Grand-Puy Ducasse Pauillac 2020

96 points James Suckling: "A transparent and clear young Pauillac with blackcurrant, mushroom, chocolate, and wet earth. Full-bodied, layered and flavorful with fine, velvety tannins. Plenty of graphite and blue fruit at the end. Drink after 2027. (12/22/22)"

95 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2020 Château Grand-Puy Ducasse is a brilliant, powerful, age-worthy Pauillac that will reward bottle age. Blackcurrants, tobacco, cedar pencil, and chocolate are just some of its nuances, and this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a dense, mouth-filling texture, plenty of ripe tannins, and outstanding length. It's not the most elegant Pauillac out there, but it has quintessential aromatics, structure, and density, and is beautifully done, as well as incredibly satisfying. It will probably take a decade of bottle age to hit maturity, and it should have 30-40 years of overall longevity. Tasted three times. Drink: 2031-2066. (3/29/23)"

93-95 points Wine Enthusiast: "This wine is seriously structured, contrasting the dry core with juicy, fresh and fruity black currant flavors. The elements are all in place and open to view, promising a wine of longevity with balanced freshness and richness."

94 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2020 Grand Puy Ducasse is elegant, polished and sophisticated, just as it was en primeur. Dark cherry, mocha, licorice and crushed rose petals are some of the many notes that open up. Medium in body, with terrific energy and tons of class, Grand Puy Ducasse is very pretty and especially refined in 2020. Drink: 2030-2050. (Feb 2023)"

94 points Wine Spectator: "[$45 list] Flows wonderfully from the start, with an already accessible feel to the mix of cassis and dark blackberry notes inlaid with singed alder, warm paving stone, tobacco leaf and graphite accents that then carry the finish. In the end, there's no rush at all here. A pretty gorgeous Pauillac. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2038. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. (3/31/23)"

94 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "One of the best vintages of Grand Puy Ducasse ever produced is packed with multiple-layers of ripe, fresh, creamy, salt-infused, blackberries, currants, spearmint, cigar box, cedar and lead pencil. There is volume, balance, freshness, length and a fruit-filled finish that holds your focus. This is a top vintage for Grand Puy Ducasse that will age for 2-3 decades. Drink from 2025-2050. (Mar 2023)"

93 points Andy Howard, MW (Decanter): "Nice confiture character – raspberry/blackberry fruit, concentrated and with layers of flavour. Already very attractive and appealing. Fine-grained, leafy tannins with subtle, complimentary use of new oak. A Grand-Puy Ducasse with complexity and potential – the Merlot seems to have been harvested with extremely good ripeness. A major step-up from the Prélude 2020. Drink: 2025-2032. (4/30/24)"

93 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "The 2020 Grand-Puy Ducasse is deep garnet-purple in color. It opens with notes of crushed rocks, tar, and black pepper, over a core of warm cassis, blackberry preserves, and raspberry leaves. Medium-bodied, the palate is taut, muscular, and earthy, with a firm backbone of grainy tannins and great length. Drink: 2025-2047. (3/12/23)"

93 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2020 Grand Puy Ducasse has finally stepped up a gear since I tasted it from barrel. In bottle, it is undoubtedly very concentrated with copious blackberry and boysenberry fruit, touches of incense and graphite developing with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, well balanced and with much better backbone than recent vintages; certainly no herbaceousness or underripeness evident. It is quite precise on the finish, completing a very commendable GPD. Drink: 2026-2045. (Feb 2023)"

93 points La Revue du Vin de France: "2020 is a serious, deep wine, with a still-tight texture and tannins that need to mellow. Give it a few more years before you can enjoy it to the full. (2023)"

93 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Dark ruby, purple reflections, deep core, faint ochre brightening on the rim. An inviting bouquet of dark berry fruit, fine wood spice, soft notes of cassis and blackberry confit and a hint of nougat caramel underneath. Juicy, good complexity and fruit expression, ripe tannins, chocolaty finish, fine minerality, shows length and ageing potential, continues the clear upward trend of recent years. (2/22/23)"