Firm and linear tannins frame this young Bordeaux beautifully with blackberry, walnut and hazelnut character. Gorgeous center palate. It’s racy and refined. Creamy-textured tannins with length. Really pure and focused. Very transparent. Finesse. Best ever? 60% merlot, 32% cabernet franc and 8% cabernet sauvignon.

Composed of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the opaque purple-black colored 2020 Petit Village storms out of the glass with powerful scents of blackberry preserves, plum pudding and blueberry pie, plus hints of mocha, molten licorice, dried mint, sassafras and violets with a hint of vanilla pod. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating black fruit preserves with loads of spicy and floral accents, supported by plush tannins and just enough freshness, finishing on a lingering minty note. Impressive!
Drink Date
2026 - 2043
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

Dark in color, the wine quickly focuses on its floral, plum, spice, licorice and earthy character. The wine is medium-bodied, silky and fresh with a sensuous, supple textured, sexy finish. This is the best vintage of Petit Village I have tasted in ages. The wine is a blend of 60% Merlot, 32 Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the first vintage to show off its new, stylish label and wax capsule. 93-95

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

Plenty of changes to keep track of here, as they look to focus the blend on the historic heart of the vineyard (around 50% of the total), and also keeping separate any young vines (meaning under eight years), and any that have viruses. Elegant, inky damson colour, a ton of density and intensity, but the tannins are supple and fragrant, they cradle rather than close in. Pulses of saltine crackers ripple through the blackberry fruit, and this has a ton of charm. Aged in 50% new oak, and using some larger sized oak casks and a few amphora as an experiment. A yield of 27hl/ha. First year in organic conversion. Harvested 8 September to 15 for the Merlot, and for the Cabernets just one day on September 23. Technical director Diana Berrouet-Garcia. Rainfall low in both July and August as everywhere in Pomerol - 2mm in July and 25mm August. New owners (the Moulin family of Galeries Lafayette, shared with neighbouring estate Beauregard). 3.8pH. You will also find a slightly lighter bottle as of this vintage, and a new label.

Drinking Window 2026 - 2038

(60% M, 32% CF, 8% CS; 27hl/ha; 14.5% ABV; 50% new)
Fine nose; rich and fleshy and fresh, with particularly fine tannins, a beautifully balanced wine; deep and sweet, long and creamy, with a velvety, enveloping tannin texture and a clear mineral aromatic complexity behind the fleshy ripeness; a plateau Pomerol with considerable scope and reach, and marked, gently spicy aromatic length. After 30 years under the ownership of AXA (Pichon Baron etc), and struggling a bit as an expression of Pomerol, this is the first vintage under the same management as Château Beauregard (who purchased the property in April 2020) and it is, after a very long time, finally a great expression of this fine vineyard. It will be absolutely delicious. 2026–46+.

The 2020 Petit-Village is a gorgeous wine. In fact, it is one of the best wines I have tasted here. Inky, aromatically expressive and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2020 is compelling right out of the gate. The 2020 boasts superb energy, tension and class. Could this be a turning point for the estate? We will see. For now, the 2020 is certainly compelling. The 2020 represents about 50% of the estate's production as opposed to two-thirds, which was more the norm when Petit-Village was part of AXA. Vinous.com

Checking in as a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Château Petit-Village should certainly be an outstanding wine, and then some. Brought up in 60% new French oak, with the sum of the Cabernet Franc and Merlot brought up in larger barrels, it has a terrific nose of ripe black fruit, chocolate, tobacco, and graphite. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a dense, concentrated mid-palate, it displays a rather focused, firm mouthfeel, ripe, building tannins, and a great finish.

Having been acquired by the Moulin family, the 2020 Petit Village has undergone a makeover with a spanking new label and wax seal. As for the wine itself, the nose is fragrant and pure, featuring dark cherries, boysenberry, hints of marmalade and light estuarine scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a structured opening. This feels quite firm and contains that charcoal trait that I remarked upon apropos of the 2018. Fresh and full of tension, the Cabernet component drives the finish, traces of dark chocolate lingering on the aftertaste. I think the tannins here just need a little more refinement, and maybe that will come during élevage. This shows an improvement over underperforming recent vintages, but give it another 3–4 years to see what this Pomerol is really capable of. - vinous.com

Full bottle 1,374 g. Cask sample taken 6 April. I think this is the first time I have seen a cask sample with a wax seal. This is the first vintage under the ownership of the Moulin family (who already own neighbouring Ch Beauregard). Now in conversion to organic farming. 60% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. 50% aged in new oak. A small percentage aged in amphora.
Black core right out to the purplish rim. Very ripe black fruit – damson and black cherry – sweet-smelling, and more so with the sweetness of the oak. Firm, dry, smooth texture, like many layers of paper. Big but with such refined tannin texture – and not what I expected when it smelt so ripe. Just enough freshness and lots of dark chocolate on the finish. For those who love balanced and elegant richness. Long and promising in that style. (JH)