Sign In

2020 Château Prieure-Lichine

Light capsule condition issue

Removed from a temperature and humidity controlled wine storage unit; Purchased at retail

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

96James Suckling

Black cherries, blackcurrants, tobacco, cacao and some licorice on the nose. Firm yet creamy, with very fine tannins that spread across the palate. Medium to full body. So long and beautifully balanced.

92Wine Spectator

Ripe and focused, with a violet and alder frame that marries well to the core of lightly steeped plum and black currant fruit flavors. The alder edge asserts itself on the finish, though the fruit keeps pace just a half-step behind.

92Vinous / IWC

...blackberry, gravel and crushed violet...palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, sapid black fruit, brine and sea salt. There's real salinity here, and it leaves you salivating for more on the finish.

92CellarTracker

92Jeb Dunnuck

...has a solid perfume of redcurrants, blueberries, smoky oak, and chocolate that shows more and more floral nuances with time in the glass. Nicely textured on the palate, with medium to full-bodied richness, it has solid mid-palate depth, ripe tannins, and a great finish.

91-93The Wine Advocate

...notes of fresh redcurrants, blackcurrant pastilles, boysenberries and dried Provence herbs, plus wafts of tobacco leaf and pencil shavings. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers a great intensity of pure black and red fruit flavors, framed by grainy tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long with a refreshing herbal lift.

16.5Jancis Robinson

Deep, dark fruit with lots of peppery spice. Really scented, too, with violets. Juicy core inside the firm, dry, subtle, smooth tannins. Lovely balance and nicely dry finish.

PRODUCER

Château Prieure-Lichine

Château Prieure-Lichine is in the Margaux appellation of Bordeaux, France, in the commune of Cantenac. It is classified as a Fourth Growth Bordeaux in the official Bordeaux classification of 1855. Originally a Benedictine Priory, the estate was taken over by the state after the French Revolution and sold off in parcels. In 1951 the famous author and wine expert Alexis Lichine bought the estate and acquired nearby vineyards. Until his death in 1989, Lichine made major improvements to the estate, which grew to 185 acres. In 1990 the estate was sold to the Ballande Group, a New Zealand business conglomerate. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that under the Ballande Group “Prieure-Lichine is now one of the more exciting up-and-coming properties of the Margaux appellation.”

REGION

France, Bordeaux, Margaux

Margaux is one of Bordeaux’s most famous appellations and also one of its largest, with about 3,400 acres of vineyards. Located on the Left Bank of the Gironde River, Margaux has the greatest number of classified-growth châteaux (or crus classé) according to the 1855 classification. There are twenty-one crus classé, including the most famous estate, the first growth Château Margaux. The Margaux appellation includes vineyards around the village of Margaux and the villages of Arsac, Cantenac, d’Issan, Labarde and Soussans. Wines from the best Margaux châteaux and vintages are prized for their perfumey fragrance and elegant, silky mouthfeel. Margaux wines are predominately Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

VINTAGE

2020 Château Prieure-Lichine