Château Prieuré-Lichine 2021

Delicately scented, cool, raspberries, floral notes, smoke. Straightforward palate, clear and pure, delicate fruit, fine tannins. Balanced, long-lasting, slightly bitter with raspberries on the finish.

Slightly burly in feel, with black currant and warm earth notes mixed with a tobacco edge on the finish. A touch rustic, with a bit of grain emerging on the finish as well. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2027. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 13,000 cases made.

Scented and alive on the nose. Upfront, forward and bright, it's lean but not severe or too austere. The fruit is not plush but it's concentrated and has some texture thanks to just-ripe tannins that give a softly wide mouthfeel. I like the sense of finesse, the juicy acidity and the really elegant nature from start to finish – focused and balanced. It ends chalky and mineral. Lots to like here, and it feels like it will age well too.

Currants and blackberries on the nose, with lemon rind, cloves and dried herbs, too. Sleek and refined on the palate with a medium body, fine-grained tannins and a focused, bright finish. Elegant this year. Drink from 2025.

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. Mid-deep ruby. Burnt sage and cool hedgerow fruits form the profile of this wine. Edgy green tones mix with a little exotic nutmeg and clove on the palate. Red fruit builds with herbal tones on the finish, which is acid-led and a little underripe. (TP)

The 2021 Prieuré-Lichine has a cohesive and commendable bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit with a touch of cedar and graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with a fresh entry and sapid red fruit, nicely structured if missing some length on the finish. Give this three or four years in bottle.

Toasty oak, flowers, and cherries pop in the bouquet. The medium-bodied palate is soft, creamy, and cherry-filled, with dark chocolate, mint, and red berries on the finish. Drink from 2025-2042.

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

The healthy ruby/plum-hued 2021 Château Prieuré-Lichine checks in as 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot. It has solid depth and intensity in its red and black fruits as well as notes of smoked tobacco, earth, and chocolate. As with most 2021s, it's not massive, but this has good mid-palate density, a ripe, rounded mouthfeel, and velvety tannins. It's already delicious but should evolve for 10–12 years and, I suspect, have a gradual decline thereafter.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 36 hl/ha, 13% vol. alcohol, production 160,000 bottles) Red-berried, light bouquet, currants, red cherries, wood, green herbs. Slim, firm palate with light, sweet fruit, good tannins, fine aromatics, a bourgeois structure, delicately bitter finish. Has room to improve.

(65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 36 hl/ha, 13% vol. alcohol, production 160,000 bottles) Light, red-berried bouquet, currants, red cherries, wood, green herbs. Slender, crisp palate with light, sweet fruit, good tannins, fine aromatics, bourgeois structure, delicately bitter finish. Can improve further. 16/20 2028 - 2038

Bright ruby colour, with vivid violet reflections, giving it an edge over many sibling estates in the appellation. This is bright and cheery, with crunchy redcurrant, blueberry and greengage acidities, has momentum through the palate, smoked earth, capsicum, savoury Cabernet Sauvignon character. Plenty of grip and will offer enjoyable medium term drinking. 36hl/ha yield.

The 2021 Prieure-Lichine is deep garnet-purple in color. It gallops out with bold notes of black cherries and redcurrants, followed by a subtle undercurrent of black pepper, garrigue, and forest floor. The light to medium-bodied palate is fine-grained and vibrant, with a refreshing finish.

The estate’s signature style, which champions finesse, is upheld in 2021, with a lithe, fine and delicate wine. The oak still slightly overlays it, but the tannins retain freshness. A lovely whole.

A slight lack of clarity on the nose, fairly opaque and deep. Suave, with an almost noble side, and bitterness on the finish.

Prieuré-Lichine’s bouquet is marked by red-berry notes that underscore its freshness. The wine does not seek power—indeed, it never has; its focus is on finesse and elegance. The result is a harmonious, slender wine, yet endowed with tannins that provide a certain density and a solid backbone. A digestible, sapid, and moreish wine! (open your dictionaries).

Logo on the cork: CB Deep, intense, youthful colour. Moderately aromatic nose with fresh, vibrant fruit. Delicate on entry, with a finely knit tannic texture and a smoother flavour than the nose suggested; the wine develops nicely on the finish, with original notes of pinewood. A lovely overall impression.

Good energy, dense and straight, well balanced, with a hint of sappy sweetness supported by a touch of menthol. The texture is just right, firm and tense. You could ask for a touch more flesh, but the vintage is what it is, on the edge, and this wine expresses itself accordingly.

This elegant wine has a balanced density that comes from the firm layer of tannins. Its situation in the southern Médoc gives it a final softness and balance. Drink from 2028.

Offering up aromas of dark berries, orange confit, cola and mint, the 2021 Prieuré-Lichine is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and round, with decent depth at the core, powdery tannins and a front-loaded style that will offer near-term appeal.