Offering up aromas of dark berries, pencil shavings and pipe tobacco, the 2021 Chasse-Spleen is medium-bodied, fleshy and polished, with a lively core of fruit, ripe tannins and a seamless profile, concluding with a delicately minty finish.

The 2021 Chasse-Spleen offers lightly cedar- and tobacco-scented red fruit that needs to muster more vigor. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and nicely balanced, but compared to recent vintages, it’s just a bit one-dimensional on the finish, hence my more parsimonious score.

53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot. Darkish crimson. Lots of pure dark fruit and a light impression of stone dust (in a good way). Dry and leafy on the palate, relatively soft tannins. Smooth, dark and seems scented on the finish, perhaps the Petit Verdot? Light but harmonious. (JH)

Tasted blind. Bright crimson. Bit of an oak overlay. Very drying finish. (JR)