After tasting more than 950 Bordeaux 2021 en primeur samples, Georgie Hindle has given her full verdict on the new vintage.
Here we present a quick and easy way to see tasting notes and scores for the top 162 wines from the Left Bank all with 90 points or above.
Producer
Appellation
Vintage
Score
Notes
Château Margaux
Margaux (1er Cru Classé)
2021
97
A dark nose, serious and a bit closed, though there is such complexity on the palate. You get the tannic feel in the mouth straight away, mouthfilling, ample, generous and chewy - these tannins have weight and density but are lifted by the bright, high-definition cherry, strawberry and raspberry acidity underneath keeping things vibrant and fresh with a sour cherry and stoney minerality on the finish. Exceptional balance and sculpting, this has energy but also poise. Sophisticated glamour in full force, svelte and suave - this is a wine that aims to please. Definitely one of the most thrilling and captivating wines of the vintage! 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 36% grand vin.
Château Lafite Rothschild
Pauillac (1er Cru Classé)
2021
97
Surely a contender for wine of the vintage, certainly on the Left Bank. Vibrant and explosive, what a wine in 2021. Graphite, black chocolate, black pepper and blackcurrant aromas but also with floral edges - so intense! Supple and racy on the palate, this is a firecracker of a Lafite, so much energy and acidity that you get this rush of red and black fruits then the stoney minerality and then the spice. It's sharp and racy with the length that goes on and on. You get it all here but so well delivered, real refinement and elegance in terms of fruit precision and clarity but it's just so energetic and bright. This puts you squarely in Bordeaux with the lively and balanced freshness with these gorgeous powerful and structured Cabernet aspects telling you it's from Pauillac, ending with liquorice, stone, graphite and toasted spice from the one block of old-vine Petit Verdot that went into the blend this year. Vibrant and explosive - an absolute thoroughbred - albeit a young one! Made with 96% Cabernet as opposed to a usual amount between 80-85%. A yield of 33hl/ha. The first year of full organic farming also in 2021.
Château Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan (1er Cru Classé)
2021
97
One of the absolute stand out wines on 2021 with an electric appeal almost unrivalled in the vintage. Blackcurrant leaf, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, rose petals, sweet cherries and bramble fruits on the nose. Incredibly lively and energetic on the palate with a burst of sharp, sweet and sour fruits that just fills the mouth coated by chalk, slate and pencil lead mineral tannins that give a intensity while the fruit persistency lingers above and through to the long finish. Such delicacy yet multi-layered and full of concentration, clear ripeness and power, though delivered with suaveness and style. Tannins are firm and robust, mouthfilling, no doubt about that, but they give the structure and frame to the plush and plump fruit which also has such a crystalline purity to it. I love the intensity and also these spicy bitter dark chocolate and liquorice elements on the finish which give nuance.
Château Rauzan-Ségla
Margaux (2ème Cru Classé)
2021
96
A showstopper of a wine for me in 2021. Wonderful aromatic intensity on the nose filled with perfumed fruits, chocolate and wild flowers. Gorgeous clarity and precision, the tannins are fine and powdery supporting the vibrant and energetic purple and black fruit; zingy blackcurrant, strawberry, cherry and plum with an overall creamy chalky texture and grip. Elegant and glamorous - so much styling on show, it feels polished and pristine with clear markings from the terroir but no harshness or austerity just great acidity and liveliness. Such mouthwatering salivation and lift at the end making you want another glass just to taste it again. Tasted twice and both times I loved it. Pure and precise with everything you want from a 2021. A yield of 38hl/ha. Ageing 18 months, 60% new barrels.
Château Palmer
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2021
96
Perfumed chocolate cherries with bramble tones on the nose. This has a rich and round mouthfeel, clear structure on show but also with life and lift - a sweet, bright cherry element given definition by strict but fine tannins. You have a really beautiful, delicate opening, quite wide and airy then the depth arrives on the Mid-palate, with chalky tannins and red fruits coming into play before the spiced liquorice enters on the finish. The texture is striking, velvet-like with layers and a sublime verticality of freshness and minty aeration. It may be less glamourous and overtly plush and seductive than bigger previous vintages but I love the classicism on show - a focus, precision and sophistication. Superb winemaking from Thomas Duroux who successfully navigated the difficult vintage conditions in 2021.
Château Mouton Rothschild
Pauillac (1er Cru Classé)
2021
96
Gorgeous deep pink purple rim to the glass. The nose is bright and intense, heady with perfumed aromatics and edges of graphite, cocoa and sweet red cherries. Such clarity on the palate, excellent tension from the get go with beautifully expressed cherry and strawberry fruit that has a soft, ripe fleshy core. The tannins are fine but plentiful, coating the mouth providing the structure and frame. This has such a sense of quiet confidence - it's not shouting so much but gently showing off its many layers of fruit, acidity, minerality and freshness. This really grows on you, expanding and deepening as the flavours travel across the palate, coming in waves. Understated and introverted at the moment but still harmonious and classy. I love it. Just 41% of grand vin. 3.73pH.
Château Latour
Pauillac (1er Cru Classé)
2021
96
Peony on the nose, blood orange, some cinnamon too, with milk chocolate and blackcurrant, soft and delicate, a little closed at first but opens up after a few minutes into the most delectable aromatic display with some earthy notes too. Smooth and so satisfying, a clear jump up between all three wines this year. This really expands in the mouth, starting off fresh and fruity - austere and high-toned, almost sharp - with vibrant strawberry leaf and raspberry fruits then the salinity and minerality. The tannins come in giving structure and frame, chalky and super fine, it's the mineral notes that settle on the tongue, almost spicy in their architecture, then the expansive finish widening the whole palate, giving freshness and generosity to the aromatics. Definitely youthful as you'd expect, this has tension and is still so coiled right now but the sculpting is there as is the liveliness. This is both fun and serious, presenting fresh fruit balanced acidity and that iron fist structure that grows and grows. Such beautiful length here, you feel the precision and the detail. An excellent Latour with surefire capacity to have a very long life indeed. 6.8% press wine. 39.2% grand vin.
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Pauillac (2ème Cru Classé)
2021
96
Cocoa powder, iris notes, pink roses and black fruits - so fragrant - you just want to smell the wines in 2021 for hours. This is a seriously impressive Comtesse and stands out as one of my favourite wines of the vintage with real promise. Power and depth from the get go, tannins are massy, softly fleshy but also provide support and structure, giving layers to the fruit and savoury elements that combine clove, cedar, cola, vanilla and cinnamon with teeth-coating liquorice and graphite too - the soft salinity entering towards the finish. It's concentrated and serious with a tightly knitted core, a consequence of the tiny yields and strict selection as well as the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend since 2013. I love the terroir signature on show in the glass as well as an overall sense of retaining elegance and finesse. A top buy for me! 3.76pH, 75IPT. 18-19 months ageing. Tasted twice.
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan
2021
96
Beautiful aromatic complexity on the nose, floral nuances and expressive blackcurrant, black cherry and dark chocolate but you're really getting the perfumed Cabernet fruit. This has an instant presence in the mouth, fully flavoured and juicy but so balanced, nothing sticking out, with the elegance of the ripe cool fruit touching the sides of the mouth. Tannins are present but fine and gently grippy with detail and definition to them. This has a lot of life for the vintage, one of the more full, round wines with chewy, fleshy tannins. The Cabernet gives backbone and density, the Merlot ripe red fruits, and then the chalky, slate, pencil lead, graphite salinity of the terroir comes in on the finish, giving that nuance, the sense of place and the vintage. Great rise and persistence all the way through, such drive but also lift, it doesn't let up. A stand-out wine - extremely classy and memorable. Skilled winemaking on show from Guillaume Pouthier. 5% more tannins than in 2020 which was already high. Grapes were picked at a natural alcohol of 14.2% so no chaptalisation here. 3.6pH. 45% whole bunches. Ageing in 70% new oak, 20% new foundre and 10% amphoras.
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé)
2021
96
Beautiful and beguiling nose, perfumed blackcurrants and dark fruits; damsons, plums, raspberries and rose petals. Lovely crunchy fruit, real bite and presence in the mouth. Excellent precision, tannins are succulent and ripe they fill the mouth with a juicy, intense granular texture. There is such depth to this - perfume, tobacco, earth, violets and concentrated fruits that have a verticality to them with an unprecedented 98% of Cabernet Sauvignon providing the support and the backbone. There is a crystalline purity to the fruit giving tension to the overall frame, it’s focused and driven all with excellent definition. This is not a wallflower of a wine - it’s charming and confident, strutting its stuff right now and giving you absolut St-Julien terroir and vintage markers in the glass with slate, graphite and liquorice salinity on show. Skilled winemaking on show.
Château Brane-Cantenac
Margaux (2ème Cru Classé)
2021
95
A dark seductive nose, liquorice, sweet and sticky with a real depth to the aromatics, black chocolate and perfumed blackcurrants - that glamour that Margaux does so well. High acid here, crunchy fruit with bite and ample appeal. This is a little high-toned still, with the focus on the mineral, slightly austere sides to the bright and youthful strawberry fruit with toasted wood edges. Tannins are so supple and integrated however, they give a plumpness but this is still quite a linear wine, with such tension and drive - it's tightly-knitted no doubt but has the most gorgeous herbal Cabernet elements on the fresh finish which I totally love. You get understated power, this feels well controlled, sophisticated and totally delectable. What a lovely 2021. Eric Boissenot consultant. 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère complete the blend. 3.66pH.
Château Pichon Baron
Pauillac (2ème Cru Classé)
2021
95
The highest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon ever in the blend at 88% completed by 12% Merlot. Cool red and blue fruits on the nose, smells so welcoming with blueberry, vanilla and cola notes. A soft succulence straight away so you know there is good acidity but the structure and the delicate tannins take over and fill the mouth, giving great Cabernet savoury and herbal aspects, filling and expansive while delivering the crystalline purity on the tongue in terms of texture. Tannins are so fine, but this is rich in its depth yet still so focused and straight. The Mid-palate has weight but there’s such drive and energy. The lick of stone is welcoming, giving the salinity and yet another element to taste and contemplate. Mighty, thrilling and a joy to taste. Elegant and classic in the best way - this will need some time but will be excellent.
Château Pontet-Canet
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
95
Gorgeous fragrance on the nose, so perfumed and floral - really vibrant - you can smell the Cabernet and the Petit Verdot on the nose. Juiciness straight away from a burst of high acidity focused on blackcurrant and black cherry with both a fragrance, spice and minerality following. This really hits you square on - it's not opulent but it’s so fully flavoured, forward and upfront. Tannins are fine-grained but plentiful, they hold the structure and give the frame while the creaminess and freshness gives an expansive aspect to the palate. There's refinement and an aerial quality here despite the clear Pauillac power. The Cabernet fruit is in full shine mode, giving a eucalyptus, perfumed berry and black pepper touch. Structured and supple with grape and terroir characteristics. If you love Pontet, and classic Pauillac claret, this is an impressive reference point. Skilled winemaking from technical director Mathieu Bessonet. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Château Lynch-Bages
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
95
Sweet blackcurrant fruit on the nose, softly jammy and expressive. You can really feel the ripeness here, grapes got full maturity and this is plush, mouthfilling and plump with chewy tannins - more opulent and perfumed than others also with more power and body. Tannins are mouthfilling and you get the stone minerality and the Cabernet freshness that really takes over giving this a sense of tension and grip. A really characterful and expressive Pauillac where the tannins and acidity perfectly compliment each other with the muscular and concentrated fruit also giving a multi-faceted dimension. 3% Cabernet Sauvignon completes the blend. 3.72pH. Ageing 75% new barrels.
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
95
A superb GPL this year with one the highest percentages of Cabernet in the blend. Rose hawthorn notes on the nose - really nuanced. A little bit more closed on the palate in terms of overt acidity and fruit but this has such a beautiful texture, silky smooth with fine tannins that are persistent and mouthfilling but very elegant too, they frame the ripe fruit and mineral flavours - lots of bitter black chocolate and liquorice on this as well as salinity too. This has a much more subtle power than many others - a tense core, tightly wrapped but presenting a lovely juicy fragrant cherry flavour with terroir markers in the liquorice and lick of wet stone and the gorgeous Cabernet eucalyptus on show. So much potential - this will be excellent. I love it! Once it comes around it will have a very long life indeed. Ageing 75% new barrels. 55% grand vin.
Château Haut-Bailly
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2021
95
Seductive blackcurrant and juniper with purple floral touches on the nose. Smooth texture with high acidity giving sharp strawberry fruit balanced by both savoury and mineral touches - slate, crushed stone, smoke, violets and dark chocolate - very much in the style of the vintage with no harshness or overt opulence but instead gives a pure sense of classicism, restraint and refinement. Elegant and well structured with a long determined finish - this will continue to deliver pleasure for a long time. 10% press wine. No chaptalisation. 30% grand vin. 3.9pH. 3% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. Yield 19hl/ha. First year in the new cellar.
Château La Mission Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2021
95
Rose, violets and peonies on the nose, with dark chocolate and cassis, smells like liqueur chocolates, perfumed and aromatic. A crystalline quality to the fruit, so driven and pure on the palate. Energetic and lively filled with strawberry, raspberry, red cherry and plum - direct with a vein of exotic spice - cinnamon and clove, as well as touches of orange, bitter grapefruit, dark chocolate and crushed stone. Such a lot going on here, but so well delivered with intensity and direction with racy acidity that keeps everything lifted the whole way through. Lovely minerality on the tongue, the graphite lingering with the juiciness that is still so mouthwatering even on the finish. Compelling and charming.
Château Montrose
St-Estèphe (2ème Cru Classé)
2021
95
Beautiful perfume on the nose, really fragrant and seductive, deep and heady but beguiling too. You get chunky, chewy fruit here - this is round, plump and filling a consequence of the slightly more Merlot in the blend than usual - opposed to more Cabernet seen elsewhere. It has a luscious appealing fruitiness then the austerity kicks in, with a vein of salinity and minerality, such a linear, quite strict middle where you get severity in the texture giving it some rigidity but you also have such great depth on the Mid-palate, the layers of fruit and spice that linger giving such a core of flavour. A sense of power, intensity and concentration but also with acidity keeping everything lifted. A stately wine with lots of potential. Pierre Graffeuille replaces Hervé Berland here, having arrived in March and taking over fully in October. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 39% grand vin.
Château Cos d'Estournel
St-Estèphe (2ème Cru Classé)
2021
95
Super rich dark berries on the nose, fragrant and seductive, this draws you in both from the nose and colour with a deep, inky purple and pink tone. Charming and lively, this is sophisticated with a minty, fresh, high-toned fruit profile that is poised and focused, delivering each element in a straight line right now. Not so expansive but layered vertically with tobacco, coffee, dark chocolate and vanilla notes alongside bramble fruits. It’s tightly packaged but so refined, elegant and classy. One to watch for sure. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Château Calon Ségur
St-Estèphe (3ème Cru Classé)
2021
95
A fine Calon Ségur this year with 92% Cabernet, the highest in the blend since the 2009 vintage. This is rich and dark with a spiced nose full of black chocolate and black pepper edged by soft floral notes. Graceful and refined on the palate bursting with freshness and such integrated tannins. Smooth but on the mineral edge so you get that hint of austerity/salinity together with the acidity giving this some sharpness and high definition. It's got concentration and depth but at the moment it's so linear and detailed in its precision that it's coming across very straight and taut. Tannins have some grpi and this has a nice weight on the Mid-palate leading into a long finish. I adore the sweet salty tang at the end. I'm looking forward to tasting this in bottle. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.65pH. No chaptalisation. A yield of 36hl/ha. 20 months ageing, 100% new oak barrels.
Château Léoville-Las Cases
St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé)
2021
95
A brilliant Las Cases in 2021. Quite a savoury nose - dark chocolate covered blackcurrants, like a Black Forest gâteau as well as such signature Cabernet markers - green pepper, black pepper and mint. This is serious, not as immediately charming or expressive, but grows in stature, expanding slowly while still maintaining a tight, focused core. Spiced on the tongue, quite marked with sharp fruit that has an almost sour tang to it. You get the Cabernet Franc spice for sure - the highest percentage ever at 15% - alongside structure, length and intention. Acidity is well balanced and the tannins are so fine. Such purity of grape characteristics and terroir markers. Classic in the absolute best sense, there’s no hiding with every detail on show and in time this will be brilliant. Ageing in 85% new barrels. 3.66pH.
Château Léoville Poyferré
St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé)
2021
95
Beautifully fragranced on the nose - floral-edged ripe bramble fruits. Nicely detailed and presents, despite a clear youthful tannic structure this has layers of flavour with ripe and sweet fruit nuances balanced by a mineral grip, salty touches and cool fresh mint leaf notes. It's more of a contemplative wine, needing a few minutes and several tastes for the flavours to expand in the mouth, gaining in density yet keeping a lightness of touch and refinement. Such finesse going on here. The austerity is balanced with the ripe fruits so you're getting so many elements at play at once. This is complex and sensuous, you have the precise defined and well-worked fruit, so clear with poise, then the tannic strength though fine texture and a long, lifted finish. This has real class, and such estate signature with dark sweet liquorice touches at the end too. Really very captivating and a success. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Julien Viaud consultant. Tasted twice. 3.84pH. Ageing 18 to 20 months in oak barrels, 80% new, 20% one year.
Château Gruaud-Larose
St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé)
2021
95
Black peppercorns, tobacco, ash, vanilla, cinnamon and cedar spice. A gorgeous mouthfeel straight away, the tannins so plump, not heavy or opulent but filling and ripe. This has a charming gentle aspect - a smooth, sleek texture with concentration. Supple and agile, there is lots of energy here, filled with red fruit flavours that have a delicate, sweet liquorice edge. Acidity does not overtake the fruit at all, just lifts the palate all the way through. Excellent work, immensely pleasurable, well framed with promise for long ageing. More Cabernet in the blend than usual. Ageing 14 months in French oak barrels, 15% new, the rest one year old.
Château Durfort-Vivens
Margaux (2ème Cru Classé)
2021
94
Bright red berries on the nose - strawberry and raspberry, softly fragrant with rose petal, violets and dark chocolate scents. Succulent and really delicately juicy with the perfume surrounding the berries on the palate with a soft chalky, minerality coming through from the acidity. Lovely balance, this is fresh and so alive but also deeply flavoured, with the Cabernet (97% of the blend) mint markers in abundance. Delicious and vibrant, still with a youthful energy and a precise tannic structure giving the frame. You can tell they got maturity, but have also achieved perfect extraction giving just the right weight without bitterness or any harsh tannins - and an exceptional length giving an abundance of freshness. Total Margaux glamour on show in a vintage where it was harder to find than usual. A surefire must buy! 30th vintage by Gonzague Lurton. A yield of 35hl/ha. Ageing in 70% new oak barrels and 30% amphoras.
Château Duhart-Milon
Pauillac (4ème Cru Classé)
2021
94
Tobacco, green pepper, eucalyptus, subtle violet perfume too - black pepper and the crushed stone aspect. Smooth and super silky, this is round with a lovely definition to the fruit, so clean and pure, with an appealing creaminess that comes across as flavour but also texture. The tannins are well integrated, just cushioning the fruit but providing the silky carpet on which they travel from start to finish. This does have a darker core also with a liquorice, sweet tobacco and coffee granule aspect from the Cabernet coming through and settling on the tongue giving a piquance but there's excellent harmony here. Supple and succulent with excellent clarity - really very characterful, I love it. A high percentage of Cabernet in the blend this year, usually between 60-70%.
Domaine de Chevalier
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2021
94
Aromatic nose, perfumed black fruits, bramble tones and a touch of sweet spice. Round and mouthfilling, this has good density and depth for the vintage, tannins are on the juicy plump side with a dry grippy texture though satisfying not austere with the fruit powering through giving cherry and blackcurrant flavours. This has good persistency and doesn't let up - it's not a showstopper at this point but I love the quality of the fruit and the tannins and the lifted acidity as well as the darker more savoury elements of liquorice, black chocolate, graphite and smoked cedar that come in towards the end. Lots going on here with good potential. You get the impression nothing is hiding and I love that. Really the grapes and the terroir on show. A good success and will be interesting to taste in bottle. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2021
94
Gorgeous aromas on the nose, so expressive with blackcurrant, plum, damson, strawberry and red cherry all abounding out of the glass. This has style and substance on the palate, the sour cherry, blackcurrant and blueberry covered in the terroir markers of slate, graphite, pencil lead and liquorice which are the drivers on the palate, the fruit taking a backseat right now though there is cohesion with verticality and an undercurrent of freshness. The energy is there, almost latent, it’s under the surface, brimming, not yet ready to go but it will be there in time. This has refinement and you feel they haven't pushed too hard. It’s definitely got the markers of the vintage, the coolness of the year, showing the grapes and terroir even more clearly in the glass, especially the spiced Cabernet aspects. I love the style and the no frills effect. It’s got a super long length too with enough class on show you know it will age well.
Château Pape Clément
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2021
94
Concentrated and intense nose with subtle violet and perfume flecks. Quite chewy and grippy on the palate, this has more of a chunky frame than many others with mouthwatering acidity, plush tannins and a good dose of strawberry, blackcurrant and black cherry fruit edged by eucalyptus and liquorice. You get the liveliness but also the density and the gentle power and I love the minerality at the end, a touch of salinity as well as cedar, clove, bitter dark chocolate and slate. You've got a lot going on with this wine and it's one of the more confident wines from the Bernard Magrez stable in the vintage. This could be very excellent. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Tasted twice.
Château Phélan Ségur
St-Estèphe
2021
94
One of the absolute standouts for me this year. A dark and brooding nose with purity and concentration. The palate is finely textured with mineral-laced tannins that give grip in the mouth but letting the nuances of fruit and acidity play out in harmony. I love the intensity, it's rich but perfectly executed - elegant and finessed with balance and charm but above all a sense of energy and freshness that makes it one of the more memorable wines. Despite the challenges of the vintage, the fruit is ripe and dense and this gives no drop in the Mid-palate, sustaining pace and directness from start to finish. This is the first time to have such high percentages of both Cabernet Sauvignon (75%) and Petit Verdot (4%) in the blend. A gorgeous wine that has such promise. A surefire must buy and what should be great value too. Tasted twice and both times this was delicious with exceptional freshness and longevity.
Château Léoville Barton
St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé)
2021
94
Heady on the nose, perfumed and scented. The palate is alive and playful, delivering high acidity but also focused fruit so it's both lightly framed and fun but also savoury and serious. Smooth and silky tannins give the gentle frame letting the strawberry, creamy raspberry and red cherry fruit do the talking. It's unfussy, all the elements to the fore but all well balanced with a charming texture overall and persistence of high-toned red berry fruits with saline sides. Hints of green pepper, black pepper, slate and pencil lead on the finish. I like this a lot!
Château Branaire-Ducru
St-Julien (4ème Cru Classé)
2021
94
Purple and pink flowers on the nose, sweet strawberries and cherries and some milk chocolate notes. Delicate and poised on the palate, this has an air of elegance and refinement from the first sip, the sleek tannins giving support and a fine grip while the herbal Cabernet and Petit Verdot touches give spice, bright summer berry fruit and tension. This has a good core and persistence of flavour that doesn't let up, not weighty of particularly dense, but well defined and focused. Stylish and glamorous in the best way while being understated - a difficult feat in 2021. Totally moreish and just so well constructed and delivered. A top wine! You get energy and precision here but it's the understated character I like so much, it just grows and grows quietly and then leaves you with the lingering impression of the beauty of St-Julien.
Château Beychevelle
St-Julien (4ème Cru Classé)
2021
94
Darkly herbal, spiced and perfumed nose. Supple, fruity, forward and lively, this has an initial vivacious and pulsing energy that settles giving some green pepper, eucalyptus and cedar notes as well as liquorice and clove which then dominate the finish. It starts well, with such pace, and you feel the fruit has been well worked with tannins that are silky and fine. This has density and chew which I love as well as structure and backbone wine overall finesse. Great potential here.
Franc de Pied
Margaux
2021
93
A 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine from ungrafted vines and aged in clay amphora. Fragrant nose, pot pourri, dried flowers and some dried herbs also, oregano and blackcurrants. high-toned, quite fine tannins and a fine lick of stone edges the black fruit - it's not as chunky or chewy as expected, more on the austerity side right now though it does increase and expand with 15 minutes in the glass thought still with the minerality to the fore - the graphite, crushed stone, liquorice notes coming through as flavours and textures settling on the tongue and spread across the mouth. Lovely clarity and rush of bright and sweet red berry juice. Fine, smooth and delicate tannins - this has a nice frame and structure with superior freshness, aromatic complexity and long finish. An interesting new wine in the range with lovely Cabernet aspects on show, perhaps still feeling the youth of the vines in the wine but this is an interesting project. 2,000 bottle production. A cost of around 1,500 euros a bottle.
Château Rauzan-Ségla, Segla
Margaux
2021
93
Bramble tones on the nose, slightly stalky with creamy perfumed blackcurrants. Super sour, the acidity is high straight away - really blasting the mouth with such a hit of mouthwatering acidity which then settles and brings a refreshing nuance and minty aspect that fills the mouth. The Cabernet really showing its muscle but still so smooth and refined. Feels very classy with such aeration in the mouth. You get a sharp acidity, freshness and structure all wrapped up in a silky smooth blanket. I love the sweet red cherry and strawberry fruit from the Merlot, it’s striking, but well worked, well balanced with structured tannins. It’s crisp and vibrant and extremely drinkable. 3.37pH. Ageing 16-18 months, 30% new oak barrels.
Château Palmer, Alter Ego
Margaux
2021
93
Cigar box, tobacco, cedar and cinnamon - really gorgeous savoury tones with smoked earth and dark chocolate mingling with the black fruits. High acid, touching on sharp and slightly sherbety but there is a lovely chew to the fruits, mouthfilling, mouthwatering and appealing with the freshness from the higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Smooth and delicate with a layer of seduction in the richness of the fruit and the overall depth. Wide flavours in the mouth, expansive and open with bright strawberry and red cherry juice at the end, so sweet and succulent and moreish. Not so exuberant but full of easy enjoyment, a successful second wine in 2021.
Château Margaux, Pavillon Rouge
Margaux
2021
93
Soft rose-touched blackcurrants, really quite delicate and pretty yet also expressive, the aromas clearly discernible in the glass with a vivid pink-purple rim. So smooth and quite sensuous, you get the crushed velvet texture and thrashing acidity straight away, giving a round mouth, with these spikes of piquancy from the Petit Verdot. Really quite perfumed too. Vibrant with an excellent aromatic display and so much freshness. It’s on the tightrope - balancing the austerity and the plushness, the richness and the delicacy, the acidity and the structure. Tastes young and sparky, like a racing car ready to go, all energetic and buzzed. A great second wine. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Château Giscours
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2021
93
Rich but so delicate, generous but refined, this has a lovely grip of fruit in the mouth - cooling blueberries and black cherries and plums with a soft mouth-watering effect. The tannins are textured and fill the mouth with a minerality and salinity - slate, liquorice, ash, tobacco and cinnamon. The overall motion is excellent and I love the acidity and the bite of the flavours. A very dynamic wine and one that will give a lot of enjoyment.
Château d'Issan
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2021
93
Dark and deep on the nose, seductive, that beautiful Margaux glamour and elegance - it's completely captivating with hints of violet and rose too after a few minutes. So succulent and juicy on the palate, the tannins are silky, barely present in terms of overt texture but they do give support so you get a great mouthfeel here. The definition is excellent, a real precision of fruit with richness and energy, these beautiful redcurrant, raspberry, blackcurrant and black cherry flavours. It's bright and almost lightly framed, gliding across the palate giving bright fruit with some soft perfume. It grows on the palate, at first being quite light and pleasant then deeping and becoming more refined with different elements coming on show. Well extracted with the aromatics taking centre stage instead of overt power or tannic interference. A joy to drink! 2% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot complete the blend. 3.60pH. Slightly more Cabernet in the blend this year. 45% grand vin, 55% second wine.
Château Cantenac Brown
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2021
93
Perfumed black cherries and raspberries on the nose. Lovely sculpting, you get waves of juicy, bright, red summer berries and just-ripe red cherries with creamy, chalky edges. Tannins are present and linger on the tongue, gently gripping the flavours. This has great character, not too dense nor expansive, but good definition, energy and classicism with slate and crushed stone. Touch of bitter black chocolate marks the finish which is extremely attractive. Excellent job from winemaker José Sanfins.
Château du Tertre
Margaux (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
93
Green pepper, toasted wood and clove aromas with blackcurrant and violet aromas. This has a lovely weight and texture on the palate, a gentle sucrosity and succulence with mouthwatering acidity giving life to the ripe black fruits alongside cocoa powder, tobacco and typical Cabernet markers on the finish. Super charming, still with tension and direction - also with the spiced elements to the fore - but there is good persistency and a sense of contained power with very appealing minty touches. Well balanced and presented. Tasted twice. A yield of 37hl/ha.
Château Haut-Batailley
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
93
Open and violet-scented bramble fruits, some smoked cherries and milk chocolate. Smooth and supple, this has generosity of fruit, acidity and velvety tannins. Round and just so delicious, really very moreish, all in balance with the texture that is both fine as well as plump, giving this total mouth-coating feel with a delicacy but also depth of flavour. Extremely approachable even at this stage with so much life and energy but well controlled too. I love this! The creamy, chalky edges are so appealing, it's by no means a showstopper but for balance, harmony and a lovely fresh and soft and gentle Claret it's delicious. That mint, liquorice ending is great too. Has persistence and length. Eric Boissenot consultant. 3.74pH.
Château Haut-Bages Libéral
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
93
Very aromatic on the nose, this has savoury, fruit and floral tones; liquorice, cola and earth with cranberries, strawberries and black cherries. Dense and quite darkly fruited on the palate but with a brightness from the acidity giving a mouthwatering attack before the flavours deepen and widen in the mouth. So many layers, really showing the Pauillac power: everything presented in high definition with a bold structure even though the individual elements are so precise and defined. It's racy and confident but also complex with a spiced cedar, clove, cinnamon, liquorice and wet stone/ chalky element to the tannins that fill the mouth and don't let go. A lovely wine with lots of potential from Claire Villars-Lurton! 65% grand vin. A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon - the highest percentage ever - and 10% Merlot, which usually comprises between 15 to 25% of the blend. 11.5% press wine. Ageing 16 months, 40% new oak, 40% one-year-old oak, 20% amphoras.
Château d'Armailhac
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
93
Succulent and softly supple, this has lots of energy and pace with bright red fruits, raspberries and cherries, alongside sweet spices and perfumed nuances. The acidity is so well judged it lifts the palate and delivers the individual elements with precision and poise, so you get a playful, friendly and upfront wine offering so much pleasure. I love the clarity here too, the sheer chalky and saline texture on the tongue; it feels clean and clear with a pristine quality. This will be a fabulous wine! 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.72pH. The first vintage to be vinified in the new winery which was completed just in time for the harvest.
Château Clerc Milon
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
93
Bramble and hedgerow notes, some smoke, tobacco, chocolate, liquorice-laced black fruits and graphite on the nose. Seriously captivating with the complexity continuing on the palate, comprising coffee, cedar, clove and cinnamon alongside plump and plush layers of succulent and concentrated blackcurrant and black cherry fruit and racy acidity. The 59% Cabernet Sauvignon influence is in sharp focus, right to the fore, wanting all the attention, but at the same time this has a beautiful and generous fragrance to it from 10% Cabernet Franc. Refined and elegant, I love the presentation and the structure, giving such length and freshness on the long finish. An excellent Clerc this year and really stands out. 1.5% Camenère and 1.5 Petit Verdot complete the blend. 3.73pH.
Château de Cruzeau
Pessac-Léognan
2021
93
Lovely aromatics on the nose. Succulent but with a gentle acidity so you get a really soft mouthwatering effect as well as sweet, jammy but also fresh fruit - cooling blueberries, creamy plums and black cherries. Feels supple and well worked with a distinct freshness and precision. I love that lick of stone on the finish too. Sustained and direct with presence and intention. Great stuff this vintage!
Château Malartic-Lagravière
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2021
93
Beautiful aromatics, richLy scented with a ton of black fruits on the nose. Bright and fun, this has great fruit expression. It's edging on high-toned, so you get that sharp hit of fruit rather than dense and plush but it has such clarity and precision of tannins, fine and softly gripping the mouth. Well worked and presented, this is charming in a gentle way with great acidity, bright fruits and a subtle mineral vein underneath. Feels joyful and easy to like and will gain in structure over ageing that will plump up the beautiful fruit some more. Really lovely. Elegance and charm here. I love this. It's light footed and fresh. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Château Olivier
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2021
93
Lovely nose of sour cherry, caramel, roses and blackcurrants; so expressive. Dense and chewy fruit on the palate - this has a succulence and sweet softness which is appealing. It's lightly framed, not dense or weighty but has excellent clarity and precision: clear, linear with tension and drive. It's focused and all in one stream right now but I love the juiciness, the texture and the minerality. Will be good to see how the ageing expands the palate. A clear Pessac success in the vintage.
Château Le Crock
St-Estèphe (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)
2021
93
Almost a ginger tone to the nose, it's so fresh: chinese spices, raspberry and violets. Super-tannic and youthful, high-toned and a little bit austere, coating the mouth with fine but grippy texture. The fruit is rich and there is a nice seductive side to it, perfumed and so deep, it really settles on the mid-palate, giving you so much fragrance and flavour. Juicy and alive, refreshing but with quite a serious core. Greath menthol ending. A lovely St-Estèphe, clearly still a baby that will need to grow over ageing but lovely initial elements and balanced all the way through to a long finish. 7% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.70pH. 14-18 months ageing in oak barrels, 30% new.
Clos du Marquis
St-Julien
2021
93
Supple, ample and generous, this is a lovely Clos du Marquis with an intensity and liveliness straight away, the effects of strong selection giving this a concentrated core. Tannins are prominent but fine and velvety, coating the mouth in a chalky, dry texture but ripe not astringent. I love the fruit forwardness and intention here, but this also has tension and linearity, driving in one straight line from start to finish with a vein of minerality underneath - liquorice and graphite giving a saltiness on the tongue. Feels confident and sauve. A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 19% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc. Yield of 30hl/ha. 3.69pH. Ageing in 50% new barrels.
Château Saint-Pierre
St-Julien (4ème Cru Classé)
2021
93
Lively, with a shot of almost sour fruit on initial impact, a real strawberry and red cherry tang with grippy tannins that are chewy and fleshy. It's well worked with body and structure delivering a consistency from start to the long finish. May not be the most vivacious at the moment but this has excellent clarity and positioning with no let up. A bolder style for the vintage with confidence, charm and precision on show.
Château Talbot
St-Julien (4ème Cru Classé)
2021
93
Spearmint and blackcurrants on the nose with some gorgeous perfume too. Excellent intensity of blackcurrant juice, not fleshy, more linear and direct, the lightness of flavour balancing with fine, just gripping tannins that also offer touches of tobacco and toasted spice flavours. It's overall quite a delicate and well worked wine for the vintage, with gentle fruit persistence and a lifted finish. Will no doubt round out over ageing, giving more density to the really beautifully presented floral-touched bramble fruit. Elegance and class; promising indeed.
Château La Lagune
Haut-Médoc (3ème Cru Classé)
2021
92
Dark and rich nose, full of hedgerow fruits and subtle perfumed aromas - so captivating. Beautifully layered palate - soft, gentle and delicate with ripe blackcurrants, black cherries and plums to the fore, while fine tannins give support to the overall frame. It's certainly on the more delicate side, but this has such vivacious energy and will be lovely to enjoy soon. Also shows a lick of slate and liquorice at the end giving texture and an added flavour dimension, suggesting there is more to this than its initial easy-drinking character. A stellar effort this year.
Château Belgrave
Haut-Médoc (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
92
Super aromatic on the nose, really quite expressive and bursting out of the glass with bramble tones, black pepper and perfumed black fruits. Soft and appealing on the palate, this has such an immediate charm, partly because of the ripe fruits that have a really juicy, chewy sweetness to them and partly because of the dry, bitter, spice-edged tannins that give angles to the fruit and depth to the palate but also that lick of wet stone and graphite minerality. This is good stuff, I love the expression and the attitude here, it's a 'look at me' wine with nice presentation, power, persistence and frame.
Château Siran
Margaux
2021
92
Pretty, wild floral notes on the nose alongside fresh raspberry. Supple and agile, this has a lovely ease to it - not showy or too loud, but gentle and calm, delivering chalky, creamy red fruits with soft, fine, graphite-edged tannins. Pleasing acidity gives a persistent if not totally lively lift throughout, and this has an unfussy charm with lovely crushed stone salinity on the finish. No drop in the mid-palate, but lightly flavoured with gentle persistency. Easy to enjoy. Tasted twice.
Château Marquis d'Alesme
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2021
92
A deep, rich, opulent nose giving that Margaux glamour straight out the gate. Heady, perfumed purple flowers on the nose. The aromas are really beguiling, you get the ripe Cabernet fruit which was such a success in 2021 - the green pepper, black pepper, blueberries and eucalyptus with hints from the Merlot - sharp, sweet and sour strawberries and red cherries with herbal notes of liquorice and cedar. It's certainly fresh and you get a clarity on the palate, it's not massively structured per se but offering lovely balance, freshness and precision of all the elements. There's a vibrancy to this and a nice mouthfeel of gentle but grippy tannins - they're fine but filling. Fruit and oak are well balanced with such persistence of gentle flavour. Lovely refinement and class with a lifted minty finish. I love it. 3% Cabernet Sauvignon completes the blend. 3.80pH. They lost around 25% of the yield in 2021, bringing in 32hl/ha compared to the usual 40-45hl/ha.
Château Ferrière
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2021
92
Dark blackcurrant, plum and soft perfume aspects on the nose. So juicy on the palate, really high acidity but it's sweet and softly high-toned. The acidity is giving some sharpness to the fruit at this point but there is enough concentration and density to balance it while still giving the structure and overall freshness alongside nuances of dark chocolate, perfume and liquorice. Usually Ferrière has 25% Merlot, this year just 13%, so the 81% Cabernet Sauvignon is doing most of the talking, giving a lifted menthol feel, firm tannins and an effortlessly long finish. This has energy and verve, it's fruit forward and upfront. I love the signature here. 1% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 62% grand vin, in 2020 it was 68%. 12.5% press wine. 18 months ageing, 40% new oak, 40% one year and 20% in amphora. A yield of 26hl/ha, better than 2020's 20hl/ha.
Château Prieuré-Lichine
Margaux (4ème Cru Classé)
2021
92
Expressive and open nose. Concentrated and lively fruit here with just a touch of smoked earth to the black cherry and blueberry fruits. Well presented, clean and crisp, this has a nice purity to the texture, smooth and sleek with juicy tannins that fill the mouth giving a mouthwatering brightness. Lots of joy to this as well as being serious with a proper backbone all the way through. I like the styling here! Feels gently decadent and confident. Refined though still with a fruity and fresh lift at the end.
Château Marquis de Terme
Margaux (4ème Cru Classé)
2021
92
Lovely soft perfumed aromas on the nose. Smooth and silky, the texture is appealing straight away, perfectly weighted giving richLy perfumed but also gently fleshy fruit, freshness, body and acidity. A minerality comes through on the finish alongside touches of clove, but so well integrated they merely peek through. I like the finesse here, you really feel they got the balance right. It's direct and linear for sure but carrying depth and intensity so well. Chalky and grippy, it's gently persistent. It feels well worked. I like it a lot and look forward to tasting in bottle. Tasted twice.
Château Mouton Rothschild, Petit Mouton
Pauillac
2021
92
Beautifully fragrant strawberries and red cherries, just so perfumed and appealing, really a very lovely nose drawing you in. An excellent Petit Mouton in 2021; serious intensity here but also such a liveliness as well as creaminess. It has weight and layers while having fruit intensity and a core of aromatics. There's a softness and delicacy in terms of the tannins and frame - beguiling - but a real base of concentrated blue, red and black fruits - strawberries, red cherries and blackcurrants. You get the stony tones and the clove on the finish but this feels round, expansive and approachable. It's uber glamorous, still with freshness and lift. A gorgeous wine with lots going on! 0.5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.73pH. 14% press wine.
Château Lafite Rothschild, Carruades de Lafite
Pauillac
2021
92
Sweet black cherries and plums on the nose with blackcurrant leaf touches. Excellent intensity and vibrancy here, you really feel the energy - acidity is good but you get the rush of fruits and the persistence that says; 'I've got so much life in me and I want to show it off' - this is ready and raring to go! It's well worked with fine tannins and a long finish. The power and structure is there - it's just super explosive at this point. You almost want to enjoy this now, or certainly soon, but it'll go the distance too. Punchy with a joyous spirit! 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Château Pédesclaux
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
92
Gorgeous dark pinky purple rim to the glass. Beautifully expressive aromas, red and pink flowers - peonies, rose and violets and intense, chocolatey cola blackcurrant, just the best combination. Concentration and lift on the palate, this is darker and more seductive than the second wine, the perfume and the richness of the fruits with the dark liquorice tones draws you in and plays alongside the bright, light acidity. So you have focus and intensity as well as freshness and approachability. The two are not totally combined yet but such lovely elements going on and such precision on show. This has tension and a balance between refinement and power really led by the Cabernet Sauvignon. The bright cherry hit on the finish lingers too. A lovely set of wines this year - worth seeking out! 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.71pH. Ageing 60% new oak. 58% grand vin. A yield of 29hl/ha. In official organic conversion since 2019.
Château Lynch-Moussas
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
92
A dark, knitted nose. Red and black cherries, smooth and well textured with fine tannins that just give support. I like the blue fruit touch on the palate, this has a cool feel aided by bitter dark chocolate elements adding the nuance but all presented with gusto. This is serious and powerful for sure with persistence and long length. It's like a greyhound straight out the gates, fast and decisive. Good balance and well built with power and concentration. A great effort and a real success for getting the most out the vintage. Tasted twice. Ageing 60% new oak.
Château Grand-Puy Ducasse
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
92
Tannins are to the fore here, quite present and mouth filling, plumping up the layers of wild strawberry and creamy bramble fruit flavours which also have a salinity that is amplified by the mouthwatering and high, racy acidity. This is serious and on the confident side, providing a full mouthfeel that others have struggled with in 2021. No angles and no let up. This will be great to taste once in bottle.
Château Batailley
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
92
Perfumed, floral, heady nose. Lightly framed in terms of texture, but with a really intense and concentrated core of sweet red and black fruit flavours, with cocoa powder and liquorice that go vertical as well as horizontal, filling the palate with aromas as opposed to direct weight from the tannins. Feels like a delicate and pared-back style for this estate, carefully presenting the vintage in the glass with harmony and balance. Juicy and flavourful, it will be even better after ageing. Tasted twice. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Château de France
Pessac-Léognan
2021
92
Fully aromatic on the nose, perfume and ripe fruits, so appealing, really jumping out of the glass. Succulent with clarity and precision - the fruit and overall texture feels clean and tongue-scraping, with the stone and graphite elements coming through and lifting the palate away from the fruity flavours. This has real tension and focus as well as weight on the Mid-palate from the plush fruit but it's the cooling, terroir elements to the fore right now with integrated tannins and barely there spicing. Lovely structure and persistence. Delish! Michel Rolland consultancy.
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte
Pessac-Léognan
2021
92
Dark chocolate, liquorice and slate with pretty notes of rose and violet that softly edge the nose. The raspberry, strawberry and blueberry fruit has a touch of sharpness, though I love the edges of chalk and slate minerality that give it real direction and linearity with little movement up or down as the flavours travel across the palate. All the elements are well delivered, elegant and really in focus. This has excellent attention to detail and lots going on. A characterful pick in 2021.
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, C des Carmes
Pessac-Léognan
2021
92
Juicy, sour blackcurrants and red cherries, damsons and plums, with beautiful florality and lifted bramble aromas. Almost spritzy on the palate, a buzz to the red and pink fruits, good freshness but not sharp acidity, more gentle, calm and contained. Tannins are grippy but sappy and gently fleshy with a gorgeous pristine slate and liquorice edge to them, not harsh but mouthfilling with a sustained rise and persistence of flavour from the start to the cool, saline and succulent finish. Excellently controlled, playful and approachable. 20% whole bunch. Ageing 20% new oak, 72% 30hL-foudres and 8% amphoras.
Château Larrivet Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan
2021
92
Slate and stone on the nose with black bramble fruits. Clean and crisp with bite on the palate, just a rush of black liquorice-laced fruits, this has the salinity to the fore, a touch of austerity but on the right side, giving it this serious edge which is so appealing. It's sophisticated and maybe even a little shy at this point but feels well worked with intensity and poise. You're really tasting the terroir in the glass here - one to seek out. Tasted twice.
Château La Louvière
Pessac-Léognan
2021
92
Lovely perfumed berry nose. Juicy and bright on the palate, this has a sense of joy to it and although the tannins come in and dominate the palate in terms of chewy texture the fruit has persistence and determination giving slightly sour cherry, strawberry and tangy raspberry the whole way through. I love the upfront nature here, the terroir on show in the glass, and the chalky tannins provide the support which will soften over time. Skilled winemaking on show.
Château La Garde
Pessac-Léognan
2021
92
HighLy concentrated, rich and dark nose, full of blackcurrant and black cherry and dark chocolate aromas. Darkly charming on the palate, the cool blue fruit is mouthwatering at first then the chalky but finely chewy tannins come to the fore, coating the mouth with touches of dark cocoa powder, liquorice, clove and cinnamon giving the fruit and savouriness. I love the detail on show, all the elements are in high definition, you really can taste each aspect. Enjoyable and captivating. First vintage with the new cellar using 63 tanks ranging in size helping with precise plot vinification in 2021. An excellent effort! Minus 20% of production this vintage.
Clos Marsalette
Pessac-Léognan
2021
92
Lovely raspberry and herbal scents on the nose. Supple and generously fruited, the tannins are juicy and fine and this really gives some crushed stone nuances and lingering liquorice spice that rests on the palate. It's linear and defined with nice clarity of flavour, balance and sappy texture. Driving and persistent - still quite a lot of tension here, accentuated by the spiced core, but there's freshness throughout giving such mass appeal. Tasted twice.
Château Couhins-Lurton
Pessac-Léognan
2021
92
Gorgeous clarity here, so clean with fine tannins that give a powdery texture to balance the vibrant raspberry and red cherry fruit. Deep and layered with a verticality that gives it such an aerial feel with an expansive aroma but also structure and tension alongside a drive of gorgeous minerality - crushed stone and graphite. The fruit has a succulence but also concentration and the minty slate touch on the tongue gives an appealing salinity on the long finish. Easy to enjoy.
Château La Mission Haut-Brion, La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan
2021
92
Gorgeous pink rose floral notes on the nose, so aromatic and pretty with red cherries and strawberries. Tannins are firm on the palate, gripping the tongue but the density is so appealing, bright with high acidity giving a high tone and a chalky edge to the flavour and texture. You get the crushed stone and graphite edges, too. It's direct and linear, all travelling in one line, just stopping short of sharp, but with real clarity and drive. Lovely density of flavour with a weightless texture except for the grippy, mint and slate tannins that are so cooling and fresh. Charming and lively.
Château Haut-Brion, Le Clarence de Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan
2021
92
Dark chocolate and red cherries on the nose, so aromatic, rich and seductive. Joyful and lifted on the palate, strawberries and plums to the fore but creamy and chalky with such a sappy, agile and lively energy. Lightly framed so you get the aerial expansion of flavour, but the texture that grips is chalky and mineral, giving a welcome salinity, a touch of tobacco and smoke that lands on the tongue. Beautifully presented, smooth and defined, such succulence and density with no let-up. Intensity, clarity and focus. An excellent second wine in 2021.
Château Meyney
St-Estèphe
2021
92
Gorgeous floral aromatics, this is crisp with the most delicious blackcurrant, black cherry and strawberry fruit flavour - really so well executed. Lively and bright, clean and clear. Succulent and juicy, lovely frame and texture overall. A wonderful, easy-to-drink wine, with elegance, refinement but still that concentration that drives the flavours from start to finish. A top buy for classic claret, refreshing, minty, deep, layered and so charming.
Château Haut-Marbuzet
St-Estèphe
2021
92
Minty bramble bushes on the nose, with liquorice touches. I like the dark, sweetly sticky style with chewy tannins although they do have a cool blue fruit and graphite edge which brings freshness and minerality to the fore. Feels sleek and suave with succulence and grip to the plush but finessed fruit. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Château de Pez
St-Estèphe
2021
92
Lively on initial impact with bright red fruits to the fore. Juicy and alive, giving a shot of acidity and brightness to the palate - really so joyful and inspiring before the tannins come in and gently frame the fruit towards the long, slightly spiced ending of clove and cinnamon. Such St-Estèphe terroir markers here and you're getting that more than anything else. It's not trying too hard with salinity and a touch of austerity showing the youth and minerality in the tongue-scrapingly clean finish. Refreshing and compelling.
Château Moulin Riche
St-Julien
2021
92
Red fruits, strawberries, red cherries, plums, raspberries and perfume - such an explosion of aromatics. Delicacy in terms of texture and overall appeal, it has an excellent balance between fine but mouthfilling tannins, acidity and the plush, cool blue fruit. Sculpted, chewy and mouthfilling yet well restrained. It's muscular in a sense, but also charming at the same time with succulence, liquorice, clove and saline touches on the end showing the markings of the terroir. I love it. 3.85pH. Tasted twice. Ageing 18-25 months in 25% new oak.
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Le Croix Ducru
St-Julien
2021
92
Bramble tones; fragrant and rich blackberry notes on the nose. A dark soul with depth and intensity, this has such richness and power, but restraint also. Concentrated with a directness and focus that drives it from start to finish aided by a linear vein of salinity, liquorice and blackcurrant. Tannins are robust and grippy, giving an impressive structure that is imposing in the mouth but retains a suave and endearing quality. Such charm and potential.
Clos Floridène
Graves
2021
91
Sleek and suave on the palate, this has a gorgeous clear juicy quality, not trying too hard or doing too much. I like the purity and the lick of wet stone and liquorice at the end. It has charm and a playful nature but gentle too, a good balance, so appealing and easy to like with a touch of clove spice at the end and tannins that build up to more texture and presence by the final mouthfeel. Tasted twice.
Château de Fieuzal
Graves
2021
91
A lovely rich tone to the nose here, concentrated and lively. Freshly picked cherry and strawberry fruit give a hit of sharp, brightness before the chalky texture envelops the palate and curtails the forward motion. The acidity is excellent and this has the potential to be quite lively but the structure is taking the fore at the moment with an austerity that brings the wine to a close fairly swiftly although the minerality and coolness gives a long impressive finish. Well constructed with polish and lots of potential. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Château Sociando-Mallet
Haut-Médoc
2021
91
Sweetly juicy and clear on the nose, so floral but clean. The purity is there on the nose and palate, succulent and easy to enjoy. I love the bright red fruits, the strawberry, raspberry and red cherry with these crushed stone edges giving the texture and flavour of minerality on the tongue and in the mouth. This has perfect elegance and finesse, all the elements presented so well. Just the right balance of push and drive along the palate - a great example this vintage, not trying too hard and presenting what 2021 gave.
Château La Tour Carnet
Haut-Médoc (4ème Cru Classé)
2021
91
Cigar box, tobacco, leather, coffee, smoke and dark chocolate on the nose with perfumed blackcurrants. Ripe and chewy on the palate with these savoury elements of cinnamon, caramel, coffee and chocolate. Feels a little sombre right now, more calm than overtly expressive, but I like the overall smooth and weighty texture, not to mention the juicy side to the grippy, mouth-coating tannins. This has such an easy charm, yet still with a bold structure and lashings of spice. Characterful and a success in the vintage. Tasted twice.
Château Cantemerle
Haut-Médoc (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
91
Allspice, cedar, juniper and blackcurrants - a heady, appealing perfume. Lightly framed with gentle but mouthwatering and succulent red berry fruits mingling with firm tannins that coat the mouth in a fine layer of chalky, fruity saltiness. Attractive balance, if a little light on the mid-palate at this point, but this has a long finish and a motion of flavour from beginning to end. It feels well worked with concentration and direction. Structured and confident.
Château Arnauld
Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)
2021
91
A stand out wine in 2021. Ripe black fruits, a touch of cassis with dark chocolate and fragrant bramble bushes on the nose. Such clarity on the palate, really a pure and refined juicy quality to this - silky, smooth and flowing - the flavours almost clean the tongue leaving a fresh, cool and lifted palate. It's not so powerful but there is clear depth and drive, and this has lots of energy to it. Bright, vibrant with pace. Very drinkable. Seven days of cold skin maceration has meant all the fruit freshness has been retained and this really is a joy to drink.
Château du Retout
Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur)
2021
91
Such perfume on the nose, really beguiling. Concentrated and intense on the palate, this has power and structure with juicy, succulent and softly fleshy tannins that have a cherry skin grip, with raspberry and strawberry, too. Feels clean with direction and intention here and I love the depth that you get on the mid-palate in terms of fragranced fruit. Nice potential here because of the tannic structure and overall weight and balance on the palate. Easy to enjoy.
Château Magnol
Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois)
2021
91
Lovely weight and expression on the palate, a good juicy core that strikes just the right balance between high acidity giving freshness and life, and ripeness of fruit which gives body and structure. Excellent vein of cooling minty freshness throughout which lingers long on the palate. This has a really lovely sugary hit on the mid-palate which is so appealing. Lots of nice elements. Will be excellent in time. Not for long ageing, drink young and enjoy the exuberance. Good extraction on show.
Château Rose Sainte-Croix
Listrac
2021
91
Chewy but refined, the tannins are plentiful, plumping up the liquorice-laced blackcurrants and black cherries, but they have a velvet-like texture, so satisfying and round, cushioning the fruit and providing an excellent base for the freshness and acidity. Poised and powerful in terms of concentration rather than weight, really delicious. A lovely, successful wine from Listrac.
Château Labégorce
Margaux
2021
91
The nose here - so expressive - the aromas of pink flowers, sour cherry, red cherry, oak touches - sweet caramel, vanilla, cedar. Tannins are quite noticeable, the fruit has high acidity with the focus on black cherry, blueberry, pomegranate and plum with some salinity and minerality coming through in the graphite and wet stone texture. It's a little dry, the tannins quite severe, but there is an underlying flavour of sweet fruit and this finishes long with freshness. Lovely aromatic complexity with an enjoyable, light and bouncy texture, not massively structured but it has charm and real drinkability. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.75pH.
Château Lascombes
Margaux (2ème Cru Classé)
2021
91
Dark chocolate-covered black cherries on the nose, so appealing. This is scrumptious, the combination of cool, crunchy fruit with ripe, plush tannins and generous acidity. I love the lifted nature, the sweet fruit aspects and the chalky, wet stone element to the tannins which coat the mouth. Feels precise and well worked. Lovely stuff. Tasted twice.
Château Kirwan
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2021
91
Dark chocolate powder and ripe blackcurrants on the nose. Succulent and supple on the palate, this has a plush and plump feeling to it. It's not massively expansive but does have a great mouthfeel in terms of texture and overall generosity of flavours. Tannins are fine and the juicy acidity is really to the fore, alongside lovely floral elements. Bright and perky although still quite linear, with a nice initial impact and long finish. This should improve during ageing.
Château Dauzac
Margaux (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
91
Fragranced and nuanced on the nose with savoury touches, a lovely combination of ripe red and black fruits - cherries and bramble fruits with dark chocolate, liquorice and graphite touches. It's ample and generous and there is some glamour, but doesn't quite have the weight for the follow through at the moment. Lightly framed, good succulence, tension and precision but lacking a little depth. Definitely more linear and straight right now. Clear tobacco and coffee touches with mint on the finish. Feels sculpted with nice elements but will be good to age and round out.
Château Chasse-Spleen
Moulis-en-Médoc
2021
91
Aromatic rose petals on the nose. This has a juicy, bright core, that gentle succulence where your mouth instantly waters from the acidity but you also get a mouthful of summer berry fruit at the same time. I like this a lot, the fruit feels well worked and delivered with poise and energy, and the chalky and salty tannins provide just the right grip on the palate. It's not the most expansive right now, but feels classy with hints of glamour and I love the mentholated, liquorice touch at the end.
Château Branas Grand Poujeaux
Moulis-en-Médoc
2021
91
Perfumed blackcurrants and hints of dark chocolate powder on the nose. Beautiful, silky texture, smooth and satisfying. A delicious balance of just-crunchy fruit with fine yet plump tannins giving a round mouthful. Cooling elements come in on the mid-palate, alongside liquorice, clove, cedar and mint, to give frame, spice and freshness. Acidity is well balanced and this has lots of energy to it. A success in 2021 - a wine with mass appeal.
Château Latour, Les Forts de Latour
Pauillac
2021
91
Dark chocolate, smoke, ash and blackcurrant aromas. Structured and expansive, round and generous in terms of weight and tannins. It has a crunch and brightness of fruit with layers of detail. Lovely clarity and pure refinement, fine and smooth but persistent. Mouthwatering acidity, really very salivating and lively, with the tannins to hold it up. Still on the lighter side, but a lovely mouthfeel with such freshness and an impressively long, mint-driven finish. A sterling effort.
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Lacoste-Borie
Pauillac
2021
91
Classic Cabernet typicity on the palate, the green pepper, the eucalyptus, liquorice, crushed stone and such freshness and mintiness. This has power and structure, it’s clearly intense and concentrated, but the tannins are so well executed. The acidity gifts lift while the other elements settle on the tongue, really pronounced and filling the mouth. This is seductive, no wallflower with satin tannins. One of the more potent and powerful second wines with excellent capacity to give enjoyment, screaming 'drink me'.
Château Fonbadet
Pauillac
2021
91
Intensity and style on show here, this is a bold, characterful wine with plenty to shout about - plump tannins fill the mouth supporting the ripe and chewy blackcurrant and black cherry fruit while acidity keeps things lifted. Despite clear power there is such a charm to this because the texture and overall weight is so well balanced. Not too much or too little but well controlled and presented with definition and persistence. If anything it's not so elegant right now but I love the gently forceful nature.
Château Croizet Bages
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
91
Bright red fruits on the nose and palate, this has a gentle charm, lightly framed, with silky, delicate but also grippy tannins that are so well integrated. I like the slightly bitter, sour cherry flavour and the overall texture with weight and structure in the mouth. Great minty cool freshness throughout, with good intention and focus. Tense and tight at the moment yet feels so clean. Good potential here. I love the Cabernet aspects on show.
Château Seguin
Pessac-Léognan
2021
91
Gorgeous aromatic nose - fragranced and savoury. Calm and gentle in the flavour presentation but this has a lovely, sleek, soft texture, slowly building up in intensity as it travels the palate from start to finish. It has cool blue fruit flavours, mint, liquorice and blueberry with the acidity giving freshness the whole way through. Aerial yet focused, a good effort.
Château Le Pape
Pessac-Léognan
2021
91
Rose perfume and raspberries, blue fruits as well as menthol and salty stone notes on the nose. The raspberry and red cherry fruit on the palate is appealingly tart with high acidity overall, so you get extreme brightness then quite direct tannins and a cleanliness on the palate. It's a touch severe at the moment but has gorgeous wet stone and slate minerality, and a lively freshness. Feels well worked and carefully controlled. A yield of 19hl/ha.
Château Haut-Bailly, Haut-Bailly II
Pessac-Léognan
2021
91
Rich and seductive, I love the soft red fruit and florality. Gently sweet with balanced acidity on the palate giving strawberry and raspberry leaf nuances. This has a succulence and gentle chew - feels refined with mint, slate and stone touches on the finish which gives an overall charm and lift. Sructured, wide and gently expansive with finesse on show. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. The first year in the new cellar. A yield of 19hl/ha.
Château Couhins
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2021
91
Fragrant herbs and wildflowers on the nose. Bright red fruits on the palate, supple and agile, this is playful and so joyous, the fruit has such a lifted appeal, such gentle airiness, great balance with upfront fruitiness but also this cooling element and the wet stone minerality - a salty tang. Maybe more simple but well executed with a black pepper bite on the finish. 5% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Château Ormes de Pez
St-Estèphe
2021
91
Sweet strawberry, orange, grapefruit, plums and blackcurrants, but the sweet jammy kind. This is fruit forward and expressive out the gate, round and so appealing. Spiced aspects from the Petit Verdot with a sturdy backbone in terms of structure and frame. Tannins are more on the austere side, fine and detailed, extremely mouthfilling but you can almost taste each one with the minerality coming through strongly leaving that clean wet stone taste in the mouth. Ripe and juicy dark fruit also. This is medium bodied with lots of precision in terms of detail. Lovely potential here. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.68pH.
Château Capbern
St-Estèphe
2021
91
Gorgeous eucalyptus freshness on the nose alongside fragranced blackcurrant notes. high-toned fruit, nicely balanced between sour and sweet but with the edges and real definition that comes across as a touch austere partly also as the acidity is so high and to the fore. Lightly framed and juicy with great overall freshness and lift. It's also quite direct, there's no expansion at this point, just straight and taut but well defined and I love the gravel terroir coming through. 3.76pH.
Château Lafon-Rochet
St-Estèphe (4ème Cru Classé)
2021
91
Juicy and lively, this has a playful and fun nature to the fruit - sweet strawberry and raspberry with some herbal raspberry leaf touches too and the Cabernet spice and backbone also making an appearance. Nice clarity with a smooth texture and an overall glossy feel to it despite the robust tannins on the finish. Plump and layered with charm. The last vintage under the helm of Basile Tesseron. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.70pH.
Château Cos Labory
St-Estèphe (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
91
Sweetly scented on the nose. Succulent with a shot of cherry and raspberry juice alongside perfume and spiced cedar touches. This is delicate in terms of its weight and texture - more linear and direct with a subtle fruit intensity and fine tannins that coat the mouth. Stops a little short with the chalkiness closing the palate down a bit soon. Freshness is abundant and this has good acidity. Will be interesting to re-taste in bottle with ageing surely going to add density and roundness.
Château Le Boscq
St-Estèphe (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)
2021
91
So perfmed and aromatic, complex and inviting on the nose. Bright and charming with a gentle life force on the palate. It's lightly flavoured and textured on the palate, this is more delicate and refined - such fine silky tannins, but with a bright juiciness from strawberry and raspberry fruit as well as some savoury touches comprising tobacco and white truffle. Creamy and cool, almost a transparent quality to this with elegance on show. A wine that is so open and inviting already. Really easy to enjoy but still with definition and a penetrating finish. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Château Léoville-Las Cases, Petit Lion
St-Julien
2021
91
Plush and vibrant, the fruit here is lively and zippy, it has real energy on the palate while having a bitterness and a salinity to the tannins that are grippy and mouthfilling. The whole palate is full of minty freshness giving this life and an aerial feel while the darker more savoury elements settle on the tongue and long finish. It's a little tight right now but shows refined and elegant winemaking. I like it's roguish charm with power and intention. Ageing in 40% new barrels. 3.54pH.
Château Léoville Poyferré, Pavillon de Léoville Poyferré
St-Julien
2021
91
Soft floral tones, violets and blackcurrants. Damsons and boysenberries. Round and mouth filling but with such a satisfying texture - smooth and sensual, tannins still to the fore but so silky, they finely coat the mouth giving support and grip. There is a lovely delicacy here, feels well worked, so elegant yet filled with energy and life. Really appealing, still with intensity but so well packaged and I love the Cabernet aspects on the palate, the florality, the black pepper and crushed stone giving a salinity at the end. Fresh and lifted. 7% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.85pH. Ageing 18 months in two-year-old barrels.
Château Haut Selve
Graves
2021
90
Black pepper and black fruits on the concentrated and intense nose. This is an ultra-serious style - deep, intense and concentrated but also with a lovely savoury aspect. Black cherry and raspberry leaf aspects. Lots of power here, really driven with a density to the fruit and tannins. A proud wine.
Château Haura
Graves
2021
90
Gorgeous pink floral notes on the nose. Crisp on the palate with textured and fine tannins. The cool blue fruit has real bite and juiciness giving energy, but this also has quite a robust frame with some toasted wood elements coming through and Cabernet spice on show. Well constructed and good potential over ageing. Nice quality from winemaker Jean-Jacques Dubourdieu.
Château Crabitey
Graves
2021
90
Cool and fresh on the palate, the blueberries, plums and black cherries have a chewy texture, and the fine tannins grip and take hold of the mouth. Attractive styling, well worked and presented. Generous, concentrated but not overblown, this is refreshing, contained and structured; a lovely wine.
Château Ferrande
Graves
2021
90
Quite fragrant dark fruits on the nose, smells beguiling. Succulent and juicy on the palate, this shows clarity and lightness to the fruit, tannins are smooth and there's a lifted effect with a cooling menthol undercurrent. Lacking a little weight at this point but this is balanced and the fruit feels well handled with lots of aromatic interest on show and a long length. Playful and easy to enjoy with bright strawberry, raspberry and red cherry flavours. It's gentle and well presented.
Château Moutte Blanc, Cuvée Marguerite
Haut-Médoc
2021
90
Juicy and upfront with a playful energy, this is finely textured and smooth with a persistent push of cherry, strawberry and raspberry leaf. Delicate herbal and floral elements also giving nuance to the fruit and just edging the tannins. Attractive tension and focus. One to seek out from a small 0.5ha estate. Good value, too. Eric Boissenot consultant.
Château Giscours, Haut-Médoc de Giscours
Haut-Médoc
2021
90
Really bright strawberry and red cherry fruit, smells so fresh and approachable already. Soft fruit notes are accented by bramble touches and raspberry leaf. Super-bright and energetic, it’s light and unfussy, streamlined and quite linear with fresh fruits, all red berries and a vein of chalky mintiness. Can't fault this for approachability although it is also showing nice structure and that Cabernet freshness and strength. Second vintage shown en primeur.
Château d’Arcins
Haut-Médoc
2021
90
Blue fruits, gorgeous black cherry, blueberry and ripe strawberry on the palate with cooling touches from the start. I love the gentleness here but also the smooth texture and slow build of flavour over the palate. Everything in balance with density and harmony, and a lovely sweet lift on the finish. One of the more upfront, sweet and joyful wines from the Haut-Médoc.
Château Bibian
Haut-Médoc
2021
90
Smoked earth, perfume, raspberries and strawberries on the nose - so aromatic and appealing. Excellent purity on the palate, sweet but crystalline fruits - this is bright and vibrant with a joyous fruit profile. Succulent and juicy in the best way, really just fruit-forward and balanced with softly textured tannins - a pleasure to drink, with no harsh edges and a fresh vein running through from start to finish.
Château du Moulin Rouge
Haut-Médoc
2021
90
Juicy and easy to like, this presents freshly picked strawberries, mouthwatering red cherries and succulent blueberries. Fruit-forward, with mint and slate-edged tannins that settle in the background, giving support to the fruit and freshness, but not encroaching. Great clarity, direction and elegance. A success in the vintage. Oenoconseil consultants.
Château Camensac
Haut-Médoc (5ème Cru Classé)
2021
90
Playful and lively on the palate, the tannins are quite pronounced in their robust mouthfilling texture. The savoury, salty, dark chocolate and graphite flavours dominate the fruit at present. Stops a little short in terms of fruit persistence but this has nicely worked fruit and tannins, with the acidity keeping it lifted. Slightly more sombre perhaps with that bitter, iodine touch at the end. Such charm, nonetheless, and an appealing no-frills attitude.
Château de Malleret
Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)
2021
90
Black chocolate, perfume and black cherries on the nose with perfumed touches. Gentle and quietly confident, this is smooth with an underlying life force that slowly builds as the fruit, acidity and tannins go from the front to the back of the palate. It gradually gains in texture and flavour with the liquorice and slate adding to the blackcurrant and cherry flavors, finishing with mint at the end. Doesn't feel at all forced, just naturally showing the coolness of the vintage and the slow ripening of the fruit and tannins. All in harmony and easy to enjoy. Sappy, agile, chewy and persistent in the best way. A great-value pick.
Château Charmail
Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)
2021
90
Fully expressive nose, richly scented and fruit forward. Beautiful expression, you get that lightly framed palate in terms of weight with such clarity of strawberry and raspberry fruit. Piercing acidity, almost, but it's reined in by the texture and hefty grip of the fine, stoney tannins and the more savoury elements of bitter black chocolate, liquorice and vanilla. Precision, refinement and character. A delicious wine this year that will soften and continue to give over ageing. Easy pleasure.
Château Paloumey
Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur)
2021
90
Concentrated and scented on the nose. Smooth and oh-so succulent, juicy and bright with tons of energy and a subtle vibrancy to the blackcurrant, black cherry and plum fruit, edged with liquorice, graphite and crushed stone. Nicely compacted right now, there is a core of cool and creamy blue fruit and a drive of freshness and life that goes all the way through. Touches of minerality come back on the finish that is long and sustained. Excellent potential, with intensity, acidity and structure. Darkly charming and will improve more over ageing. Oenoconseil consultants.
Château Larose Perganson
Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur)
2021
90
Intense and aromatic nose, dark chocolate, blackcurrants and wild purple flowers. Succulent and juicy on the palate, great intensity for the vintage, a core of ripe fruit and driving sensation full of energy and persistence. Tannins are well worked, providing sappy support for the fruit and there's a vein of crushed stone that lingers on the tongue. Great, pure fruit expression with lovely terroir markers, too, the crushed stone and graphite touches with a pinch of salinity. All in all lovely, expressive and balanced. A bold, more characterful style than many. Tasted twice.
Château Fourcas-Dupré
Listrac-Médoc
2021
90
Punchy and confident on the palate, this shines brightly with generous strawberries and red cherries edged by raspberry leaf, black chocolate and graphite. Tannins are fine and give gently gripping support to the overall texture, as well as bringing an extra layer of pencil lead, salinity and bitterness to the fruit. An upfront and charming wine that is well presented with excellent clarity.
Château La Gurgue
Margaux
2021
90
Damsons and plums on the nose - so aromatic. Softly ripe with a lovely succulence, mouthwatering strawberry juice and red cherry nuances. Softly gripping tannins. Finesse, but also a bite and spiced edge from the Petit Verdot. This has such a backbone, really quite linear and direct with tension but also excellent freshness and mouthwatering liveliness. Lovely mintiness that is so abundant, really filling the mouth with eucalyptus. A great effort in 2021.
Château Haut-Breton Larigaudière
Margaux
2021
90
Softly sweet with bright red cherry, raspberry and plum flavour and soft, smooth tannins. Delicate and charming, easy to drink with a cool, lifted finish and touch of slate at the end. Detailed.
Château Giscours, Sirène de Giscours
Margaux
2021
90
Sultry red fruit on the nose, beguiling and perfumed, really so sweet and bright. Smooth and satiny, you get the texture from the svelte tannins. The red cherry and blackcurrant fruit has density and chew with a deep and serious centre. Lovely mid-palate; liquorice elements are sweet and chewy alongside eucalyptus with soft-toasted, spiced edges of clove, cinnamon and cedar. Lovely character with definition and precision, but this is currently a little closed and a bit serious and tight. The Haut-Médoc just shining at the moment in terms of approachability, but this has the complexity and nuance to go the long haul.
Château Deyrem Valentin
Margaux
2021
90
Ripeness and acidity; sharp and high-toned fruit flavour at the beginning then the tannic weight on the mid-palate - the two not yet in complete harmony but each giving interest to the body. Tannins are fine with a soft-wood spicing and the fruit majors on blackcurrants and black cherries. Great energy at the start which does settle and soften quite quickly - feels well worked with the acidity to age.
Château Brane-Cantenac, Barone de Brane
Margaux
2021
90
Mint, eucalyptus-touched cherries and blackcurrants on the nose, black pepper and bramble aromas with soft perfume, too. The texture is smooth and this has excellent weight on the palate with the structure both noticeable and appealing. The flavours fill the mouth and this has good grip and tension, the tannins seamless but the depth settling on the mid-palate with the spicy and mineral backbone running through the wine. Gorgeous clarity and just a general feeling that this is really well made. A top second wine, so charming and beguiling. Really approachable but with the weight, structure and intensity to age. Great freshness, too. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.63pH.
Château Angludet
Margaux
2021
90
Juicy and alive on the palate, this has quite a neat, unfussy presentation with the elements presented gently - the creamy strawberry and red cherry fruit, the minty freshness and salinity to the tannins that are a little dry and robust right now. Still, this feels well worked with good definition and I love the strawberry tang at the start with the freshly picked mint touch that sustains the finish. Good potential and Margaux charm here. I look forward to tasting in bottle.
Château Malescot St Exupéry
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2021
90
High-toned and almost sharp fruit aspects on the palate but reined back by freshness and fine tannins that provide a soft, supporting base. There is concentration but not so much weight in the mid-palate at the moment, rather the flavours are more lifted and aerial, giving tone and nuance without so many layers. A little bit rustic on the finish with some green pepper, clove and cinnamon coming through. Will no doubt harmonise and expand over ageing.
Château Desmirail
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2021
90
Fragrant and perfumed with blackcurrant and chocolate aromas. Tannins are forward, striking and mouthfilling but with a fine, chalky and powdery texture. The fruit is taking a back seat presently, the strawberry and red cherry a little dominated by those tannins, but this is captivating and has charm. Although not totally harmonious right now this feels stylish with an excellent texture then delightful dark chocolate and bitter slate edges on the finish.
Château Boyd-Cantenac
Margaux (4ème Cru Classé)
2021
90
Rich, deep, dark berry notes on the nose, with soft perfume. Aromatic complexity. Extremely fragrant but exceptionally light and pure fruit, soft tannins, fine with a gentle grip and a long, cooling finish. Succulent and juicy but in a sombre way, the overall frame and execution of fruit is light. It does expand a little towards the finish, opening and becoming more expressive. Minerality on the finish from deep gravel soils and a cooling touch - eucalyptus and fresh mint. Refined enjoyment. A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 7% Cabernet Franc. 50% grand vin. Harvest began September 27th. Ageing in 50-60% new oak.
Château Paveil de Luze
Margaux (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)
2021
90
Supple and juicy, lightly framed in terms of depth, the tannins firm but silky with good grip overall. Coffee, leather, liquorice and cedar notes alongside sweet and sour red berry fruit. A deep, dark, seductive wine with lots going on and lots to enjoy. Good texture and energy, with sustained lift at the end.
Château Larruau
Margaux (Cru Bourgeois)
2021
90
Lovely perfumed elements on the nose, so fragrant and inviting. Chewy and grippy tannins on the palate with the most divine cherry flavour to them, the silky yet slightly saline and mouthfilling aspects carrying the dark fruit flavours with a cool and refreshing lift at the finish. Feels elegant and refined but still with character. I adore the density, the dark liquorice element and the texture of the chewy tannins. A gem of an unclassified estate in Margaux - one to follow and seek out.
Château La Tour de By
Médoc
2021
90
Succulent, mouthwatering, direct and linear with a sappy quality to the blackcurrant and black cherry fruit. Grippy liquorice and spice-edged tannins are doing the talking at the moment. Lovely terroir markers, the slate and graphite giving the minerality and I love the pulse of energy that drives the wine, with signature Médoc firmness on the finish. Well integrated with a classicism to it, hits of sweet strawberry and sour raspberry elements that give joy as you taste. Lovely. Oenoconseil consultants. Tasted twice.
Clos Manou
Médoc
2021
90
Generous and structured, this gives clean, clear and crisp red cherries and redcurrants with velvet-like tannins. You get weight, layers of flavour - red fruit, cool blue fruit alongside mint, liquorice and wet stone minerality. This has lots of personality and packs a punch in terms of flavour. Feels well worked with lots of potential. Oenoconseil consultants. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. Tasted twice.
Château Bournac
Médoc (Cru Bourgeois)
2021
90
Sweetly perfumed blackcurrants on the nose. Chewy and plush with creamy fruit elements alongside sweet black liquorice and vanilla flavours. Tannins are fine but present, filling the mouth with texture while the fruit settles in the background. Appealing texture and a darker, slightly savoury edge to the palate. Michel Rolland consultancy.
Château Carcanieux
Médoc (Cru Bourgeois)
2021
90
Dark, herbal and ripe black fruit notes all edged in perfume on the nose - round and expressive. The palate is succulent with a gentle juiciness that fills the mouth. This feels refined and nicely judged, giving a good dose of fruit punch and chew with lively acidity and overarching balance. Really a super-pleasing wine, easy to enjoy and recommend with a delicate minerality giving a chalky, wet stone, graphite and pencil lead finish. A lovely wine.
Château Poujeaux
Moulis-en-Médoc
2021
90
Concentrated blackcurrant nose. Ripe and juicy, this feels softly plump with a plush mouthfeel and satisfying weight to the tannic structure. It has elements of cool blue fruits, liquorice and clove that give a spiced hit on the tongue. Bitter dark chocolate and green peppercorn finish gives it the slightest bit of rusticity. A fine expression, unfussy and easy to like. Shows good promise. Will be interesting to taste in bottle. Tasted twice. 3.75pH. A yield of 40hl/ha.
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Reserve
Pauillac
2021
90
Perfumed blackcurrants on the nose and palate - juicy and succulent, the tannins are mouthfilling and have a cool blue fruit flavour, almost blueberry and plum, fresh with a softly fleshy texture. Lovely depth on the mid-palate, it doesn't let up - going from start to finish with gusto. You also get liquorice and clove tones - darkly spiced aspects but they’re integrated and don't cause angles, just nuances in terms of flavour. You've definitely got the Pauillac power and concentration, but also an energy that is so captivating. A confident second wine that has direction.
Château Pichon Baron, Les Griffons de Pichon Baron
Pauillac
2021
90
Gorgeous Cabernet aspects on the nose: green pepper, fragrant violets, herbal aspects and eucalyptus. Appealing sensuality, this is sparky with bite - it’s high-toned, a touch sour, but with licks of stone and spice. Lovely freshness and purity and also ripeness of tannins - there’s a chewiness that gives a mouthfilling sensation with sweet raspberry and strawberry fruit accented by clove, vanilla and cola. Lots of nuance and power with abounding freshness. 45% Cabernet Sauvignon,44% Merlot and 11% Petit Verdot from gravel parcels near the estuary and more suited to Cabernet.
Château Pibran
Pauillac
2021
90
Gorgeously floral, so sweet and welcoming. Lightly framed, delicate but fun and playful. Smooth but also sour, the succulent and creamy chalkiness is lovely. A nice balance between the sweet fruit, the floral and the freshness. Tannins are fine and integrated with a vein of spiced minerality - really long length. It’s gentle with this depth of flavour and intensity of perfume while still being light, but the spice gives depth. A lot going on here, with licks of stone and graphite, dark chocolate and clove. Ageing 40% in new barrels and 60% from barrels of one vintage.
Château Pédesclaux, Fleur de Pedesclaux
Pauillac
2021
90
Delicate rose-tinged blackcurrants on the nose, ripe and soft. Lovely soft acidity, it has that almost sweet and sour note, giving you texture and zing as well as clarity and lift. Nicely presented with integrated tannins, a round mouthfeel and persistence. Harmonious, soft and wrapped up - all the elements are well signposted and detailed - the fruit purity, the execution of tannins, the acidity and the sweet fruit. Long, the mint and the blackcurrant just settles on the tongue and doesn't let up. Eric Boissenot consultant. 3.68pH. Ageing 30% in new oak. 42% of total production. In official organic conversion since 2019.
Château Lynch-Moussas, Hauts de Lynch-Moussas
Pauillac
2021
90
Heady blackcurrant aromas with sweet cedar touches - ripe and opulent. Such energy, nicely delivered and vibrant. Unfussy but with linearity and such precision that gives a crystalline fruit purity on the palate, ending fresh and lifted with hints of toasted wood spice. This will be lovely to drink after ageing has softened some of the slightly rustic edges. Ageing in 35% new oak.
Château Haut-Bages Monpelou
Pauillac
2021
90
Such aromatic interest on the nose, the aromas really coming from the Cabernets - especially the Franc. A concoction of pot pourri and bright red berry fruit. Elegant and refined on the palate, a very pretty Pauillac, still with the superior Cabernet fruit to the fore - the black pepper, green pepper, eucalyptus, black chocolate and cedar giving the spice and edges. It's confident and I especially like the bitterness coming through - the stalky wood, bitter chocolate and liquorice which contrasts with the red fruits. Long length and good freshness.
Château Trigant
Pessac-Léognan
2021
90
Juicy and succulent, the grippy tannins giving the fine powdery texture but also density of fruit. It's muscular with sinew on show, clarity and precision, a cool touch of mint and fragrance all the way through. Charming and nicely crafted.
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Les Hauts de Smith
Pessac-Léognan
2021
90
Softly floral and bramble aromas, an edge of rustic fruit against freshly picked red summer berries. The palate is bright and energetic with a core of minerality giving a crushed stone, graphite and liquorice flavour. The texture settles on the tongue. Tannins are fine and integrated, giving a gentle frame to the high-toned red fruits, but this has such an enjoyable and appealing dark edge of bitter chocolate and slate. Lively, structured and supremely charming.
Château Lespault-Martillac
Pessac-Léognan
2021
90
Scented nose, aromatics to the fore. Juicy, sweet raspberry and strawberry. Smooth and refined on the palate, tannins are fine but do well to support the fruit which has more of a darker tone. A sweetness and soft jamminess gives a plump feeling while still actually being direct and focused. This has a sleekness, a drive from start to finish in one layer, giving black fruits with liquorice and crushed stone nuances. Good stuff.
Château Latour-Martillac
Pessac-Léognan
2021
90
Gorgeous nose of rose-tinted strawberries and raspberries. The fruit is a little severe on the palate, you get an initial burst of fresh red berries with juicy acidity, but the edges are a little stalky with the minty, robust, slate-edged tannins coming in and overtaking the freshness. The overall texture is impressive, this just lacks a little more density and push of the fruit, but you do get the feeling of precision, the integration of tannins and and cool aspect throughout.The minerality on the tongue is clean and crisp. An impressive effort with lots going on. One I look forward to tasting in bottle. Could easily go up in score.
Château de Rochemorin
Pessac-Léognan
2021
90
Smooth and charming, lightly framed in texture and flavour but well presented, clean and crisp, with satin tannins and a slow expansion of flavour. Effortless nature, not trying too hard, poised and elegant, just giving enough fruit and acidity to sustain the palate and still give a lifted finish. Nicely done. 3% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Château Tronquoy-Lalande
St-Estèphe
2021
90
Bramble fruit tones on the nose, super-fresh, you get the Petit Verdot spice alongside perfumed nuances - so lovely. Bright and vibrant, such a clear tone to the fruit. This is generous in terms of overt flavour, fruit-forward, shining brightly in the glass. Precise and fine tannins offset a lovely balance between the fruit and the freshnes, with high acidity underpinning the strawberry and red cherry flavours giving this such youthful energy - a touch of severity towards the spiced finish. Pierre Graffeuille replaces Hervé Berland here, having arrived in March and taking over fully in October.
Château Tour Saint-Fort
St-Estèphe
2021
90
Gorgeous perfume on the nose, violets, beautiful aromas. A shot of lively and bright black fruits with high acidity. Fine but grippy tannins that have a slate and graphite edge. I like the upfront nature of this, it feels confident and though stops a little short it has good sculpting, a cooling finish and nice styling.
Château Montrose, Dame de Montrose
St-Estèphe
2021
90
Cocoa-dusted blackberries and strawberries, you get that deep core, the baked fruit with aromatic touches - more herbal than the grand vin. Quite high-toned, verging on sharp with a real brightness and vivacity to the red cherry and strawberry fruit. Smooth and direct, with mouthwatering acidity to the fore. You salivate such a lot here - and then get the wet stone mineral notes cleansing the palate. Pierre Graffeuille replaces Hervé Berland, having arrived in March and taking over fully in October. 3% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Château Domeyne
St-Estèphe
2021
90
Supple and generous on the palate, this has a gorgeous, smooth texture, so lively and juicy but with excellent acidity so it's not too sharp or severe. Very complete - lightly framed, but delivering such an approachable, easy-to-enjoy glass of wine. Refined, classy, with a powdery texture and just the right support and grip. Elements of dark chocolate, too. I love it. Eric Boissenot consultant.
Château Cos d'Estournel, Les Pagodes de Cos
St-Estèphe
2021
90
Fragrant with soft spicing, vanilla, cedar, cinnamon, dark chocolate, bramble tones and blackcurrant leaf. Fruit feels well worked, I love the texture here - still quite straight and linear, all in one line, but with cool fruit nuances. Svelte and sleek tannins, a lovely freshness. Spicy Cabernet markers which are so appealing. Direct with chalky elements that are given lift by the quite present acidity, adding a vivacity to the overall flavour. Good complexity and broad structure. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Château Calon Ségur
St-Estèphe
2021
90
Delicate, rose-tinted black fruits on the nose, really quite lifted and playful on the palate, the fruit jumping out the glass. Lovely delicacy, you get the richness and depth, but the flavours are also clearly defined with layers of fruit and acidity one upon another. It's fresh and juicy, vibrant and well extracted, full of red cherry, strawberry, raspberry and grapefruit elements that have an enjoyable and crisp bitterness to them. Nothing harsh, just pure fruit enjoyment. 3.60pH. 17 months ageing, 30% new oak.
Château Lilian Ladouys
St-Estèphe (Cru Bourgeois)
2021
90
Milky chocolate blackcurrant notes on the nose. This is beguiling and sweet, very appealing with a succulent and ample palate, fresh and lively, silky and smooth. Gentle and charming with bite and a deep soul. The tannins are still there - austere with this clear bitter dark chocolate note, but the fruit is ripe so you get this round, medium mouthfeel. Expansive and charming. More noble tannins, sweet and approachable with perfumed cherries, raspberries, strawberries and red plums, then the liquorice and bitterness coming through at the end. It's more approachable than the second wine at this point, lively, but still with tension and focus. Lots to like. Grand vin accounts for 80% of production.
Château Teynac
St-Julien
2021
90
Herbal tones and dark chocolate on the nose. So much salinity and minerality on show on the palate, the crystalline, clean and salty elements come through the super-fine but also mouthcoating tannins, making them more apparent than the blackcurrant and black cherry fruit right now. I actually really like the nuance going on here, it's such a show of the St-Julien terroir, precise and finessed but with this earthy minerality coming through. I look forward to trying this in bottle. One to watch. Eric Boissenot consultant.
Château Gloria
St-Julien
2021
90
A darkly herbal nose, blackcurrant and brambles. Juicy and alive on the palate, this is quite high-toned with a sharpness to the fruit, yet also a pencil lead-chalkiness giving this push-pull of brightness as well as a savoury touch. I like the clarity of flavours, the precision that comes across - it's playful and fun and all seems in balance with the minerality showing through on the palate as well. A little light on the mid-palate, but easy to like.
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Le Petit Ducru
St-Julien
2021
90
Floral and aromatic, expressive and perfumed with sweet blackcurrant touches. Cool blue fruits; blueberries, plums and damsons, this is slightly sombre, dark and heady with a fresh minty-liquorice and crushed stone texture giving an appealing salinity. Satsifying weight in the mouth, but delicately presented with spiced nuances. Quite strict on the mid-palate, some tension coming through with energy and polish.
