Château Larrivet Haut-Brion 2021

Expressive and very complex, seductive, fragrant, flowers, grasses, blackberries, cassis. Lively palate, very well balanced, crisp fruit, high-quality tannins. Long, fresh finish. Very successful.

Shows gently mulled dark cherry and red currant fruit flavors, with tea, sandalwood and savory hints bringing range. Delivers silky persistence on the finish too, despite its more demure nature, all while avoiding the vintage's Achilles' heel of grainy, weedy austerity. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2029. 6,200 cases made, 1,240 cases imported.

Tight nose, liquorice, slate, black chocolate, herbal and perfumed notes. Sleek and bright, quite a straight style but with lovely juiciness and freshness, almost tart but stays on the right side with pep and bite to the fruit. It has some power and concentration in the touches of heat and cinnamon on the tongue but keeps its shape and focus from start to finish. Will be great for easy enjoyment and early drinking. Ends with a stony and menthol element.

This shows notes of dried herbs, tapenade and blackberry fruit. It’s medium-bodied, juicy and savory, with fine-grained tannins and a fresh finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink after 2024.

81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Good combination of freshness and ripeness on the nose. A wine that seems to shrug off the vicissitudes of the vintage, offering relatively early pleasure. There is some drive here! And length. Perhaps its all-Cabernet ingredients have played a part in this? Classy texture – and sweeter than most. Sweet ink sensation. Great balance. (JR)

The 2021 Larrivet Haut-Brion has a light nose with strawberry pastille, loam and light graphite scents. The palate is medium-bodied and balanced but comes across rather one-dimensional, lacking depth and grip on the finish. This is not a bad Pessac-Léognan, but it is for near-term drinking.

Smoke, cigar box, cocoa, flowers and black cherries permeate the nose. On the palate, the wine is fresh, lifted, medium-bodied, elegant, and refined, finishing with sweet, ripe cherries and red plums, with a sprig of chocolate mint that shows up on the backend. The wine is made from 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Cabernet Franc and 18% Merlot. Drink from 2025-2042.

Dark ruby with purple hues, broad rim. Delicate plum, dark wild berries, notes of nougat and a hint of orange zest. Lean red-berry fruit, vivid tannins, delicately leafy, loosely knit finish.

The deep ruby-hued 2021 Château Larrivet Haut-Brion is composed of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Cabernet Franc, aged 80% in barrels and 20% in cask. It’s a beautiful, outstanding effort from this estate, offering plenty of red and black fruit as well as floral, minty, cedar-tinged herbal aromas and flavors. It’s medium-bodied, with an elegant, lively mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a good finish. An outstanding Graves to enjoy over the next 10–15 years or so.

Intensely spicy bouquet, delicate smoky note from the barrique, a hint of hazelnut, blueberry contours, licorice and blueberry jelly. On the generous palate, a soft texture, (over) nervy verve and a tightly laced tannic corset. In the encapsulated finish, wild cherry, sloe juice and crumbly astringency, rounded off.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 27 hl/ha, 12.9% alc. vol., production 75,000 bottles) Fruity, finely creamy, medium-bodied bouquet, cassis, tobacco, brown chocolate. Elegant, fresh palate with powerful, fine fruit, good tannins, delicate structure, intense aromatics, long, refined finish.

(81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 27 hl/ha, 12.9% vol. alcohol, production 75,000 bottles) Fruity, delicately creamy, medium-bodied bouquet, cassis, tobacco, dark chocolate. Elegant, fresh palate with ample, precise fruit, good tannins, fine-boned structure, intense aromatics, long, refined finish. 17/20 2027 - 2045

Good quality, dark fruits, some reduction on opening aromatics, giving way to savoury raspberry leaf and cassis fruit; lean, juicy and bright. An unusual blend, with no Merlot at all after frost and poor fruit set; 27 hl/ha yield. One to look out for, and it will be interesting in future verticals of the estate. Tasted three times.

The 2021 Larrivet Haut-Brion has a deep garnet-purple color. It swans out of the glass with graceful scents of raspberry coulis and crushed blackcurrants, followed by hints of violets, cinnamon stick, and fallen leaves. The light to medium-bodied palate is soft-textured and lively, with beautifully poised red fruits and a spicy finish.

A blend without Merlot for the first time. A juicy nose of lovely black fruits, with a hint of black pepper and slate-like mineral notes. Enticing and fresh on the palate, built on a rich, spicy core, with a silky, flowing texture.

The nose is elegant and offers controlled, racy power. It reveals notes of wild blackberry and ripe black berries, with subtler hints of graphite, fine touches of violet, a subtle hint of lily, mocha and pepper, as well as a very discreet hint of toast and a discreet mineral note. The palate is fruity, fresh, and offers juiciness, minerality, a juicy/pulpy framework, acidity, fine fluidity, lovely definition, salinity/sapid notes, tension, purity of fruit, a slight chalky edge, a touch of density, and a delicate infusion-like character. An airy feel in the approach/balance. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of crushed small black berries, blackcurrant, and, more slightly, bergamot, combined with touches of fairly ripe raspberry, a hint of almost roasted small red fruits, violet, discreet hints of cardamom, and a subtle hint of graphite, toast, tonka bean, and toasted almond. A faint smoky undertone. Lovely acidity on the finish/persistence. Good length.

Beautiful dark color. Intense nose with ripe fruit. Delicate on the attack, very well built in the mid-palate, silky and melting; the wine caresses the palate and finishes long, aromatic, and precise. A delight of precision and smoothness. Blend: 81% cabernet sauvignon (historic record), 19% cabernet franc. Alcohol: 12.95% – pH: 3.76. IPT: 83. Yield: 27 hl/ha.

For the first time, the blend is devoted to the Cabernets: 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Cabernet Franc reflect a deliberate choice of elegant expression with subtle floral aromas. A gentle attack and a smooth, fine, spicy palate lead to a slightly saline finish. The personality of the château is asserting itself, driven by a highly committed team.