Perrieres de Lafleur 2021

A wine that's liable to rival and indeed surpass the 2019 and 2018, the 2021 Les Perrières de Lafleur offers up a beautifully pure bouquet of raspberries, violets, rose petals, tobacco smoke and sweet spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, it's concentrated and chiseled, with a bright spine of acidity, ultra-refined tannins and a long, intensely saline finish. It's a blend of 59% Merlot and 41% massal selection Cabernet Franc taken from Château Lafleur.

The 2021 is 62% Bouchet (old strain Cabernet Franc grafted from Lafleur vines and harvested on 1st October) and 38% Merlot (harvested on 30th September). Bright ruby purple colour. It may just be the name, but there is a deeply mineral, stony quality to the nose that is likely accountable to the high proportion of Cabernet Franc. Pencil shavings, hedgerow fruit and cocoa powder. The palate follows in the same profile, the chiselled tannins and chalky depth of cool, hedgerow fruit all leaning into the style. It is a layered, tightly-coiled wine that is particularly impressive in a tricky vintage like 2021, showcasing the vineyard work of the Guinaudeau team.