Clos Du Marquis 2021 (750ML)

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

This is very inky with lots of tar and iodine. Blackcurrants, too. Full-bodied. Very muscular for the vintage. Needs time to soften. - James Suckling

The 2021 Clos du Marquis is a lovely wine, offering up aromas of cherries, burning embers, dark berries, loamy soil and truffle, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and velvety wine that's rather deep and serious, reflecting low yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare and a blend dominated by 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 19% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc in supporting roles. Lest anyone underestimate it on the strength of the challenging vintage alone, by the numbers it contains a higher concentration of polyphenols than either the 2019 or 2020 vintages. Tasted three times. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

The 2021 Clos du Marquis is a potent, heady wine. Blue fruits, lavender, licorice, pencil shavings and crushed rocks all race across the palate. This is classic Saint-Julien in bearing. A wine of substance and class, Clos du Marquis is quite impressive in this vintage, opening beautifully over time. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

The 2021 Clos du Marquis has a very expressive and open bouquet at the moment, displaying lavish red fruit, crushed violet, peppermint and cassis scents that veer quite closely to Pauillac in style, though there is less of the graphite element that I commented upon out of barrel). The palate is medium-bodied with juicy red fruit, quite voluminous for this vintage, revealing an infusion of licorice toward the finish with white pepper and clove on the aftertaste. Afford this four or five years in bottle. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

The 2021 Clos du Marquis is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, and 14% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 24 September to 9 October, and to be aged in oak barrels, 50% of them new. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts onto the scene with notes of cassis, ripe plums, and boysenberries, plus hints of Sichuan pepper and pencil lead. Medium-bodied, the palate is refreshing with grainy tannins texturing the youthful black and red fruits, finishing long and pure. pH 3.69. IPT 86. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent