2021, Château Certan de May, POMEROL

Bordeaux Blend: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot.

The 2021 Certan de May offers up aromas of sweet cherries and berries mingled with hints of violets, rose petals and nicely integrated new oak. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and fleshy, with lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins, I suspect it will flesh out with further élevage to become even more impressive. The blend incorporates fully 37% Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, a figure that reflects the vintage (which favoured these varieties) as well as a tendency to replant with Cabernet rather than Merlot over the last decade. 91-93 William Kelley, Wine Advocate.

Ripe black cherry fruits, enjoyable, well balanced with a rich texture and maintains form and momentum through the palate. The bitter black chocolate on the finish is definitely part of the character of the vintage in Pomerol, but the best make it part of a wider array of delicious flavours, as they do here. 92 Jane Anson

Fragrant red cherries and milk chocolate, super-bright and vibrant from the first sip. The fruit focuses on strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants with graphite edges that give the minerality and touch of salinity to the palate also which is so appealing. Lifted and fresh but this also has the deep core and tight centre. The acidity and red fruit are to the fore right now but there is no doubt this is a serious wine with class and a long ageing potential. One I retasted several times. Beguiling. 93 Georgina Hindle, Decanter.