2021 Ch Durfort-Vivens, Margaux

DUE OCT 2024

The 2021 Dufort-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 primuer, hence their exclusion in this report.

93-95 points AG vinous.com

Containing fully 97% Cabernet Sauvignon this year, the 2021 Durfort Vivens shows considerable promise, unwinding in the glass with aromas of cassis, dark berries, loamy soil, cigar wrapper and spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's velvety and impressively concentrated, with powdery tannins, lively acids and a long, penetrating finish. Tasted twice.

The 62-hectare estate, of which some 55 hectares are planted, has been directed by Gonzague Lurton since 1992 and farmed biodynamically since 2013. Soils are quaternary gravels, with a rather low percentage of clay when compared with the likes of Châteaux Margaux and Palmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend, delivering wines of perfume, intensity and concentration. Lurton finds that physiological maturity and analytical maturity are much more synchronized with the new farming methods, even if in a vintage such as 2018 he's suffered, producing a mere 6,000 bottles. Recent vintages have certainly been on a qualitative roll, and today Durfort Vivens unquestionably lives up to its 1855 second growth status.

92-94 points WK robertparker.com

A very focused red, showing blackberry, blueberry and currant aromas and flavors, together with bark. It’s full and layered with lots of fine tannins that give this wine a velvety texture. 97% cabernet sauvignon and 3% merlot. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.

94-95 points jamessuckling.com

Bright red berries on the nose - strawberry and raspberry, softly fragrant with rose petal, violets and dark chocolate scents. Succulent and really delicately juicy with the perfume surrounding the berries on the palate with a soft chalky, minerality coming through from the acidity. Lovely balance, this is fresh and so alive but also deeply flavoured, with the Cabernet (97% of the blend) mint markers in abundance. Delicious and vibrant, still with a youthful energy and a precise tannic structure giving the frame. You can tell they got maturity, but have also achieved perfect extraction giving just the right weight without bitterness or any harsh tannins - and an exceptional length giving an abundance of freshness. Total Margaux glamour on show in a vintage where it was harder to find than usual. A surefire must buy! 30th vintage by Gonzague Lurton. A yield of 35hl/ha. Ageing in 70% new oak barrels and 30% amphoras.

Drinking Window 2026 - 2049

94 points GH decanter.com