Chateau Le Bon Pasteur 2021

Suckling: "This is a very balanced and pretty wine with ultra-fine tannins that are integrated and persist through the wine. It’s medium-bodied with lovely length and depth. A focused and thought-provoking wine for the vintage."

Galloni: "The 2021 Le Bon Pasteur was impressive both times I tasted it. Vibrant and deep, the 2021 offers up generous red cherry/plum fruit, rose petal, spice, mint and licorice, all with a sense of exoticism that is hard to miss. There's a feeling of real energy and vibrancy I don't recall seeing here previously. The 2021 is one of the best vintages in recent memory. Sadly, yields are just 20 hectoliters per hectare. What a pleasant surprise the 2021 is. Don't miss it."

Decanter: "Concentrated and intense on the palate in terms of depth of flavour - the blackcurrant, black cherry and damson fruit to the fore but set against firm, grippy and quite dense tannins that coat the whole mouth giving a liquorice, spice and slate tone to the palate. It's on the fuller end of the vintage and instead of delicacy you get a good dose of vibrant fruit power and tannic backbone. A bold and characterful wine, really quite abundant with all the individual elements on show. Still super-youthful, with swagger and pent up energy at this point. Lots of potential."

Neal Martin: "The 2021 Le Bon Pasteur has a delineated and fresh bouquet with attractive blackberry and wild strawberry fruit and hints of wilted iris flower. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and substance, fine grip with a fresh and minerally finish. I tasted three samples over the course of three weeks, and concluded this is a great success in a challenging vintage. Whilst in the past I have been critical of this Pomerol, this is an unexpected surprise that I look forward to re-tasting once in bottle. Tasted three times with consistent notes."

Wine Cellar Insider: "Black cherries, incense, espresso, flowers and red fruits show with ease in the nose and in the round, soft, medium-bodied, elegant, plummy palate. The wine will take a year or two for the oak to fully integrate. Drink from 2024-2040."

Weinwisser: "Intensives blaubeeriges Bouquet, Heidelbeersaft, schwarzes Johannisbeergelee und zarte Fliedernoten. Am kompakten Gaumen mit spröder Textur, festem Tanninkorsett und sehnigem Körper. Im gebündelten Finale verschlankt sich der Pomerol, viel Graphit und mürbe Adstringenz, aufgerundet."

Dunnuck: "Tasted numerous times, the 2021 Château Le Bon Pasteur is a richer, more powerful wine in the vintage offering plenty of black fruits, graphite, and scorched earth nuances in a medium-bodied, nicely structured style. It has some background oak and will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age. The blend is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, from a 6.6-hectare site planted on clay and gravelly soils. Fermentation is in a mix of tank and barrel, and the élevage is in 70% new barrels."

Falstaff: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zartes Edelholz, ein Hauch von Vanille, schwarze Waldbeeren und Lakritze. Schlank, schwarze Beerenfrucht, feine Tannine, mineralisch, zart blättrige Nuancen im Nachhall."