Clos De Sarpe 2021 (750ML)

92-94+ JD / 94 VM / 92-94 WA / 92-93 JS / 91 DE / 88-90 WI

I continue to love the wines from this estate, and while older vintages were powerful and rustic, that's not the case today. These wines always shine for their purity while still bringing lots of fruit and depth. The 2021 Château Clos de Sarpe is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc that hit 14% alcohol and is currently resting in 70% new French oak. Medium to full-bodied, ripe, and textured, especially in the vintage, it has terrific blue fruits, notes of iron, chalky mineral, and chocolate, ripe tannins, and a great mid-palate as well as finish. It's well worth seeking out, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it turn out to be one of the longer-lived wines in the vintage. - Jeb Dunnuck

The 2021 Clos de Sarpe is a wine of density, power and personality. Cedar, tobacco, scorched earth, licorice, incense and dried herbs lead into a core of deep, textured fruit. Dark red plum, white pepper, blood orange and exotic spice all run through this potent, deeply structured Saint-Émilion. This is a standout. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

The 2021 Clos de Sarpe is showing beautifully, offering up aromas of wild berries and plums mingled with subtle hints of petals, loamy soil, spices and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and velvety, with powdery tannins, lively acids and a penetrating finish, it shows considerable promise. Maylis Marcenat reported that the vineyard was spared by both frost and mildew but fell victim to poor pollination at flowering, delivering low yields. In the winery, she opted for a long maceration at a very low temperature of merely 23 degrees Celsius for a judicious extraction, and that approach appears to have paid off handsomely. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

A juicy and fruit red with lots of plum, berry and some cherry aromas and flavors. Medium body with round, creamy tannins, yet it remains elegant and bright. - James Suckling

Richly fruited and driving with high acidity and such lifted brightness. A burst of mouthwatering red berry fruit, pink floral touches and graphite on the palate which sustains a mid palate in terms of continuation of flavour and density of tannins, though they are fine and powdery. It's lightly framed no doubt, but they haven't pushed too hard here, letting the vintage shine through harmoniously and the overall concentration and drive suggests this will further round out over ageing. A fun, playful and promising wine. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

The 2021 Clos de Sarpe is deep garnet-purple in color. It leaps with notes of preserved plums, fruitcake, and baked black cherries, followed by hints of potpourri and Indian spices with a waft of cast-iron pan. Medium-bodied, the palate is juicy and spicy with plush tannins and a lovely line of freshness, finishing with impressive length. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent