Chateau Le Crock 2021

Decanter: "Almost a ginger tone to the nose, it's so fresh: chinese spices, raspberry and violets. Super-tannic and youthful, high-toned and a little bit austere, coating the mouth with fine but grippy texture. The fruit is rich and there is a nice seductive side to it, perfumed and so deep, it really settles on the mid-palate, giving you so much fragrance and flavour. Juicy and alive, refreshing but with quite a serious core. Greath menthol ending. A lovely Saint Emilion, clearly still a baby that will need to grow over ageing but lovely initial elements and balanced all the way through to a long finish. 7% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.70pH. 14-18 months ageing in oak barrels, 30% new."

Galloni: "The 202 Le Crock is a very pretty, vibrant Saint-Estèphe. Crushed red berry fruit, wild flowers, mint, spice and blood orange are all laced together. Bright acids and lifted floral notes perk up the finish. In 2021, Le Crock is a touch lithe, but that is not at all a critique. This mid-weight Saint-Estèphe is a real charmer."

Dunnuck: "The 2021 Château Le Crock checks in as 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It's a medium-bodied, pretty, elegant barrel sample that has some darker, almost blue fruits, notes of spring flowers and a touch of damp earth, fine tannins, and solid length on the finish. It has outstanding potential."

Suckling: "A fine and nicely polished young red that delivers currant and blackberry character with some floral undertones. Linear and fine. Rather delicate. 58% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 7% petit verdot."

Wine Advocate: "The 2021 Le Crock offers up aromas of sweet berries, plums and cherries mingled with hints of rose petal, tobacco leaf and pencil shavings. Medium-bodied, ample and charming, it's a supple, open wine with a pretty core of fruit and melting tannins, concluding with a penetrating finish. Unusually, Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend at fully 58%, with Merlot down to a mere 25%. It's a solid effort from the Cuvelier family, proprietors of Léoville-Poyferré. Tasted three times."