2020 Durfort Vivens

The 2020 Durfort-Vivens is aged in two-thirds new barrel and one-third amphora. It has a fresh and lively bouquet, black cherries intermixed with veins of blue fruit, very pure and oddly Burgundy-like. The oak is nicely integrated. The palate is well balanced with grainy tannins, quite strict and saline, lightly spiced and then easing down with a pliant, graphite-tinged, almost Pauillac-like finish. Give this 4-6 years in bottle.

The 2020 Durfort-Vivens is a dense, concentrated wine, just as it was en primeur. Blackberry jam, grilled herbs, lavender, menthol and chocolate are some of the many notes that build as the 2020 shows off its breadth and sheer power. Striking inner perfume and sweet aromatics lend an exotic flair that is so distinctive. Superb.

Beautiful depth and character of fruit here, understated power, lilac, peony, wet stones, blackcurrant, slate tannins, edges of oyster shell and rosemary spice. This has density without weight. Showcases the seriousness of the vintage, with its wall of tannins, but they have become more supple over ageing. Excellent wine, an upscore from En Primeur. 40% of production in the Grand Vin (this has been brought down significantly with the arrival of the plot-focused wines from the 2019 vintage, as before owner Gonzargue Lurton was regularly producing 70% Grand Vin). 66% new oak, with the rest aged in amphora, 3.65ph.