Château Sansonnet Château Soutard-Cadet 2020 750ml

The 2020 Château Soutard-Cadet comes from slightly more clay soils as well as older vines. The blend is 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot raised in 70% new barrels. A gorgeous wine, its deep purple hue is followed by a medium to full-bodied, pure, seamless Saint-Emilion with lots of darker cherry and plum fruits, nicely integrated background oak, ultra-fine tannins, and complex notes of smoked tobacco, graphite, and an almost Pomerol-like damp earth character. It will keep for 20–25 years. (Jeb Dunnuck)

The 2020 Soutard-Cadet is packed with super-ripe dark fruit, espresso, chocolate and sweet oak. This full-throttle, dense Saint-Émilion is not at all subtle, but it sure is gorgeous. This needs a few years to soften, as the tannins are pretty imposing at this stage. Tasted two times. (Antonio Galloni)

This is dark-fruited with notes of spice, dark chocolate, mocha, cedar and wet earth. It’s medium- to full-bodied with chocolaty texture and firm yet polished tannins. Structured and refined. Attractive and velvety with a creamy finish. Try after 2026. (James Suckling)

The 2020 Soutard-Cadet is a blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and (for the first time) 5% Petit Verdot. It is aging for approximately 16 months in French oak barrels, 70% new. The alcohol is 15%. Opaque purple-black colored, it charges out of the gate with powerful notes of blackberry preserves, blueberry pie and prunes, plus hints of fruitcake, Indian spices and garrigue, with a waft of licorice. The rich, concentrated, full-bodied palate is packed with juicy black fruits and exotic spices, supported by a rock-solid foundation of firm, ripe, rounded tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long with emerging earthy nuances.