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Very complex and subtle with cedar, dried herb, green tobacco, berry and lavender aromas that follow through to a medium body, with ultra-fine tannins that give a sophistication and beauty to the wine, especially from this vintage. 86% merlot and 14% cabernet franc. Drink after 2027.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2021 Larcis Ducasse is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a swirl or two to release the most gorgeous perfume of rose oil, cinnamon toast, and kirsch, leading to a core of raspberry coulis, juicy blackberries, and fragrant soil. Medium-bodied, the palate is soft-spoken, with lovely freshness and plush tannins framing the mineral-laced red and black fruits, finishing long and perfumed.The Wine Independent | 96 TWIThe 2021 Larcis Ducasse has turned out better than I expected. It is a shy, introverted Larcis built along super-classic lines—the sort of Saint-Émilion that will emerge only with a number of years in bottle. Spice, tobacco, cedar, menthol, licorice and dried herbs all build effortlessly in the glass. This is such a classy, elegant wine. Tasted three times.Vinous Media | 94 VMRose petals, pink flowers, raspberries and a touch of cardamom and cinnamon to the red berry fruit. Grippy and textured, quite a lean expression, direct and focussed, with bite to the tannins and a touch of dry salty, flinty minerality that coats the cheeks. It’s well worked but hasn’t quite settled yet and doesn’t quite have the fruit density to carry more of the motion and energy. Sleek though and definitely confident. Will be lovely once it calms.Decanter | 94 DECThis has tobacco and black-pepper aromas, and solid tannins. Power and dense blackberry flavors are impressive. Drink from 2028Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEUp with top wines of the vintage, the 2021 Château Larcis Ducasse is a beautiful Saint-Emilion based on 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc, with the Merlot harvested between September 29 and October 9, and the Cabernet from October 9 to October 11. From yields of 34 hectoliters per hectare and aged in 50% new barrels, its solid ruby/plum hue is followed by a beautiful nose of ripe red and black fruits, iron, dried tobacco, leather, and truffly earth. Medium to full-bodied (closer to medium-bodied), it has terrific mid-palate depth, ripe, polished tannins, and a balanced, layered, elegant mouthfeel. As with most 2021s, it only needs a few years of bottle age and will have two decades of overall longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDOffering up exotic aromas of minty blackberries and cherries mingled with dark chocolate, confit orange and melted asphalt, the 2021 Larcis Ducasse is medium to full-bodied, with a rich and creamy palate framed by powdery tannins. It’s unusually sweet and unctuous for the vintage and concludes with a discreetly herbal finish. Maturation in wood, now featuring some foudres and 500-liter barrels in addition to barriques, lasted until April, with bottling just over three months later.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPOffers red currant and damson plum notes lined with savory accents throughout, while light chalk and potpourri hints underscore the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2034. 2,400 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The 2021 Rauzan-Ségla is impressive. Dark, somber and brooding, the 2021 offers up a heady concoction of black cherry, plum, graphite, new leather, scorched earth, game and tar, all amplified in a dramatic, super-classic Margaux. I would not dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. I loved this en primeur, and I love it just as much today. Élevage made all the difference here. Tasted three times.Vinous Media | 97 VMBlack berry, black cherry and sandalwood aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, with chewy tannins that are polished and fresh. Linear and racy at the end. A crisp and solid young Bordeaux. Give this three or four years to come around. Best after 2027.James Suckling | 95 JSOne of the best in the vintage, the 2021 Château Rauzan-Ségla has beautiful cassis and red currant-like fruit that gives way to notes of tobacco, cedar pencil, and hints of flowers. It’s medium-bodied, has a supple, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It’s a gorgeous 2021 that has an almost Château Lafite-like sense of balance and elegance. Readers will love drinking bottles over the coming 15-20 years. The 2021 is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot, hitting 13.5% natural alcohol (pH 3.72), which was brought up in 60% new French oak.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDBeautifully perfumed on the nose, smells sweet and delicate. Smooth and ample in the mouth, succulent and juicy, quite lean, a sense of austerity in the cool, mineral edged fruit - blackcurrant and blueberry with cola edges and wet stone touches too. It’s refined for sure, missing a touch more weight but there’s great winemaking on show. First year in organic conversion which can’t have been easy. They’ve done a great job and it’s beautifully delicate and poised, an elegant and polished rather than weighty expression.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2021 Rauzan-Segla is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It prances out with showy notes of black cherries, juicy blackcurrant, and fresh blackberries, leading to touches of lilacs, dark chocolate, and star anise. The medium-bodied palate is velvety and mouth-coating, delivering perfumed black fruit with impressive harmony and depth.The Wine Independent | 94 TWIThe 2021 Rauzan-Ségla has turned out very nicely, offering up aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with subtle notions of baking chocolate, mint, pencil lead and vanilla pod. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and suave, with a seamless core of fruit that’s framed by polished tannins and bright but nicely integrated acids, it concludes with a long, delicately mordant finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPShows the savory edge of the vintage, but harnesses it to complement a mix of violet, black cherry and red currant fruit flavors. The finish reveals almost no grain as a subtle black tea note weaves through, also delivering a light iron underpinning. A solid effort -- kudos. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now through 2035.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2021 Vieux Château Certan may very well be the wine of the vintage on the Right Bank. Intensely aromatic and nuanced, with exceptional balance, the 2021 is super-classy right out of the gate. Naturally, it doesn’t have the richness or density of most prior vintages, but it more than makes up for that with its sublime harmony and overall freshness. All the elements are so well proportioned. Readers should plan on cellaring this beauty for at least another handful of yearsVinous Media | 98 VMA wine you don’t want to put down. Not light, but round and full for 2021, with body and concentration, carrying its frame well with a direct piercing of flavour through the middle. Tension and tang, bite and grip, gravel and clay nuances in texture and flavour. Juicy and succulent with tobacco, wet stones, slightly creamy and chalky with red and black fruits. Not the longest in terms of the initial expression, but lovely terroir character with lots of energy. Sublime.Decanter | 96 DECMedium to full body with a supple, textured and firm tannin structure. Velvety and perfumed with fragrant notes of flowers, cloves, plums and raspberries. Broad and layered. Very supple and evolving. Opens on the palate. 77% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 3% cabernet sauvignon.James Suckling | 96-97 JSA beautifully dense wine blending Merlot and 23% of both Cabernets, with black spice and cedar aromas. There is a straight line of acidity and tight spice followed by pure black-currant flavors. Drink from 2028. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEA blend of 77% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Vieux Chateau Certan has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It comes bounding out with exuberant notes of black cherries, juicy raspberries, and fresh, crunchy plums, giving way to nuances of lilacs, crushed rocks, forest floor, and garrigue. The medium-bodied palate has exhilarating tension, with fine-grained tannins and beautifully layered red and black berry flavors, finishing long with lots of mineral and floral sparks. Fireworks!The Wine Independent | 96 TWIThe 2021 Vieux Château Certan has turned out beautifully in bottle, unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cigar wrapper, black truffle, burning embers, mint and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with impressive density, beautifully refined tannins and a long, gently vanillin-inflected finish, it’s a blend of 77% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, the latter imparting complexity and structure. The result is somewhat reminiscent of the estate’s exceptional 2011, one of the wines of that unheralded vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPHarvested between the September 24 and October 6, the 2021 Vieux Château Certan is 77% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon (planted in 2012), raised in 65% new French oak. The alcohol hit 13.5% with a pH of 3.65. Ripe yet crunchy black cherries, sappy tobacco, spring flowers, and a kiss of crushed stone-like minerality all emerge on the nose, and it’s medium to full-bodied, has a pure, silky, seamless mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and the classic spine of acidity of the vintage. It clearly offers pleasure today with its vibrant, elegant style, yet this will cruise in cold cellars on its overall purity, balance, and acidity.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JD

Dark spice aromas are here, along with rich tannins and structure, just hinting at the wood aging. The wine, from the south of the appellation, has a rich effect, while also having the Margaux elegance. It is beautifully finished.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2021 Giscours is not quite as showy as some recent vintages, but all the ingredients are there. Aromatic, deep and layered, with tremendous balance, the 2021 has so much to offer. Rose petal, mint, spice, orange peel and dried herbs are some of the notes that build. The 2021 is a wine of exquisite precision—bright and driving, with notable tension. It is seriously impressive at this stage.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 2021 Giscours has turned out beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries and licorice mingled with hints of violet and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and suave, it’s seamless and enveloping, with good depth at the core, beautifully polished tannins and a long, perfumed finish. This is one of the real successes of the vintage. As readers may remember, it’s a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPVery precise and focused with tight, sleek yet firm tannins, framing a fresh core of black fruit, gravel and tobacco. Crushed stones and tea leaves, too. Savory and medium-bodied. Driven and linear. Lots of cabernet character. Chewy tannins. Rather muscular. But polished texture. 65% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot and 3% petit verdot.James Suckling | 94-95 JSCoffee beans, menthol, blackcurrants, roses and clove on the nose - super complex and inviting. Tangy, sharp and bright, the acidity is great but does give this quite a lean, almost austere frame making it seem as if it’s missing a bit of weight. Nicely worked in the sense of clarity and precision but doesn’t have the concentration and density that some other Margaux wines have. Certainly finessed and elegant though so give this a few more years to settle and soften. Good potential.Decanter | 93 DECSlightly closed and inward aromatically, the 2021 Château Giscours nevertheless shines for its depth, balance, and elegance on the palate. Ripe red and black fruits, graphite, and hints of tobacco slowly open up in the glass, and this hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, good mid-palate depth and concentration, and enough tannins to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age. This is one 2021 that should still be drinking nicely at age 20.Jeb Dunnuck | 92+ JDDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 Giscours needs a little swirling to unlock notes of fresh blackcurrants and kirsch plus nuances of sauteed herbs, graphite, and wet slate. The medium-bodied palate has an herbal line lifting the delicate black berry flavors, with lightly chewy tannins leading to a refreshing finish.The Wine Independent | 90 TWI