Chateau Lafleur - Les Perrieres 2021

DECANTER: "Saline, mineral notes on the nose, crayon, liquorice and graphite with light blackcurrant and blueberry. Strong and intense, a lovely weight to this in the mouth, texture and flesh, but smooth, well constructed and harmonious. This has something to chew on at first then sleeks out and focusses towards the finish, ending sharp with liquorice and wet stones. Delicate and nuanced, not in your face at all, more confident perhaps than Grand Village but less detail immediately on show. A great effort in 2021 but it's sleeping now, will need more time."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The cooler vintage has lent the 2021 Les Perrières de Lafleur an even greater sense of transparency than preceding vintages, even if this bottling has always had a remarkably pronounced site signature. Unfurling in the glass with deep aromas of raspberries, plums, Indian spices, burning embers and licorice, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with beautifully refined tannins, lively acids and an intensely mineral finish."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The third vintage for this Fronsac estate coming all from a massal selection from Château Lafleur in Pomerol, the Cabernet Franc-dominated 2021 Les Perrieres De Lafleur sports a deep purple hue to go with a brilliant perfume of ripe black cherry and black raspberry fruits, intermixed with tons of flora, chalky minerality, and graphite-like aromatics. More precise, focused, and elegant than the Grand Village yet just as concentrated, it will be drinkable in just a few years and have 15 years or more prime drinking."

JAMES SUCKLING: "A racy and refined red with a beautiful center palate of integrated tannins that flow into the wine. Medium-bodied and creamy, with an extremely polished, juicy finish. 62% cabernet franc and 38% merlot. Drink or hold."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "A blend of 38% Merlot and 62% Cabernet Franc (Bouchet), the 2021 Les Perrieres from Chateau Lafleur has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It starts off a little shy, soon unfurling to reveal notes of redcurrant preserves, fresh blackberries, and Sichuan pepper, followed by nuances of star anise, underbrush, and wild sage. The medium-bodied palate is very tightly wound, with vibrant red berry and savory layers, framed by fine-grained tannins and great tension, finishing on a lingering, peppery note."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Schwarze Beerenfrucht, ein Hauch von Lakritze, kandierte Orangenzesten, schwarzer Pfeffer, tabakig, etwas Wacholder. Mittlerer Körper, vom Kalk geprägte Struktur, feine, tragende Tannine, mineralisch im Abgang, gut integrierte Säure, im Moment noch etwas verschlossen."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Leafy, savory herbs, plums, cocoa, cigar box, and cherries are everywhere. The medium-bodied wine is vibrant, sweet, fresh, juicy, and creamy, with a spicy, savory-edged, plummy finish, and a lingering minty endnote. The wine blends 62% Cabernet Franc with 38% Merlot. As you can see from the blend, it is all that gorgeous ripe, Cab Franc that makes it work with the 2021 vintage. Drink from 2025-2036."