97 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Exquisite aromas of lavender, cigar ash and Spanish cedar with dried citrus follow through to a medium body and a solid palate with powerful, ultrafine and linear tannins. The muscle and long finish are so beautiful. Give it two or three years but already a solid wine. Drink after 2028.

95 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from Casa Piena is done in a very different style from the past. The combination of a cooler vintage and picking at lower sugars yields a vibrant, energetic Cabernet Sauvignon. Floral and savory notes give the 2018 a striking aromatic top register to play off the red-toned fruit. This silky, mid-weight Cabernet represents a pretty big stylistic departure. I hope to have a chance to revist the 2018 in a number of years to see how it has aged. Readers will find a Cabernet of grace and finesse.

99 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is fascinating to taste next to the Extended Age bottling. It offers a bit more aromatic presence and brightness. A burst of plum, violet, lavender and cinnamon opens. Energy and tension abound. What a wine. It is very clearly one of the wines of the vintage.

98+ Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged in 70% new French oak, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon VHR sports a dense purple hue to go with a stunning nose of blackcurrants, charcoal, leafy tobacco, and violet. This beauty is full-bodied, rich, concentrated, has a great core of tannins, and a killer finish. This will probably merit a triple-digit rating in 5-7 years and is a brilliant wine as well as a possible 30+-year legend in the making.

98 Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Scheduled to be released in February 2024, VHR's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is another fabulous wine from the Phillips family and winemaker Françoise Peschon. On the nose, it's a bit restrained, with a subtle herbal perfume, hints of peppery spice and a concentrated mix of red and black cherries. In the mouth, the wine is similarly composed and polite, being medium to full-bodied, silky and taut in feel, balanced and elegant on the lingering finish.

98 James Molesworth - Wine Spectator

A deep well of gorgeous flavors -- raspberry, boysenberry, mulberry and black currant preserves -- sparkle in this red, with anise, violet and wood spice hints throughout. All of that is riveted to a terrific graphite spine running from start to finish, where a flash of cast iron peeks in. As the fruit lingers, a subtle echo of hibiscus provides a suave counterpoint. This encapsulates the best aspects of the vintage. Best from 2025 through 2045. 946 cases made.

98 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Lots of black fruits, lead pencil, graphite, and ink pot. Currants. Black earth. Some bark. Medium-bodied with chewy yet polished tannins with a minerally undertone. Hints of black mushrooms. Juicy and reserved at the end. Lots of freshness and structure at the same time. Good grip in the finish. Try after 2026.

98 Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

There was a note in the nose of the 2022 Clos Erasmus that explained that it's friends with the Laurel. In 2022, the Syrah behaved quite well, and some of the Syrah from Erasmus went to Laurel because she didn't want too much Syrah in Erasmus, which can represent perhaps 20% of the blend with a majority of Garnacha. There's aromatic complexity and nuance, with tender notes of wild berries and flowers, some pit fruit, a touch of earth and some sweet spices and smoke. The meaty effect of the Syrah is more noticeable after one hour in the glass. It's medium-bodied, and the palate this year surprised me, because the wine is really fine-boned and elegant, without lacking ripeness or clout. This is certainly not shy at 15.5% alcohol. The tannins are super fine and elegant, with an ethereal quality to them. It's still quite young but approachable. 3,200 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2024.

99 Kerin O'Keefe - kerinokeefe.com

Guido Porro nailed the 2021 vintage as all the firm's Barolos demonstrate, especially the compelling Vigna Rionda. Still youthfully austere with racy tension, the structured, elegant palate delivers red cherry, strawberry compote, nutmeg and licorice set against a backbone of close-grained, velvety tannins. Bright acidity keeps it balanced and energized. An incredible showing. Drink 2036–2051.

97 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2021 Barolo Vignarionda is a total knockout. Crushed rose petal, kirsch, mint, blood orange, sweet spice and candy are all beautifully lifted. This is the first Porro Rionda that captures the haunting inner perfume, the sweetness, the finesse that are all at the heart of what makes Rionda one of the very top sites in Barolo. Readers will find a wine of beguiling complexity and class.

90 Wine Spectator

Offers a lovely mix of ripe peach, apricot and orange blossom notes that are effusive, juicy and decidedly drinkable on a plump frame. Details of ripe pear, melon and dried ginger linger on the finish effortlessly alongside a hint of white tea. Chenin Blanc and Viognier. Drink now. 180,000 cases made.

93 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2020 Pinot Noir Knox Alexander is a barrel selection of Santa Maria sites, mostly from Bien Nacido, that spent two years in 100% new French oak. This is an especially floral, lifted style with a fair amount of stems and plenty of Santa Maria savoriness. It's an eccentric wine, but all the elements are nicely balanced. Orange peel, mint, star anise and bright acids linger on the delicate yet persistent finish.

98 Kerin O'Keefe - kerinokeefe.com

Showing structure, class, finesse and focus, the gorgeous 2019 Vigna Rionda from Guido Porro is a show stopper. On the delicious palate, notes of cinnamon, star anise, truffle and saline accent a juicy raspberry core. Firm, refined tannins and bright acidity keep balanced and energized. Drink 2029–2049.

99 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

A beautifully layered red with blackcurrant, hazelnut and lead-pencil character and fine, velvety tannins. Full-bodied and reserved. It’s like a tightly knit ball of polished tannins that are cashmere in texture. So very long and impressive. Give this time. A terrific Lynch. Better after 2027.

97 Wine Enthusiast

Barrel Sample. Bold black fruits and dense, textured tannins are very much in the style of the estate. What is new in this vintage is the extra precision that lifts the wine, bringing together the beautiful black currant flavors of ripe Cabernet Sauvignon with a refined texture of sophisticated tannins. This is an impressive wine, sure to age over many years.

96 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

The 2020 Château Lynch-Bages brings even more density and depth and is another vin de garde in the vintage. A blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, aged in 75% new barrels, this inky hued beauty boasts a ripe, powerful, full-bodied style that carries serious concentration as well as building, ripe, velvety tannins. While it doesn't have the elegance of the 2019, it brings beautiful cassis and blackberry fruit, lots of spice, graphite, and lead pencil aromatics, terrific balance, and a blockbuster finish. It's going to need at least a decade and will have 40-50 years of prime drinking.

94-96 Neal Martin - Vinous Media

The 2020 Lynch-Bages contains proportionately more Merlot in the blend this year (31%) and will be aged for 18 months in 75% new oak. It has an intriguing bouquet, quite complex and classic in style, featuring tightly wound black fruit mixed with cedar, mint and touches of the estuary. One sniff and you know that the vines are in close proximity to the sea. The palate is medium-bodied with impressive weight on the entry, the tannins almost immediately coating the mouth (the IPT is 93, fairly high). But everything remains balanced thanks to the fine acidic thread, and it begins to firm up, becoming quite structured and, dare I say, reminiscent of Latour toward the finish. This is a Lynch-Bages that clearly will deserve long-term aging because there is real substance to this wine, and that will only increase during élevage. This is a great Lynch-Bages. The Cazes family should build a new winery to celebrate.

96 Wine Spectator

Gorgeous from the start, with cassis and violet notes leading off, followed by additional waves of black cherry and blackberry fruit as well as sweet tobacco and iron. Shows subtle savory and cedar hints that stay in the background, as the iron note pierces through the fruit on the finish. Almost approachable for the fruit, but wait if you can. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040.

94-96 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2020 Lynch-Bages is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, aging for around 18 months in French oak barriques, 75% new. It has an alcohol of 13.41%, a pH of 3.73 and an IPT (tannin index) of 93. Opaque purple-black in color, it leaps from the glass with notes of crushed blackberries, cassis and boysenberries, plus touches of garrigue, red roses and cedar chest with hints of graphite and black olives. The medium-bodied palate has a rock-solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness supporting the tight-knit black fruit and earthy flavors, finishing long and mineral laced.

96 Decanter

The lowest amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend on recent record but the signature of Lynch Bages is very much in play here - tons of liquorice, grippy and charismatic cassis and blueberry fruit with a velvety texture layered with blackcurrant pastilles and rich dark chocolate. This is easily one of the best Pauillacs that I have tasted in the vintage, totally gorgeous. The 33hl/ha yield meant I was worried that it would be too concentrated, but it pulls it off, although you've got to assume that they will need to be careful over ageing. Lower alcohol than both 2018 and 2019, a more classical balance in fact. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.73pH, 75% new oak, 18 months in barrel.

84 Cellar Tracker

This is a cellartracker.com score based on 11 users as of 5/15/15