Expert Reviews – Vintage 2021

Decanter 96 Points | A deep, quite herbal expression, with liquorice and crushed blueberries to the cassis fruit. Full-bodied, powerfully fruited, dense and deep. Really mouthcoating, intense fruit. The tannins are ripe, fine and plentiful, all saturated in blackberry juice on a long finish. Certainly one of the more successful Chteauneufs this year. Will age well. A Mourvdre-led expression of Beaucastel – it contains more than usual, at least 35% and probably more. Grenache and Cinsault fermented in cement, Syrah and Mourvdre fermented in foudre.

The Wine Spectator 94 Points | Toasty, meaty and inviting, this fresh red shows an understated, savory side, with notes of singed spices, mesquite, wet earth and fresh tobacco leaf flanking a silky range of plum and warm cherry compote flavors. This channels its terroir, with a round feel held in check by refined tannins, while the finish is lined with cool minerality and heavy iron. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvdre, Counoise, Vaccarse, Terret Blanc, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul de Pinet, Bourboulenc, Picardan and Roussanne. Drink now through 2030. 3,470 cases made.