2021 Ch Soutard, St Emilion

DUE OCT 2024

The 2021 Soutard has an elegant bouquet of blackberry raspberry and violet scents quite detailed for the vintage and quite refined. The palate is medium bodied with sappy red fruit and fine tannins and acidity. Not long but there is a pretty pastille like finish. Fine.

89-91 points NM vinous.com

Dark heady nose, rich blackcurrant tones. Black cherry and blackcurrant also on the palate, alongside sweet exotic spices and smoked earth. It's lightly framed with a crushed stone element and soft salinity that expands around the mouth. The flavours are carefully presented with a balanced structure. Nicely concentrated, refined and enjoyable.

Drinking Window 2025 - 2040

90 points Georgina Hindle decanter.com

A chewy and rather tannic red with blackberries and wet earth. Some saltiness. Medium body. Juicy finish.

91-92 points jamessuckling.com

The 2021 Soutard has turned out very well indeed, showing the results of vineyard restructuring and additional precision in picking dates, parcel by parcel. Unfurling in the glass with notes of dark berry fruit, sweet spices and loamy soil, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and nicely concentrated, with beautifully refined tannins, succulent acids and a seamless profile.

Acquired by French insurance group La Mondiale in 2006, much-neglected Soutard is benefiting from substantial investments. A new winery is concealed by the historic château's existing walls, and fully 90% of the vineyards have been replanted in the last decade and a half. The erstwhile Château Cadet Piola, known for its elevated proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon, has also been acquired and incorporated into Soutard. Just under a third of the 74 hectares of vineyards are located on Saint-Émilion's northern slope, the rest on the limestone plateau itself. The water table is high here, so the estate tends to perform well in dry vintages. Considerable progress is being made here, with the wines growing in refinement and concentration, and the 2021 reflects that. Congratulations to Véronique Corporandy and her team.

91-93 points William Kelley robertparker.com

This is well handled, a little subdued but careful extraction, precise, enjoyably savoury and sculpted blue fruits, nicely handled with a moreish finish. Tasted twice, 35hl/h yield.

91 points Jane Anson janeanson.com