55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot

Food pairings: Grilled or roasted beef such as ribeye or entrecôte, herb-crusted rack or roast leg of lamb, game, and dishes with red-wine sauces.

Scores:

• 96 points, James Suckling
• 95 points, Jeb Dunnuck

Winemaking: The grapes were picked entirely by hand into small crates, Merlot from September 15 to 22 and Cabernet Sauvignon from September 23 to October 1, then optically sorted and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats, with part of the malolactic fermentation in new barrels. The wine aged 18 months in French oak barrels. A wet, mild winter that lingered into spring made 2020 a very early vintage; the team worked intensively to keep the vineyard healthy under disease pressure, and the result is a sunny, rich, spicy wine that stays taut and fresh.

Vineyards and terroir: The vineyard is spread over 11 different soil types across Pauillac, making it one of the most representative of the appellation's diversity of terroirs.

Family and history: The story began in 1675, when Arnaud Ducasse bought a modest house on the riverbank in Pauillac. Pierre Ducasse later extended the estate across the parishes of Pauillac, Saint-Lambert and Saint-Sauveur, and in 1820 his son built the château's winery on the quays facing the Gironde estuary, where it still vinifies today. The estate was classified as a Fifth Growth in 1855. Since 2004 it has belonged to CA Grands Crus, a subsidiary of the Crédit Agricole group, which has invested heavily in its 'Renaissance' plan; the team is led by executive director and winemaker Anne Le Naour.

In the pictures: Harvest in the vineyards of Château Grand-Puy Ducasse (photo: courtesy of Château Grand-Puy Ducasse).