Château Desmirail 2021

Still shaped by oak, smoky, with bacon notes, dark and red fruits. On the palate, with noticeable tannins and crisp fruit, it shows breed, spice, character.

Taut, with blood orange and pomegranate notes backed by cedar and sanguine accents. Trim finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now. 7,150 cases made.

Gorgeous fragrance on the nose, so floral and perfumed, really pot pourri and Parma violet sweets. Quite a delicate texture and flavour profile here – subtle red berries, a pronounced chalky texture and a mineral finish. Feels well crafted, not so demonstrative right now, missing a touch more weight and energy, but it’s sleek and well defined.

Flowers, espresso, and cherries fill the perfume. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, soft, fresh, and refined, with an elegant touch to its fresh, savory red currants and a hint of green olives that appear at the very end of the finish. It is showing better from the bottle than it did during its barrel tastings. Drink from 2024–2038.

Dark ruby garnet colour with purple reflections, delicate ochre rim. Nuances of blackberry confit with tobacco in the background, subtle notes of heart cherries, candied orange zest, mineral touch. Medium body, a touch of red berries, somewhat demanding tannins, mineral and chalky on the finish, somewhat reserved overall impression.

The 2021 Château Desmirail checks in as 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It's a quintessential Margaux with its complexity and elegance. Red and black fruits, flowers, violets, spices, and loamy earth are just some of its nuances, and it's medium-bodied on the palate, with a layered, seamless mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. It's a hidden little gem in Margaux that readers will love to drink over the coming decade or more.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 41 hl/ha, 12.7% vol. alcohol, production 90,000 bottles) Herbal, restrained bouquet, red berries, wood. Slim, firm palate with sandy tannins, little fruit, bony structure, light aromatics, drying finish.

(45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 41 hl/ha, 12.7% abv, production 90,000 bottles) Herbal, restrained bouquet, red berries, oak. Slim, firm palate with sandy tannins, little fruit, bony structure, light aromatics, drying finish. 16/20 2027 - 2036

Raspberry leaf edges frame the blackcurrant and bilberry fruits, tight tannins, cocoa bean and bitter chocolate. It has elegance and finesse, well structured with grilled sandalwood oak notes, clear austerity, and the acidity on the finish is marked. I hesitated over whether to upscore, but the acidity stopped me on a second tasting. 42 hl/ha yield. Denis Lurton owner at this 38 ha estate, Eric Boissenot consultant. Tasted twice.

The 2021 Desmirail is deep garnet-purple in color. It offers delicate notes of strawberries and black raspberries, plus wafts of wild sage and fragrant earth. The light to medium-bodied palate is bright and well-sustained, with fine-grained tannins and a fragrant finish.

The 2021 is quite charming, with gentle fruit and a supple character. While it’s not the most powerful or demonstrative of the appellation, it offers lovely finesse and a digestible quality that make it very approachable already. A wine for mid-term ageing.

Lovely on the nose, fruity, with a playful side. Discreet on the palate, it reveals itself behind a veil of wild flowers. A feminine wine, very Margalais, with beautiful fruit.

The woody attack in this wine surprises me because it doesn’t pave the way; it seems to block other nuances. Desmirail needs a bit of air to finally reveal notes of Sichuan pepper, redcurrant, and licorice. Slender and gourmand in character, the palate is filigreed while the finish tightens, yet it still concludes on fruity notes on the finale.

Dark color of normal intensity. Moderately intense nose with ripe fruit. The palate is quite successful for this challenging vintage, pleasant and flavorful, with a deliberate light touch.

Between menthol, crisp fruit and a hint of anise, the nose promises a balance that is confirmed on the palate: the texture is focused, with no excess, marked by a certain sweetness and a touch of citrus on the finish.

91–93. Barrel Sample. This wine is textured with its typical firm tannins. The fruit developing a spicy character. Berry flavors have a fresh edge giving final acidity.

Offering up aromas of minty berries, cherries and marmalade, the 2021 Desmirail is medium-bodied, soft and giving, with supple tannins and an open-knit, slightly diffuse palate.