80% Merlot & 20% Cabernet Franc
"One of the wines of the vintage is the 2020 La Conseillante, a blend of 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc that wafts from the glass with inviting aromas of raspberries, red cherries and mulberries mingled with exotic spices, violets and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and vibrant, it's a beautifully elegant, sensual wine with a deep core of fruit framed by powdery tannins, concluding with a long, extravagantly floral finish. This is a Pomerol of striking purity and sophistication. Congratulations to Marielle Cazaux and her team for surpassing even what they achieved in 2016 and 2019 with this brilliant 2020!" - Robert Parkers Wine Advocate
"The showy display of violets, and lilacs that get the wine going is made even better by the accompanying notes of truffle, chocolate, black cherry liqueur, licorice, and plums. However, as good as this is aromatic, the silky, fresh, sensuous textures, and the level of purity found in the multiple layers of perfectly ripe, elegant fruits are what provide all the right stuff. The seamless finish, with its energy, concentration, and refinement seal the deal. Bottled sexiness, this is so good, I could not put the glass down without refilling it. The only reason this didn't yet garner 100 Pts is the perfect 2016 is just a tiny bit better, for now. Don't be surprised to see this hit 100 Pts as it ages for a bit." - Jeff Leve - The Wine Cellar Insider
"Ausgezeichnete Nase, hochkomplex und wie immer mit floralem Einschlag, Irisblüten über dunklen Beeren, subtile Röstnoten, tiefgründig, klar und rein. Top auch im Gaumen, viel Gerbstoff, dieser hüllt sich wie ein Seidentuch um die delikate Frucht, intensiv in der Aromatik, dennoch leichtfüssig und sehr bei sich ist das ein Wein mit viel Noblesse und tänzerischer Eleganz. Schlicht umwerfend und sicherlich einer der ganz grossen Weine des Jahrgangs." - Adrian van Velsen - vvWine.ch
"Fresh and aromatic nose with refiend spiciness, violet, wild berries, tobacco and fine oak. Great density but more emphasis on freshness than opulence, elegant dark berry flavours with silky and fine tannin, nuanced with a very long and elegant finish." - Andreas Larsson - Tasted
"Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart tabakig-kräuterwürzig unterlegte schwarze Kirschenfrucht, etwas Nougat, kandierte Orangenzesten. Saftig, elegant, feine schokoladige Textur, feine reife Tannine, gute Frische, seidig und lange anhaftend, mineralisch, sehr gut balanciert, sicheres Reifepotenzial." - Falstaff
"On the nose, elegant, nicely precise and offers power with delicacy, complexity with, energy/dynamism, a little freshness and a fine concentration. It reveals notes of boysenberry, bright small black fruits and hints of lily are combined with nuances of fresh black currants, violet, fresh plum, fine hints of crushed strawberry, lilac, cardamom, bergamot, szechuan pepper, discreet hints of sweet spices and a very subtle hint of vanilla. An imperceptible hint of white flowers in the background. A nice multi-layered side, a very nice complexity. On the palate, fruity, balanced, nicely racy, all in precision and delicacy and offers juiciness, suavity, good definition, a certain gourmandize, a fine acidic frame, subtle tension, suavity, depth, power in delicacy, roundness, a little fleshiness, a multi-layer side, creaminess, an airy character in the balances as well as a nice stretched side. A controlled boldness, in its richness and in the intensity of its freshness. The wine expresses notes of fresh/juicy raspberry, juicy/pulpy blackcurrant and hints of violet associated with touches of black currants, fresh/zan licorice, sweet spices, star anise, bergamot as well as fine cocoa, nutmeg and a very discreet touch of pepper. The tannins are elegant, racy, precise, structured and nicely polished. Good length and very nice persistence. A nuance of a powdery side on the finish/persistence. Nice work on the bitters, especially at the finish. A great success that is all elegance and subtlety. A very great wine/millennium that has not yet revealed its full potential." - VertdeVin
"Dense, opulent, rich and profound. Quite a grand structure, with a large quantity of supple and smooth tannins. Some beautiful pencil shaving note, subtle and delicate. The backbone is driven by its vibrant acidity, finishing with great delicatesse and silky mouthfeel." - Wine Maniacs
Château La Conseillante is a highly-regarded and critically well-received wine estate in the Pomerol district of Bordeaux, known for its Merlot-based grand vin. The vineyard is situated in the east of the appellation on the border with Saint-Émilion and adjoining properties include Château L'Évangile and Vieux Château Certan in Pomerol, and Cheval Blanc in Saint-Émilion to the southeast.
The La Conseillante estate is planted on predominantly clay-based soil and the vineyard consists of 80 percent Merlot, with 20 percent Cabernet Franc in more gravelly areas. The grand vin blend typically reflects these proportions.
La Conseillante has modern winemaking facilities, including a spectacular oval vat hall with new epoxy-lined, temperature-controlled concrete vats varying in size to correspond to plots in the vineyard. Grapes undergo a cold soak for up to four days, followed by alcoholic fermentation with one or two weeks on skins.
The grand vin is aged in barrel for 18 months on average, with 50-80 percent new oak depending on vintage. Careful racking with bellows pumps and egg white fining allows the wines to be bottled unfiltered.
In 2007, the château launched its second wine, Duo de Conseillante, sourced from younger vines, and featuring up 95 percent Merlot. It sees 12 months in French oak barrels (50 percent new) and six months in tank before bottling.
