The 2021 Laroque is classy, elegant and polished. A wine of stature and breeding, Laroque is a quintessentially finessed Saint-Émilion. Silky tannins wrap around a core of dark cherry, plum, spice, new leather, licorice and menthol. All the elements are very nicely balanced. -- Antonio Galloni

Great aromatics on the nose. Supple and generous on the palate, this has a spring it its step with crushed velvet tannis, bright fruit that has a gentle roundness to it and such lifted freshness giving this a lovely cool effect from start to finish. I love the strawberry and raspberry fruit here, so clean, so pure, so delicate and long. It's not weighty but so well delivered. Lively and charming. Elegant, finessed, harmonious.

Well-judged clove, sage and anis spice lifts this above the average in the 2021 lineup, and there are delicous black tea, spiced plum and blueberry fruits. Clear grip and limestone character. A success in the vintage, but that doesnt mean it escapes the cool vintage character. Beaurmartin family, David Suire director, 61ha size, 41hl/h yield. 45% of production in the Grand Vin.

The 2021 Château Laroque is another seamless, elegant wine from this larger château that readers will love. Based on just about 100% Merlot (I think there's a small amount of Cabernet Franc) brought up in 50% new oak, its vivid purple hue is followed by a lively, fresh nose of cassis and berry fruit interwoven with spring flowers, violets, and obvious minerality. Coming from a cooler, limestone terroir, it's never the biggest or richest wine in a vintage, yet its purity of fruit is exceptional, and it has polished tannins and just a remarkable sense of finesse and elegance. Give bottles 3-4 years if you can and enjoy over the following 15+.

Dried flowers, forest floor, licorice, cocoa, wild cherries, black raspberries and strawberries define the aromatic profile. On the palate, the wine is supple, creamy, fresh, and most importantly, pure with the essence of its sweet, ripe, mildly salty, red fruits, and soft, silky tannins to make the lingering taste, and feel great. The wine was made with 99% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2025-2040.

(92+ points) The 2021 Laroque opens in the glass with aromas of dark, minty berries, orange zest and toasty oak, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered palate with a sweet core of fruit, supple tannins and a long, mineral finish. This has turned out very nicely in bottle, and given its low-pH profile, it's likely to reward some bottle age. - William Kelley