2021 Château Durfort-Vivens

The 2021 Durfort Vivens has turned out well in bottle, offering up aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with notions of pencil shavings and vanilla pod. Medium to full-bodied, layered and lively, it exhibits impressive depth and sweetness of fruit, not only for the vintage but also for a blend dominated by fully 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, concluding with a long, precise finish.

The 2021 Durfort-Vivens offers a compelling mix of Cabernet aromatics and notable textural richness. There's tremendous weight, depth and intensity here. Blueberry, lavender, sage, mint and tobacco come together in this potent, deeply structured Cabernet. Inky red fruit, blood orange, mint and exotic spice linger on the substantial finish. Yields were 32 hectoliters per hectare, which is about average, and certainly far better than other vintages where mildew has been a threat, most notably 2018. This is a strong showing from Gonzague Lurton. I should note that Lurton also made his new parcellaire wines, but those aren't shown or sold en primeur, hence their exclusion in this report.

The 2021 Durfort-Vivens, picked from September 24 until October 18, the latest ever, also contains the highest amount of Cabernet ever, at 97%. Gonzague Lurton told me that biodynamie has nudged the blend naturally toward the variety. Matured in 30% amphorae and 70% new oak, it presents a well-defined nose of perfumed pressed iris flower filtering through the lattice of black fruit, touches of peony emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, and like the Ferrière, almost Pauillac-like albeit, leading to an elegant and quite understated finish.