Château Beaumont, Haut Médoc,

I was looking forward to seeing if this had improved in bottle, as it is an estate that I enjoy, and look to for value drinking. It remains a good choice for early drinking in the vintage, but it definitely marked by fruit that is savoury rather than fully ripe, with angular tannins. 40hl/h yield. Owned by Société Grands Millésimes de France since 1986.

The 2021 Beaumont is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it delivers vibrant notes of black and red cherries, mulberries, and black raspberries, plus hints of dried oregano and wet soil. Light-bodied, the palate is a little hollow and chewy with appealing freshness and an abrupt finish. Yields were affected by frost this year, at 40 hl/ha.

The 2021 Beaumont has opened nicely on the nose since I tasted it from barrel: blackberry and cedar to the fore, aromatics with a spring in their step. The palate is medium-bodied with a firm entry. This is a strict Beaumont—classic in style, quite briny and saline with just a slightly "blocky" finish. The 2021 is in keeping with its showing from barrel…but an extra point for the uptick in the aromatics.