2021 Clos Cantenac
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Tasting notes
The 2021 Clos Cantenac has an attractive nose with pretty raspberry, wild strawberry and light minty aromas, less reductive than it showed out of barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with a fresh entry and crisp acidity, turning toward black fruit on the finish with light tertiary notes and decent salinity. This is a very commendable Saint-Émilion in a challenging growing season.
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Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Lightly crushed, one day cold soak before fermentation in tank. Part of the wine was fermented in new 300-litre French oak. Aged 40% in new French oak and the rest in older barrels. Barrel sample. A little more obviously oaky on the nose than the Petit Cantenac but still vibrantly fruity in aroma. Fresh with raspberries more than cassis (though it has both), just a light cedary note. On the palate, a bigger wine, more chewy, sinewy, but not lean. Excellent freshness and balanced even without the flesh and richness I often find on this wine. Lots of energy in that freshness. (JH)
The 2021 Clos Cantenac has a straightforward bouquet of red cherries, raspberry and light truffle scents. There is just a tiny reduction compared to the Petit Cantenac. The medium-bodied palate offers red berry fruit laced with espresso and chestnut and framed by grainy tannins. Just the right amount of dryness comes through on the Bing cherry and black-pepper-tinged finish. Worth seeking out. (13.5% alcohol)
Notions of cherries, sweet red berries and raw cocoa introduce the 2021 Clos Cantenac, a medium to full-bodied, lively Saint-Émilion framed by powdery tannins that assert themselves on the finish.