2021 Château Langoa-Barton

Tasted blind. Glowing crimson. Light-to-medium-bodied sort of nose. Very worked tannins so that they are virtually imperceptible. Then a bit inky on the end. Just a bit hollow. But with food you could manage to drink this! Not long. (JR)

Released in a special bottle celebrating the château's 200-year anniversary, the 2021 Château Langoa Barton checks in as 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, with the élevage spanning 18 months in 60% new barrels. It offers a healthy purple/plum hue to go with impressive depth and richness in its darker currants, spicy oak, and cedar pencil/graphite-like aromatics. With medium-bodied richness, terrific mid-palate depth, and a broad, layered, mouth-filling texture, it deserves 4-6 years of bottle age and will cruise over the following two decades in cold cellars. It's another terrific wine from this château. Tasted twice with consistent notes.

The 2021 Langoa Barton comes in a specially designed, one-off, hand-drawn label and a sustainable cardboard box instead of wood, to celebrate the bicentenary of family ownership. The aromatics have actually moved up a step since I tasted it from barrel: intense blackberry and wild strawberry fruit, crushed violet and just a hint of eucalyptus. The oak is neatly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with surprisingly plush black fruit, a suave and harmonious Langoa with a dash of spice toward the finish. This is packed full of flavor and will be difficult to resist in its youth.