio et l’engagement d’Augustin Belloy à faire de Petit Village l’un des meilleurs crus de Pomerol. On a réduit de moitié le parcellaire du grand vin et l’assemblage voit une augmentation des cabernets, avec 32% de franc et 8% de cabernet-sauvignon pour 60% de merlot. Nez de raisin ramassé à la juste maturité phénolique, fruit tendu et crémeux, matière en coeur de bouche fournie et intense. La finale saline et florale, toute en fraîcheur. Que de raffinement.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98

byJames Sucklingthe4/23/2021

Firm and linear tannins frame this young Bordeaux beautifully with blackberry, walnut and hazelnut character. Gorgeous center palate. It’s racy and refined. Creamy-textured tannins with length. Really pure and focused. Very transparent. Finesse. Best ever? 60% merlot, 32% cabernet franc and 8% cabernet sauvignon.