CHÂTEAU POUJEAUX

55 Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 Merlot, 5 Petit Verdot | 30% new oak | 13% alc. This is a successful wine and one that perhaps does not contain oodles of flair, but its heart is in the right place. With a few minty details that break up the blackberry theme, adding freshness and bounce, this wine steps back from too much oak or alcohol, and the restraint is what makes it so well-judged. Rating: 16.5 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2022)

The 2021 Poujeaux offers terrific energy to match its mid-weight, yet fleshy personality. Crushed flowers, sweet red berry fruit, mint and sage come together effortlessly. The 2021 is beautifully rendered. It's one of the under the radar gems of the year. Tasted three times. Drinking range: 2025 - 2041 Rating: 89-91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2022)

This has a depth of fruit on the nose, clear blackberry, cassis and brambled fruit, with concentration and a mouthwatering finish. The oak is a little intrusive at this stage on the finish, but there is a ton of potential here, if lacking the seductive brilliance of recent years. This is always a benchmark estate for me in assessing the quailty of a vintage, as it is so consistenly excellent, and it's clear 2021 brought its challenges, with tomato leaf and celery stalk on the finish. Mathieu and Philippe Cuvelier owners, Christophe Labenne director, consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt. Tasted twice. Drinking range: 2026 - 2038 Rating: 90 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2022)

The 2021 Poujeaux was impacted by the frost, so there is more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend this year. This was picked September 30 to October 14. It is well-defined on the nose, offering brambly red berry fruit, incense and light pine cone scents; the sense of airiness here is very appealing. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and saline, with firm but fine tannins and touch of sour cherry and graphite on the precise finish. This is a very commendable Poujeaux that I suspect will age well in bottle. (13.0% alcohol) Drinking range: 2026 - 2048 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2022)

The 2021 Poujeaux is a strong effort, opening in the glass with aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with notions of pencil shavings, violets and loamy soil. Medium-bodied, elegant and seamless, it's a pretty middleweight, framed by lively acids and powdery, melting tannins. Rating: 89-91 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (May 2022)