Les Perrières 2021

Smells ripe and concentrated, blackcurrant, black cherry and plum. Tension and minerality to the fore here, this is streamlined and direct, less layered and plump but has excellent depth and density with silky smooth tannins – they have structure but so well integrated giving bite rather than chew. Floral accents give a lovely delicate framing to the flavours, elegant and refined but still so powerful. Really concentrated and intense underneath the frame – there is structure here but it’s tightly wrapped and delivered very linear at the moment. The fruit is ripe no doubt but they also have a real savoury tone with a wet stone, salty, soy, iro and iodine tang on the finish – clear markers of the terroir. Sophisticated, complex, persistent and detailed. A contemplative wine with purity – and part of the overall excellent range from Lafleur this year. Drinking window: 2026-2040. Score – 95. (Georgina Hindle, decanter.com)