Fine, new saddle leather aromas, vivid violet, juicy blackberry and tobacco leaf. Smooth and fresh, it has superior depth with noticeable yet refined tannins. The high percentage of new oak and Cabernet Sauvignon make for a seamless, long finish: opulent, fresh and precise. Enjoy with duck breast. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040
Tasted by: Panos Kakaviatos (at Strasbourg, 24 Feb 2023)
Part of Regional profile: St-Estèphe plus 17 wines worth seeking out

Readers looking for an off-the-charts value should snatch up the 2020 Château Capbern, which emerges from the same team as Calon Ségur. Offering a vivid bouquet of cassis, leafy tobacco, violets, damp earth, and chocolate, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, perfectly ripe fruit (not overripe, not underripe), ultra-fine, integrated tannins, and the mix of freshness and richness that’s part of all great wines. It’s a hidden gem in Saint-Estèphe.

Spicy, dark red berries, blackberry, savory herbs, cedar and cigar box open the nose. On the palate the wine is fleshy, rich, chewy and packed with ripe currants with peppery, savory herbs. There is length, freshness, complexity and character here. This a vineyard to keep an eye on as it getting better and better. The wine blends 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, 14.1% ABV. 92-94

This is really solid and powerful with lots of tannins and blue fruit. Spicy. Full and chewy. A little coarse now, but will improve with barrel aging.

Drink Date
2023 - 2035

Reviewed by Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The 2020 Capbern is composed of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, weighing in with 14.1% alcohol. It is due to be aged for around 18 months in French oak barrels, 60% new. Deep purple-black in color, the 2020 Capbern sings of black cherries, mulberries and redcurrant jelly, with hints of candied violets, wild sage and fertile loam. The medium-bodied palate has impressive verve and freshness, featuring soft, well-managed tannins, red and black berry layers and a mineral-tinged finish.

The 2020 Capbern tasted at the château showed slightly better than the sample sent to the UK. Essentially, whilst the aromatics are near identical, the palate is a tad more precise and certainly less austere. There is more cohesion and more pliant tannins towards the finish, encouraging me to raise my banded score.
vinous.com

(69% CS, 29% M, 1% CF, 1% PV; 35hl/ha; 14.1% ABV; 60% new)
A nose that is above all mineral; full, fresh to vital in acidity, fine in tannin, a lovely balance; sweet cassis-cored to taste, crisply defined by its Cabernet acidity, intense yet restrained, particularly refined, and fresh in the “hot-year” context, and with lovely length. Likely to be very good value. 2025–35+.

69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Cask sample.
Dense but vibrant and aromatic. Plenty of crunchy fruit and freshness. Bigger structure than 2019, closer to 2018, the tannins firm and textured. Dry, persistent finish. One for the cellar. Should be GV. (JL)