Château Cap de Mourlin 2020

Crisp and crunchy, this is neat and well presented, quite tight right now, coiled and closed towards the mid-palate, so you're getting quite austere, high-toned, spiced edges and not much expansion. However, the actual frame is great and the texture is sleek and fine. It has a juiciness and saltiness, so there are lots of nice elements, but the toast is quite prominent and sticks out.

Very fine and silky with a medium body and fresh acidity with an orange peel undertone. Light chewy finish. Lots of chalk, iodine and oyster shell undertones to the blue fruit. Drink after 2024.

65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Cask sample. Round but structured, with firm tannins to the fore. Vanilla oak sits a little heavy and needs to subside, but the dark and red fruit is there. Oak just a little pronounced. (JL)

The 2020 Cap de Mourlin is unyielding and angular, with limited fruit, depth and freshness. Bitter, astringent tannins make this hard to taste.

Silky, fresh, lifted and chalky, the wine offers a polished, sensuous palate replete with layers of chocolate-coated cherries, licorice and espresso, with a cherry edge on the finish. Drink from 2023–2038.

Deepest ruby, opaque core, purple reflections. Delicate nougat, ripe plums, dark berries, fine nutty touch. Medium body, fine nuances of red cherries, integrated tannins, mineral on the finish, fresh style.

Pure and modern aromas of new oak, high ripeness of fruit, pepper and dry spices. Rather dense palate with high extraction, youthful and tight but with no hard edges; after further élevage and bottle ageing it should probably reach good harmony, with generous dark fruit flavours and a long, muscular finish.

Tasted on multiple occasions, the 2020 Château Cap De Mourlin is a charming, medium-bodied Saint-Emilion offering textbook aromas and flavors of ripe red and black fruits, iron, new leather, and lead pencil shavings, with a hint of flowers emerging with time in the glass. It's balanced, has solid mid-palate depth, ripe tannins, and is just a pretty, elegant 2020 that will evolve for 15 years if well stored.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: velvety, dense, powerful, opulent bouquet, blackberry jelly, chocolate cream, vanilla, shoe polish. Powerful, velvety, fruity, strongly extracted palate with plenty of tannins, powerful, sweet fruit, broad, brawny structure, sweet, dark aromatics, drying finish.

Silky, dense, powerful, opulent bouquet with blackberry jelly, chocolate cream, vanilla, shoe polish. Powerful, velvety, fruity, strongly extracted palate with plenty of tannins, rich, sweet fruit, broad, brawny structure, sweet, dark aromatics, drying finish. 17/20 2026 - 2040

Dark plum colour; blackberry and loganberry fruits, bitter black chocolate shavings, with slate and crushed rocks; this has firm tannins and is fairly austere. Needs time, clear ageing potential, with depth and character. 44 hl/ha yield, malolactic fermentation in new oak barrels.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Cap de Mourlin opens with up-front scents of juicy black plums, chocolate-covered cherries, and mulberries, followed by hints of spice cake, vanilla pod, and cracked black pepper. The medium to full-bodied palate is plush and open-knit, with bags of spicy blue and black fruits and soft acidity, finishing spicy.

90-91

The wine opens with notes of fresh red fruits, redcurrant, and blueberry. The palate is airy and delicate, despite oak-influenced notes that are still a little pronounced. The finish is fresh.

Cap de Mourlin 2020 presents itself in a harmonious and inviting manner. While the bouquet reveals nuances of red berries and spices, the palate shows a juicy, balanced wine with compact tannins that deserves a little time to open up. A stint in the cellar will take care of that.

Simple on the palate, lacking smoothness and richness.