Chateau la Conseillante 2021

WEINWISSER: "85 % Merlot, 15 % Cabernet Franc, 13,3 Vol.-%, 39 hl/ha, 70 % neue Barriques. Die späteste Lese auf La Conseillante. Dicht verwobenes Bouquet, betörender Iris-Duft, Heidelbeergelee und erkalteter Waldfrüchtetee, dahinter Schokopastillen, helles Graphit und rote Johannisbeerdrops. Am subtilen Gaumen vibrierende Rasse, straff, dabei eine ungeheure Eleganz zeigend, reifes Extrakt, kakaoartiges Tannin und perfekt geformter Körper. Im konzentrierten Finale Graphit, getrocknete Veilchen und fein körnige Adstringenz. Marielle vergleicht den Jahrgang mit 1985, kann noch zulegen."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A superb effort that transcends the challenges of the vintage, the 2021 La Conseillante offers up a beautifully perfumed nose of wild berries, raspberry coulis, violets, exotic spices and vine smoke. Medium to full-bodied, supple and enveloping, it's a sensual, seamless wine that's deep and layered, structured around supple tannins and lively acids. Perfumed and penetrating, the 2021 isn't the most powerful wine this estate has produced, but it brilliantly exemplifies the rare structural elegance and almost Burgundian aromatic range that so often set this great estate apart from the rest of the Pomerol appellation. It's a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc."

DECANTER: "Iris 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'."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Violets, incense, black raspberry, dark kirsch, plums, espresso, and earthy overtones crowd into the finish. Deeply colored, on the palate the wine is exactly as it should be, elegant, refined, lifted, vivacious, and energetic, with a savory edge to the earthy red fruits and a hint of oak that should become completely integrated with a few years time. Perhaps this is a modern day version of the 1985, which if you have not tasted it lately, has aged extremely well. The harvest took place September 28, October 10, making this the latest vintage in the history of the estate. The wine blends 85% Merlot with 15% Cabernet Franc, 13.3% ABV, 3.6 pH. The yields were 39 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2025-2050."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Lovely, balanced and linear with seamless, fine tannins that are soft and creamy. Medium-bodied. Very attractive berry, light walnut and violet character. Long finish."

VINUM: "Der 150. Jahrgang von La Conseillante : komplex, floral, mit Noten von roten Beeren auch; dicht im Mund, mit stoffigem und doch elegantem Tannin, von grosser Klasse."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 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."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Verschlossen zu Beginn, dunkelbeerig, etwas Grüntee, aber auch kräuterwürzig, Tannenschössling. Im Mund mit mürbem, reifem Gerbstoff hoher Qualität, gute Homogenität, alles ist gut integriert, von frischer, adretter Frucht begleitet, der Weichteil ist sehr gut in den Stoff integriert. Ein Wein im Stil des Châteaus bei mittelgroßer Länge und aromatischer Tiefe."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 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."