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A Saint-Estèphe of stature and vertical intensity, the 2021 Calon Ségur dazzles from the very first taste. Spice, menthol, licorice, black cherry, mint and espresso are some of the many notes that build with a bit of coaxing. The 2021 clocks in at a modest 12.9% in alcohol, yet it possesses tremendous density and textural resonance. What a wine! Tasted two times.Vinous Media | 97 VMThe Grand Vin 2021 Château Calon Ségur is one heck of a winner in the vintage and is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot. Hitting 12.9% alcohol, its deep purple hue is followed by a gorgeous bouquet of cassis, violets, ripe darker raspberries, and spring flowers. It’s elegant and has a great mid-palate, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It’s unquestionably one of the gems from the Médoc and will round into form with 3-5 years of bottle age and, I suspect, be long-lived.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-97 JDA 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 grip 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.Decanter | 95 DECRevisited in bottle, the 2021 Calon-Ségur opens in the glass with aromas of dark berries mingled with aromas of violets, pencil shavings, lilac, Indian spices, cigar wrapper and grilled meats. Medium to full-bodied, dense and suave, with powdery tannins, lively acids and a penetratingly sapid and discreetly carnal finish, it appears to have lost a touch of aromatic precision during élevage, but it remains a compelling Calon-Ségur.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPA step ahead of the pack in this vintage, this offers a hint of polish to fleshier-than-most cassis and plum puree flavors. Solidly built, with a well-buried chalky spine, plus tangy acidity. Lilac, bay and black tea notes add range on the finish. Shows the vintage’s taut character, but this has more depth and better proportion than most of its colleagues. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2037. 7,800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA juicy and caressingly astringent red with currant, berry and cedar aromas with citrus undertones. Medium body. Firm and silky with a delicious finish. A little tight at the end. Two or three years will open it up.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2021 Calon Segur is deep garnet-purple in color. It sashays out with vibrant notes of wild blueberries, raspberry coulis, and cassis followed by hints of bay leaves, camphor, and cedar. Light-bodied, the palate is delicately styled with loads of zip lifting the finely packed fruit, finishing long and fragrant. The blend is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot.The Wine Independent | 90-92 TWI

Coming from a mix of clay and gravelly soils spread across a 10-hectare vineyard and 40-year-old vines, the 2021 Château Clinet is another brilliant success by Ronan Laborde, who continues to make one of the greatest Pomerols out there. A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon (which is a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon for Pomerol), it sports a deep purple hue to go with brilliant notes of blueberries, blackberries, violets, and minty herbs. More medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shows the fresher, elegant style of the vintage yet still brings plenty of mid-palate depth, ripe, velvety tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It’s a stunning success in the vintage that will drink nicely on release yet evolve for 20 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-96 JDAn exceptional Clinet in 2021. Richly scented, dark and roguish, a touch of sour cherry and perfume to the nose. Round, supple, generous and vibrant on the palate - this has a lifeforce to it with nuance of red berry flavour and real persistency as well as juicy acidity. I love the upfront nature of this and the really quite vivid and expressive red fruits while the background gives the savoury, menthol, liquorice notes offering depth and wideness - lots of terroir and grape markers in the glass - particularly the high percentage (25%) of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Tannins are firm and supportive with the overall freshness lifting the frame, delivering a full mouthfeel with a density of tannins and black fruit that doesn’t dip. Well worked and presented. A touch of wood on the finish but subtle and supportive. You also get the florality all the way through which is just so appealing. Supremely well worked, charming but also confident - I absolutely love it and it clearly stood out every time tasting it - four times in total. 45,000 bottles made, same production as 2020.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2021 Clinet is bold, explosive and dense. A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 is a rich and ample wine of tremendous energy and tension. This represents a modern style of Pomerol that will drink well upon release and also age.Vinous Media | 94 VMFirm, lightly chewy yet creamy tannins. Savory bark and herb notes. Cloves and licorice, too. Medium body with a polished, lengthy and firm finish. Compact.James Suckling | 93-94 JSThe 2021 Clinet opens in the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums and licorice mingled with hints of mint and orange zest, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate with a sweet core of fruit that’s framed by a chassis of sweet, powdery tannins that assert themselves on the oak-inflected finish. Out of the gates, this remains quite structured by its élevage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RPThe 2021 Clinet is deep garnet-purple colored. It is a little reticent to start, soon unfurling to offer glimpses at black raspberries, redcurrant jelly, and warm plums scents, plus hints of star anise, Ceylon tea, and wild sage. The palate is medium-bodied, with oak tannins lending to the firm structure and plenty of densely laden black and red fruits, finishing with great length.The Wine Independent | 90-92 TWIA frankly toasted style, with bittersweet cocoa notes draped over a core of black cherry and plum fruit. Reveals tobacco, licorice, roasted cedar and a tug of warm earth through the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2034. 3,850 cases made, 600 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou captures all the potential it showed from barrel. A delicate, understated wine, the 2021 impresses above all else with its finesse. All the elements are impeccably balanced throughout. Time in the glass brings out the wine’s inner sweetness and gorgeous perfume. The balance with oak, at times a challenge here, is also flawless. With lower alcohol and therefore also less extraction from oak than recent vintages, the 2021 is shaping up to be a modern-day classic. The blend is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot, the highest amount of Cabernet Sauvignon ever here. What a wine.Vinous Media | 98 VMI was also able to retaste a barrel sample of the 2021 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, and it showed in line with my tastings last year. It’s a shockingly concentrated, medium to full-bodied, balanced Ducru Beaucaillou that I think will surpass most of the so-called petits millésimes of the past two decades, and that just goes to show the level of attention to detail and talent at this address.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JDFirm, structured and pure with a cool and solid core of dark currants, blackberries, tar, pencil lead and bitter chocolate. Hints of tobacco, too. Firm but silky tannins. Very pure, with a long, mineral finish. Intense and very focused. 98% cabernet sauvignon and 2% merlot.James Suckling | 96-97 JSA wine that will delight Médoc purists, the 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a blend of fully 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot and checks in at a mere 12.5% alcohol. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cigar wrapper, violets, loamy soil and spices, it’s full-bodied, layered and velvety, with superb depth at the core, lively acids and powdery tannins. Complete and penetrating, it’s a true classic, reminiscent of a modern-day version of Ducru’s brilliant 1996—though today’s precision winemaking means that the 2021 is unlikely to go through so long a hibernation as that vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPBeautiful 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 focussed 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.Decanter | 96 DECThis is a wine with enormous potential with rich tannins and dark black fruits. At the same time, it has lightness that gives it a lift of fine black currant fruits. It will age, of course.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou, 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot, was tasted as a tank sample just before bottling. Deep garnet-purple in color, it opens with notes of crushed blackcurrants, fresh raspberries, and Morello cherries with touches of dried herbs, mossy tree bark, pencil lead, and damp soil. The light-bodied palate delivers mouth-filling, crunchy, black and red berry flavors with chewy tannins and a lively backbone, finishing with an herbal lift.The Wine Independent | 92-94+ TWI

A very structured young Haut-Brion with blackberry, blackcurrant, black-olive and mushroom character. Medium to full-bodied with a driving balance of firm and ripe tannins and gorgeous fruit. 50.3% merlot, 38% cabernet sauvignon and 11.7% cabernet franc.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThis is a magnificent wine. It is the epitome of great white Bordeaux. Its texture and spice give an alluring touch to the lime, apricot and kiwi flavors that come through the toast. This is a classic. Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThe 2021 Haut-Brion confirms its fine showing en primeur, cementing its status as one of the wines of the vintage. Its complex bouquet of dark berries and cassis mingled with notions of cigar wrapper and burning embers unfurls in the glass. Full-bodied, deep and velvety, it’s concentrated and layered with a multidimensional core of fruit, sweet tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. Reflecting the timeless elegance of Haut-Brions from cooler years, the 2021 will delight Bordeaux purists.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPAs with the Clarence, the 2021 Château Haut-Brion is a darker, richer, more powerful wine. Currants, smoked black cherries, graphite, chocolate, and tobacco notes all define the nose, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a straight, focused, beautifully precise mouthfeel, gorgeous yet substantial tannins, and a great finish. It’s going to hit maturity in 7-8 years and have 30 years of longevity or more. The 2021 is mostly Merlot, checking in as 50.3% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11.7% Cabernet Franc, hitting 13.8% alcohol and resting in 73% new French oak.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JDOne 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.Decanter | 97 DECThe 2021 Haut-Brion is a blend of 50% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 12% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a lot of swirling and convincing to coax out notions of redcurrant jelly, raspberry coulis, blackcurrant pastilles, and graphite, plus suggestions of cloves, crushed rocks, and underbrush. Medium-bodied, the palate is a little like sucking on stones at this stage, chock full of minerals with emerging black and red fruits, framed by ripe, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and earthy. A very different style and expression of Haut-Brion than in recent years, and yet this is equally evocative and simply gorgeous.The Wine Independent | 93-95 TWIThe 2021 Haut-Brion is an excellent wine. Despite its mid-weight structure, the 2021 possesses notable dynamic energy and layers of complexity that build with time in the glass. Scorched earth, leather, tobacco, incense, licorice and dried herbs are some of the many notes that open with aeration. The 2021 is a quiet, understated Haut-Brion, but all its signatures are present. Today, the it is not quite as showy as it was en primeur, but it is a fine effort nonetheless.Vinous Media | 94 VM

The 2021 Château La Mission Haut-Brion checks in as a blend of 47.9% Merlot, 45.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc that hit 13.4% alcohol and is still resting in 27% new French oak. Graphite, scorched earth, tobacco leaf, and gorgeous cassis and violet-tinge blue fruits all define the bouquet, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a vibrant, elegant mouthfeel, terrific tannins, and one hell of a great finish. It’s a softer, rounder, more layered wine than the Haut-Brion, with a little more sexiness, yet both are utterly brilliant wines.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 JDThe wine has a rich texture and is splendidly fruity. It is structured while juicy and full of complex tannins. This is a wine that sings of fruits that are ripe while never heavy.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion unfurls in the glass with a complex, detailed bouquet of plums, cassis, flowers, spices, licorice and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated, its fleshy, layered core of fruit is framed by beautifully velvety tannins. In bottle, much as en primeur, this blend of 48% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc is a charming, sensual rendition of La Mission.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPRose, 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.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion comes across as delicate and soft. It is a wine that is very strongly marked by the year—there is no doubt about that. Floral and spice notes open first, as the 2021 shows off its restrained personality. Dark fruit, leather, cedar and tobacco develop in the glass, but this very clearly offers only modest definition, mid-palate pliancy and persistence. Even so, there are no hard edges. Overall, it’s a very good wine in a year that was obviously extremely challenging.James Suckling | 94-95 JSA blend of 48% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion is deep garnet-purple colored. Is a little closed to begin, soon revealing notes of crushed blackcurrants, fresh black raspberries, and mulberries, plus suggestions of pencil shavings, roses, and Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate is tightly knit with delicate black and red berry layers, supported by fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and mineral-laced.The Wine Independent | 92-94 TWIThe 2021 La Mission Haut-Brion comes across as delicate and soft. It is a wine that is very strongly marked by the year—there is no doubt about that. Floral and spice notes open first, as the 2021 shows off its restrained personality. Dark fruit, leather, cedar and tobacco develop in the glass, but this very clearly offers only modest definition, mid-palate pliancy and persistence. Even so, there are no hard edges. Overall, it’s a very good wine in a year that was obviously extremely challenging.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 2021 Haut-Bages Libéral is a powerful, dense wine. Black cherry, mocha, plum, licorice and incense are all amplified in a brooding, dense Pauillac endowed with notable textural richness and tons of sheer power. Aeration releases the wine’s bracing acidity and aromatics, yet the 2021 remains quite rich. Yields were just 31.5 hectoliters-per-hectare, about 30% lower than normal. Haut-Bages Libéral is a rare 2021 that needs time to shed some of its considerable baby fat. It’s a seriously impressive wine from Claire Lurton. The 2021 was aged 40% in new oak, 40% in once-filled barrels and 20% in a combination of amphora and concrete vat.Vinous Media | 95 VMThis is already open and delicious with cherry, cassis, blueberry and chocolate-orange character. Some peach notes, too. Medium to full body with velvety, ripe and plush tannins. Caressing, yet it remains firm and solid. Lovely, creamy finish. 90% cabernet sauvignon and 10% merlot. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.James Suckling | 94-95 JSVery 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.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2021 Haut-Bages-Libéral has turned out nicely, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cassis, minty berries, pencil shavings and cigar wrapper, followed by a medium to full-bodied, deep and layered palate that’s impressively concentrated, built around a muscular frame of ripe, powdery tannins that assert themselves on the youthfully structured finish. It will reward a bit of patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RP

The 2021 La Conseillante is bright, fresh and fruity, with lovely red fruit character and fine balance. Crushed berries, rose petal, lavender, chalk, mint and spice are beautifully delineated. In 2021, La Conseillante is a Pomerol of tension, nerve and delicacy more than volume. Time in the glass brings out bright floral notes that extend the finish. The blend is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc that spent 18 months in French oak—70% new, 27% once-filled barrels and 3% amphora. The 2021 is such a classy wine. I can’t wait to see how it ages. The 2021 possesses a Burgundian sense of structure, for lack of a better term. Harvest started on September 28 for the Merlots, very late by recent standards, through October 1. The Cabernets were picked on October 6 and 12. The alcohol (13%) and pH (3.6) readings are those from another era.Vinous Media | 96 VMBlackberry, lavender, dried violet, and sandalwood follow through to a medium body, with very fine and velvety tannins that give a polished and caressing texture. Fresh and vivid. Drink after 2028.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2021 La Conseillante unwinds in the glass with aromas of black raspberries and mulberries mingled with vine smoke, rose petals and spices, framed by a discreet touch of new oak. This is medium to full-bodied, suave and enveloping, with a velvety attack that segues into a layered, multidimensional palate that’s framed by ultra-refined tannins and animated by ripe acids. Long and perfumed, this has turned out beautifully. It was bottled in June, seeing three rackings and a very light egg-white fining during élevage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2021 Château La Conseillante showed beautifully, and while it’s not going to match the all-time greats here, it’s a quintessential, elegant, seamless Pomerol in the making. Revealing a deep purple hue as well as a spectacular nose of pure cassis, ripe tobacco, damp earth, and ample floral nuances, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, beautiful overall balance, and a great finish. It’s a remarkable effort in this challenging vintage. The blend is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, still aging in 70% new barrels, that hit 13.3% alcohol and a pH of 3.6.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95 JDIris and raspberry notes on the nose, delicately floral but fresh and lively - just shy of mouthwatering acidity - but enough to create such a lift on the first taste which has a juicy effect. The acidity is nicely balanced but this has such a gentle charm, a suaveness and sensuality to it, tannins are sleek and agile with some bitter dark chocolate and slate edges while the fruit is full of black cherry, plum and blueberry touches. But it’s the texture and the aromatic display that are so captivating - having density and weight but no heaviness. You get the ripeness in the flavour but the overall feeling remains cool and refreshing with tension and terroir on show in the wet stone nuance underpinning the fruit. Just pure grace and precision. An exceptional effort for the estate’s 150th vintage. ’The worst thing on the label is the vintage’ says general director Marielle Cazeaux "because people think it’s bad, but this is really the DNA of La Conseillante". 3.6pH. Merlot picked from 28th September to 1st October, Cabernet Franc on the 6th and 12th October.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2021 La Conseillante is a blend of 85% Merlot, harvested from 28 September to 1 October, and 15% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 6 to 12 October, with a yield of 39 hl/ha. It is aging 70% in new oak and 3% in amphora. Deep garnet-purple color, it strides confidently out of the glass with notes of fresh blackberries, ripe raspberries, cracked black pepper, and lavender, plus vibrant accents of roses, cinnamon stick, and pencil shavings, Medium-bodied, the palate is soft and quivering with tension, delivering a vibrant core of bright red fruit and subtle spicy sparks, leading to a long minerally finish. pH 3.6.The Wine Independent | 92-94 TWI

Lots of clove, black-licorice and cigar-box character. Already perfumed. Medium body with fine, chalky and precise tannins. Lead-pencil shavings. Well framed and structured with a fresh, lengthy and spicy finish. Extremely long and intense. 63% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. From organically grown grapes.James Suckling | 96-97 JSThe 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte is an engaging, dynamic wine. Gravel, menthol, licorice, mocha and spice are all beautifully delineated. A wine of energy and focus, the 2021 is absolutely enthralling—medium in body, refined and super-impressive.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte, a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot reveals a deep, complex bouquet of dark berries, spices, licorice, pencil lead and flowers intertwined with hints of menthol. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless, it’s suave and concentrated, with velvety, elegant tannins and a refined, penetrating finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe flagship 2021 Château Smith Haut Lafitte checks in as 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and a splash of Petit Verdot. It’s a rich, powerful wine, delivering lots of ripe black fruits (currants, some cassis), notes of scorched earth and graphite, medium to full body, ripe tannins, and a great mid-palate. It shows the straight, focused style of the vintage yet brings plenty of mid-palate depth, ripe, building tannins, and outstanding length.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95+ JDGorgeous 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.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, aging in 60% new oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a little swirling before it bursts with vibrant black cherries, fresh blackberries, and blackcurrant cordial scents, followed by hints of violets, star anise, and cedar chest. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers a great density of fresh black fruits and earthy layers, framed by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and compelling freshness, leading to a long finish with a spicy kick on this very impressive wine. At 22 hl/ha, yields are less than half of 2019 and about half of 2020, with 1/3 of the crop going into the Grand Vin this year.The Wine Independent | 92-94 TWIProvides a step up in substance, with steeped red and black currant fruit laced with tobacco, bay leaf and worn leather accents. Features flashes of warm earth and iron that underscore the finish, also showing depth and grip. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2035. 10,000 cases made, 2,400 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

A very pretty wine, showing blackberry and blackcurrant aromas with crushed stone. Medium to full body with layers of fine-grained tannins. Bright and refined. Lots of dark fruit at the end. Solid weight.James Suckling | 94-95 JSThe 2021 Branaire-Ducru has realized all the potential it showed en primeur. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, menthol, violets and baking chocolate, it’s medium to full-bodied, supple and suave, with a velvety attack that segues into a deep, fleshy palate. This is especially impressive in the context of the vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPOpen and explosive in its aromatics, the 2021 Branaire-Ducru is deep, layered and super-expressive, promising to evolve well for many years to come. The Cabernets are especially evident in the wine’s remarkable savory character. Black cherry, lavender, graphite, and dried herbs lend considerable nuance. In 2021, Branaire-Ducru is not quite as charming as it often is at the outset, so readers should plan on being patient.Vinous Media | 94 VMGreen peppercorns, menthol and sightly herbal aspects on the nose. Smooth and silky, a shot of bright high acidity with a balancing creamy touch to the texture. Tannins are barely there, but do give the frame which nicely carries the flavours. Really charming and fruity, great energy if not masses of weight and depth. Clean and precise fruit expression. A great effort in 2021.Decanter | 94 DECMade from 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 6.5% Cabernet Franc, and 5.5% Petit Verdot, the 2021 Branaire-Ducru is deep garnet-purple in color. It comes bounding out of the glass with bold scents of warm cassis, blackberry preserves, and ripe black plums, followed by hints of camphor, violets, black truffles, and tapenade, with a waft of wood smoke. Light to medium-bodied, the palate delivers impressive intensity with firm, fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with a mineral lift.The Wine Independent | 91-93 TWIBright red and blue fruits, violets, and floral notes define the bouquet of the 2021 Château Branaire-Ducru, a medium-bodied, nicely balanced, elegant Saint-Julien. It has nicely integrated background oak, plenty of mid-palate depth, and the balance and length to shine for two decades. It’s incredibly well done and should end up being an outstanding wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 89-92 JD

Polished and refined with a firm, fine and linear tannin structure. Harmonious. Perfumed violets, roses and subtle licorice. All in balance here, with precise layers of black fruit, minerals and pencil lead. Rather seamless. Firm, yet fine and sleek to the end. Very classy. Fine-velvet texture. 96% cabernet sauvignon, 3% merlot and 1% petit verdot.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThe 2021 Lafite-Rothschild is every bit as exceptional as it was from barrel. The high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon comes through loud and clear. All the elements are so well balanced. The 2021 is dark, racy and full of Lafite sensuality, all kicked up by the natural intensity of the year. Dark red/purplish fruit, mint, lavender and rose petal are all on display. It’s not a showy wine, and it will need quite a bit of time to fully reveal its charms.Vinous Media | 97 VMI loved this wine during en primeur and I love it still, hovering over giving it 98 points. It’s round and lively but also full and complete, not plush or opulent but supple with intensity and a really enjoyable, juicy acidity and chalky, mineral grip to the tannins. It’s not trying too hard yet still displays power: such concentration and balance. The 96% Cabernet works so well and gives Lafite a star performer this year. This is one you’re still going to want to crack open and finish, in 10, 20 or 30 years.Decanter | 97 DECThis is essentially Cabernet Sauvignon, giving beautiful black currant notes that come through in succulent juiciness and a serious core of tannins that are giving the wine a solid backbone. This will push the wine’s maturity well into the long-term.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WETo my palate, the 2021 Lafite Rothschild has emerged as the finest of the Pauillac first growths this year. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark minty berries mingled with notions of iris, licorice and cigar box, it’s medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a velvety attack that segues into an elegantly dense and structured mid-palate that’s nicely framed by sweet but abundant tannins, concluding with a long, penetrating finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPI loved the Grand Vin 2021 Château Lafite-Rothschild, and if anyone is going to excel in a cooler, elegant vintage like 2021, it will be Château Lafite. Based on 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, is has a brilliant perfume of pure crème de cassis, spring flowers, graphite, gravelly earth, and sandalwood, which will turn toward more classic Lafite cedar pencil with age. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has supple, elegant, yet substantial tannins, great balance, and a beautiful finish. Like most wines from this estate, it has a classy, regal, incredibly impressive style.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96+ JDThe 2021 Lafite Rothschild is a blend of 96% CS, 3% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a lot of swirling to shake loose notions of ripe blackcurrants, fresh blackberries, and black raspberries, followed by hints of cedar, graphite, cloves, and cast-iron pan with a waft of roses. Light to medium-bodied, the palate delivers intensely perfumed black fruits with a floral and herbal undercurrent textured by firm, finely grained tannins, and featuring well-integrated acidity, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note. This should be one of the most long-lived wines of the vintage, with cellaring potential of 40+ years. Yields came in at 33 hl/ha and the wine has a pH of 3.9.The Wine Independent | 94-96 TWI

This has a firm, seamless and velvety tannin structure, accompanying a deep core of dark plum fruit, peach stones, chocolate and mahogany. Layered and caressing. Supple, yet full and powerful. Silky and smooth at the end. It shows real structure for the vintage and will age really well. 100% merlot.James Suckling | 98-99 JSThe 2021 Le Pin has turned out beautifully. Élevage has done wonders in building texture. Dark, pliant and super-expressive, the 2021 is fabulous right out of the gate. Bright acids resonate on the striking finish. Black cherry, plum, leather, spice, graphite and jasmine lend an exotic flair. Time in the glass releases the aromatics. The 2021 is a gorgeous wine.Vinous Media | 96 VMA gorgeous 2021 from Le Pin. Summer autumn berries on the nose - crunchy strawberry and ripe blackcurrant. So expressive with a beautiful fragrance and nuance of aroma. Incredibly precise and sharp, gorgeously clean and nuanced. It’s delicate no doubt, there’s barely any weight here but just such beautiful delineation of flavours that just linger on the tongue. It’s fresh and al dente. Really not trying too hard with lychee, orange peel, slightly exotic elements and a bitter spice on the finish. Silky and smooth, with drive and definition the whole way through. The signature is just slightly more cool in terms of aromatics but it’s still Le Pin.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2021 Le Pin has turned out beautifully in bottle, bursting with aromas of raspberries and blackberries mingled with notions of pencil shavings, spices, black truffle and licorice, framed by a discreet touch of new oak (only 55% new this year). Medium to full-bodied, ample and enveloping, it’s suave and sensual, with a fleshy core of fruit and beautifully refined tannins and concludes with a long, rose-inflected finish. Le Pin, after all, is an early-ripening, well-drained terroir, so it’s hardly surprising that it should perform especially well in a vintage like 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPAlways 100% Merlot from a tiny parcel of clay and gravelly soils, the 2021 Château Le Pin offers up a textbook Le Pin nose of ripe red and blue fruits as well as toast, crème brûlée, spice, and exotic flowers. It’s one of the sexiest, most opulent, and seamless wines in the vintage and is medium-bodied, has beautiful tannins, and great overall balance.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95 JDThe 2021 Le Pin is 100% Merlot, harvested from 25 September to 4 October with a yield of 35 hl/ha, and aging in 65% new oak. This finished blend was sampled straight from the barrel. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a lot of swirling to unlock very pure notes of crushed black plums, fresh blackberries, and clove oil, followed by subtle hints of truffles, tobacco leaf, fertile loam, and Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers impactful energy with wonderful tension to the tightly knit black fruit layers and firm, ripe, rounded tannins, finishing long and minerally. pH 3.6.The Wine Independent | 92-94 TWI

The top wine, the 2021 Château Léoville Poyferré is a beauty and certainly makes the most of the vintage. Based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that hit 14% alcohol (with an IPT of 78 and a pH of 3.85), its dense purple hue is followed by a rich, concentrated, medium to full-bodied Saint-Julien that has terrific purity of fruit, notes of cassis, violets, and spicy wood, ripe tannins, and remarkable overall balance. It brings more richness and depth than most in the vintage and is unquestionably going to offer tons of pleasure over the coming 20-25 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-97 JDThe 2021 Léoville-Poyferré has developed into a fabulous wine. Surprisingly rich, the 2021 possesses notable depth. Kirsch, blood orange and wildflowers open first, lending a decidedly exotic, perfumed quality. On the palate, the 2021 is fleshy and expressive. There’s a bit of new oak that needs to integrate. Otherwise, the 2021 is impeccably balanced. Tasted two times.Vinous Media | 96 VMExcellent depth and complexity with a nice modern touch of cocoa powder to the black olives, pencil shavings, cassis, violets, black mushrooms and dark earth. Full-bodied palate with fresh, vertical tannins and lots of juicy fruit that seamlessly dissolve into the flavorful, persistent finish. Refined power with real length. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSA rich, ripe toasted nose, clearly concentrated. Good fruit density, underlying power and sense of structure. This has personality, it does feel a tiny bit pushed on the palate with acidity opening the expression but the fruitiness fades quite quickly and is replaced by the tannic structure and menthol, herbal Cabernet aspects. It’s smooth with a long length. Nice bones for ageing, so give this a few years.Decanter | 94 DECDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 Leoville Poyferre slowly expands from the glass, revealing notes of warm cassis, blackberry pie, and black cherry preserves, followed by hints of menthol, pencil lead, red roses, and charcoal. Medium-bodied, the palate offers great intensity of youthful black fruits with firm, fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and peppery. The blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, harvested between 28 September and 12 October, is to be aged 18-20 months in French oak, 80% new. The wine has a pH of 3.84 and an IPT of 78.The Wine Independent | 92-94 TWIThe 2021 Léoville Poyferré opens in the glass with notes of minty berries, dark berry compote, pencil shavings and toasty oak, followed by a medium to full-bodied, deep and dense palate that’s quite muscular and extracted, built around a chassis of sweet, abundant tannins that assert themselves on the youthfully firm finish. This will require a bit of patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

The Grand Vin 2021 Château Lynch-Bages ratchets up everything, offering a rich, powerful, almost full-bodied style as well as gorgeous notes of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, spice, and hints of cassis. It might be the biggest, richest wine in the vintage and has a great mid-palate, impressive density, building tannins, and a great, great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96+ JDThe structure of this wine is the thing—with both power and density, it has weight and the richness associated with this property but in a lighter style proper to the vintage. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WESweet 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.Decanter | 95 DECLovely depth to the nose of this young Bordeaux with black currant, ink and walnut aromas that follow through to a medium to full body with a solid core of polished and integrated tannins. This will drink beautifully in 2026 and onwards.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2021 Lynch-Bages is rather somber today. Black fruit, mocha, licorice and chocolate are all amplified in this decidedly muscular wine from a cool year. This is a distinctly cool-climate Lynch-Bages built on power, with less of its usual flash.Vinous Media | 94 VMDisplays a nice mix of almost caressing black cherry and black currant paste flavors, with warm cast iron, sweet tobacco and chestnut notes, showing just a nip of the vintage’s austerity. Rock solid for the vintage, this offers a lively, savory edge that adds cut and energy. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040. 24,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 Lynch-Bages rolls out of the glass with effortlessly expressive notes of creme de cassis, black raspberries, and mulberries, giving way to hints of crushed rocks, wild sage, and wood smoke. Light to medium-bodied, the palate has a sturdy frame of firm, grainy tannins and bags of freshness framing the muscular fruit, finishing long and minerally. The blend is 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. This wine is due to be aged for 18 months in oak, 75% new. The wine has a pH of 3.72 and an IPT of 90.The Wine Independent | 92-94 TWIThe 2021 Lynch-Bages is one of the vintage’s bigger, broader-shouldered wines, offering up aromas of crème de cassis, plums and spices, framed by a generous application of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, dense and chunky, with a velvety attack that segues into a layered core of fruit framed by generously extracted tannins, it concludes with a long, lusty finish. Fully 40 hectares of this estate is now cultivated organically, principally those parcels that adjoin the houses of Pauillac. As is almost invariably the case with this estate, it will repay a bit of patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP

Unusually supple and charming for a young wine from this site, the 2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeots Rouge reveals notes of plums, rose petals, smoke and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, giving and open-knit palate.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPA restrained and slightly somber nose features notes of pepper, cherry, raspberry and more prominent earth influence. The delicious medium weight flavors possess a fleshy, plump and round mouthfeel while exhibiting fine depth and persistence on the mildly rustic finish. While this well-made effort could also be enjoyed young, a few years of cellaring should be beneficial.Burghound | 90 BH