Drink Date
2027 - 2057

Reviewed by - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The 2020 Le Dome is a blend of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot with an alcohol of 13.9% and a pH of 3.69. The Merlot was harvested on September 29th, with the Cabernet Franc on October 8th and 9th. It is being aged in 80% new French oak barrels. Deep garnet-purple in color, it comes storming out of the glass with thunderous scents of stewed plums, blueberry preserves and chocolate-covered cherries, followed by impactful, fragrant notions of rose oil, ground cloves, eucalyptus and pencil shavings. The palate is jaw-droppingly elegant, considering the power of the nose, featuring elegantly crafted black and red fruit layers with very ripe, finely grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and perfumed.

Flowers, incense, crushed stone, smoke, thyme and red pit fruit aromas get the wine started in the right direction. Full-bodied, fresh, lively, rich, silky and mineral driven, there is purity, lift and richness, leaving you with a gorgeous, elegant, seductive wave of cherries in the end note that lingers long after the wine has left the glass. 96-98

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

Sappy, intense, beautifully fresh florals and well defined tannins, with the signature muscled broodiness of Le Dôme. There is a gorgeous chalkiness on the finish giving clear uplift without taking away from the generosity of the blueberry and raspberry fruit. New cellars, designed by Sir Norman Foster, will be opening fully for the 2021 harvest, and there is a hope that Le Dôme will be classified in next year's 2022 ranking (if so, this 2020 vintage would have the right to put it on the label). 80% new oak,

Drinking Window 2028 - 2045

Jonathan Maltus’s 2020 Le Dôme looks to be a brilliant wine. Mostly Cabernet Franc from a site not far from Angélus, it has a beautiful array of darker berry fruit (as well as some blue tinges) to go with medium to full-bodied richness, a pure, seamless texture, and ultra-fine tannins. Thomas Duclos now consults here, and the wine today plays more in the finessed, elegant, classically styled end of the spectrum while not giving up much with regard to fruit, richness, or texture. The freshness and purity of this 2020 is something, and it’s going to shine with 4-6 years of bottle age yet keep for two decades.

The 2020 Le Dôme is incredibly elegant and polished; I can't remember a vintage of Le Dôme with this much finesse and nuance. Bright floral aromatics lead into a core of sculpted red cherry fruit. Dried rose petal, mint, blood orange and cinnamon open with a bit of time in the glass. A promising wine.

vinous.com

Extremely perfumed with chewy, polished tannins that are fine and gorgeous. Minerally undertones to the berry, wet-earth and spice character.

(80% CF, 20% M; 13.9% ABV)]
Complex and minerally to smell, ripe red fruit, subtle and lingering, too; rich, vital to vigorous in acidity, finely but firmly tannic; lean and linear, a sort of “tautly contained flesh” profile, very red-fruit ripe in flavor, long and tasty and mouthcoating, and finely aromatic to finish. Within this slightly austere style, this is sweet and juicy, long, racy, and refined to taste. Complete, aristocratic, harmonious wine, which will be very attractive given time. 2032–50+.

The 2020 Le Dôme has a backward nose that demands coaxing, eventually revealing very attractive blackberry, wild strawberry, blood orange and crushed stone aromas. The way this builds with aeration is very promising. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins, quite structured and maybe a little more austere than recent vintages. That comes through on the finish, which seems to be clamped down at the moment. It will require several years of bottle age, but it will be worth the wait.

vinous.com

80% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot. Cask sample.
Aromatically reticent on the nose, the floral note more evident on the palate. Big tannic frame but again tight, firm and hard-edged. Juice and freshness all the way through but slightly dry and chewy on the finish. Benefit of the doubt it will harmonise and open. (JL)