2020 Chateau Vieux Maillet, Pomerol

A bright, brilliant red with blue fruit, spices, walnuts and some chocolate. Medium-bodied, polished and chewy. Plenty of energy.

The 2020 Vieux Maillet is a gorgeous wine. Bright, perfumed aromatics give Vieux Maillet striking aromatic presence that is so alluring, Deceptive in its mid-weight feel, Vieux Maillet is deep, potent and so expressive. Black cherry, lavender, spice, menthol, licorice and blood orange all build in the glass. Vibrant and wonderfully nuanced, the 2020 is compelling. Vinous.com

Tasted by Jane Anson(at Primeur week tastings in Bordeaux, 01 May 2021)

This has a beautiful colour. It is gorgeously fresh with a seductive fist of fruit and rich in texture quality. Abundant seems an accurate description for the feeling you will get from this juicy and beautifully drinkable wine - with some slightly bitter toasted rosemary notes on the finish giving focus. Tasted twice.

Drinking Window 2024 - 2040

A ripe, round, sexy Pomerol, the 2020 Château Vieux Maillet offers medium to full-bodied richness as well as a seamless, layered texture. Giving up loads of dried herbs, savory spice, leather, and assorted red and black fruits, this is a classic, already complex Pomerol with lots of character.

The 2020 Vieux Maillet has turned out nicely, offering up aromas of minty cherries and blackberries, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy palate framed by sweet, powdery tannins. This is a gourmand Pomerol that will show well young.

Medium-bodied, bright, fresh, fruity, forward and ready to go with its core of red cherries, espresso, spice and medium-bodied, earthy nuances. 87-89

The 2020 Vieux Maillet has a lot of dark cherry and mulberry fruit on the nose, though as I have found in recent vintages, it needs more tension and delineation and more terroir expression. The palate is medium-bodied with bold, quite dry tannins and modest depth, but it is missing amplitude on the finish.

Cask sample. Quite shy on the nose but has some ferrous, iron notes. Opulent, seductive and rounded palate with bags of dark fruits and fine-grained tannins. A powerful wine but shows just enough freshness through the warming finish. (AC)