Château Labégorce Margaux 2021 en Primeur

Château Labegorce has been managed brilliantly by Marjolaine de Coninck since 2009, and she's produced a brilliant-looking 2021. Lots of black raspberry fruits as well as spicy oak, flowers, and dried herbs emerge on the nose, and it's medium-bodied, with terrific overall balance, an up-front, charming mouthfeel, and a great finish. It's beautifully done, and I suspect it's going to drink nicely right out of the gate. The blend is 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, brought up 35% new French oak. The talented Claude Gros also lends his advice here as well.

The nose here - so expressive - the aromas of pink flowers, a sour cherry, red cherry sweet nuance, some oak touches - sweet caramel, vanilla, cedar. Tannins quite noticeable, the fruit has high acidity with the focus on on the black cherry, blueberry, pomegranate and plum tone with some salinity and minerality coming through in the graphite and wet stone texture. It's a little dry, the tannins quite severe, but there is an underlying flavour of sweet fruit and this finishes long with freshness. Lovely aromatic complexity with a enjoyable light and bouncy texture, not massively structured but it has charm and real drinkability. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.75pH. Drinking window 2025 - 2035. 

The 2021 Labégorce is attractive, offering up a perfumed bouquet of cherries, raspberries, orange rind, cedary spices and smoke, followed by a medium-bodied, fleshy palate with a pretty core of fruit, supple tannins and lively acids.