Château Roylland 2021

Cassis and dark cherries with a hint of mussel shell and spices. Juicy and medium-bodied on the palate with tight tannins and a very fresh, succulent finish. Excellent drinkability and more elegance from this fresher, lighter vintage. Enjoy now.

The 2021 Roylland has a clean bouquet with well-defined fruit, not complex, yet focused with attractive blackberry and wild strawberry notes, becoming more floral with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied, with toasty oak obscuring the fruit profile on the entry. Hopefully that will integrate with time. There is indeed a good wine here, but I'm not entirely convinced about the barrel regime, and I have to lower my score accordingly. Tasted twice with consistent notes.

Black cherries, flowers and plums shine in the perfume. The wine is soft, vibrant, fresh and already a delicious pleasure in your glass, finishing with cocoa-infused black plums with a touch of salt that adds length and energy to the finish. Drink from 2024-2037.

Deep dark ruby red, opaque core, purple reflections. Aromas of dark berry fruit and a hint of nougat. Fresh cherries on the palate, medium-bodied, delicate toasty flavours with mineral-citric underpinnings; a fine savoury food companion.

Based on an 80/20 split of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Château Roylland offers up lots of chocolate-covered cherry, tobacco, and gravelly earth-like nuances as well as a medium-bodied, nicely balanced profile on the palate. It has impressive fruit, good balance, and I suspect the capacity to evolve nicely for 10-12 years.

You can feel the careful extraction keeping the focus on fruit flavours that are very much raspberry and blueberry. Feels balanced, with a little sour-cherry note on the finish as the acidity rises, but countered by white pepper and clove spice. 5.1ha, Jean-Bernard Chambard. A balanced early drinker, albeit on the cool-fruit side.

The 2021 Roylland is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of dried herbs, tilled earth, and tree bark slowly emerge from the glass, over a core of juicy blackberries. The medium-bodied palate is bright and breezy, with approachable tannins and a racy backbone, finishing with a mineral lift.