Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru 2020
(Morey Saint Denis, Burgundy) - [JM 96-98] [DM 97] [VM 95-97] [WA 96] [WS 96] [BH 95]

Ratings & Reviews

96-98 Points - Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy:
"I tasted five of the 11 individual parcellaire cuvées – everything makes it in to the final blend except for the young vine block notes in the Morey 1er Cru. Jacques is adamant that the final wine should respect the totality of the Clos. Then we tried the blend: already, this seems to have taken on a deeper colour than any of the individual cuvees. Deep dense dark fruit, with a powerful underlying dark raspberry with some more lifted rose petal notes. Probably 85% whole bunch overall but the power of the fruit stops this taking the lead. It does underpin the whole though, especially on the palate, while there is also a crystalline limestone purity behind the sweetly ripe red berry fruit. The 2020 Lambrays has more heart to it than most vintages I have tasted in barrel. There is a fine long finish, a little liquorice touch, a complex and ageworthy Lambrays. Delicacy with a strong tensile thread. Tannins by analysis are very significant but you don’t see them. From now on, the wine will spend a second winter in barrel each year. I toyed with not giving the wine 5 stars, to leave the new team something to aim at, but the wine merits the top classification." *Five Stars* (12/21)

97 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"Jacques Devauges keeps each portion of the Clos des Lambrays separate throughout the growing season, winemaking and maturation. The final assemblage of each part, however, is synergistically better than any of the separate sections, and there are elements of lovely bright fruit, impressive complexity and dense structure along with fresh, lively and youthful exuberance that all co-exist. A tour de force of winemaking that manages to express the profound nature of the Clos des Lambrays." – Charles Curtis MW (Nov 2021)

95-97 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2020 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru comprises of 80% to 85% whole bunch this year. Since 2019, Jacques Devauges has utilized smaller tanks to vinify subplots separately and raised in several cooperages rather than just Francois Freres (60% new oak). It has a classically-styled bouquet, very well defined, very fresh, red berry fruit with touches of shucked oyster shell, light loamy aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with very pliant tannins, very fresh and full of tension. The minerality clearly comes through on the finish that is far more precise than previous vintages, long and tender on the aftertaste. Cool, calm and collected, this is a riveting Clos de Lambrays." - Neal Martin (Dec 2021)

96 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"Revisited in bottle, the 2020 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru unwinds in the glass with a deep bouquet of cassis, wild berries, rose petals, sweet spices and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's rich and textural, with an ample core of fruit, beautifully powdery tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, mouthwatering finish. Youthfully reserved, like many 2020s, this nonetheless stands out as the finest Clos des Lambrays of the 21st century—for now!" - William Kelley (1/23)

96 Points - Wine Spectator:
"A fresh red, with black currant and black cherry flavors shaded by floral, iron, earth and spice elements. Fluid and on the elegant side, with a solid underlying framework of tannins. Turns a bit leaner on the finish -- a good sign for future development. Best from 2027 through 2048." -BS (2/2023)

95 Points - Allen Meadows' BurgHound:
"Restrained, cool and elegant aromas are comprised of ripe poached plum, dark currant, anise, rose petal and a hint of earth. The succulent, concentrated and relatively powerful larger-scaled flavors exude evident salinity on the firm, serious, complex and beautifully persistent finale. Patience strongly suggested because while this could very likely be approached after only 7 to 8 years, it should fully repay 15+ years of keeping." (1/23)