Winemaker Notes
Superbly located on one of the highest points of Saint-Emilion, Laroque’s limestone terroirs get shinier through vintages. They have produced wines that are bright, floral and spicy, with fresh salinity and a noble texture, which are hallmark traits of this estate.
Blend: 99% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Laroque is classy, elegant and polished. A wine of stature and breeding, Laroque is a quintessentially finessed Saint-Emilion. Silky tannins wrap around a core of dark cherry, plum, spice, new leather, licorice and menthol. All the elements are nicely balanced. –Antonio Galloni
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Decanter
Fragrant and a touch smoky on the nose with perfumed floral notes and ripe blackcurrants. Smooth and supple, a nice juicy intensity with high but not too seering acidity makes way for slightly austere touches against a salty mineral core. It's lightly framed and delicate, very easy to drink and enjoy. Friendly, charming, juicy, fun, fresh and well worked. A touch savoury and minty on the finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
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+.
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James Suckling
Spiced red cherries, plums, graphite, cocoa powder and a touch of mineral. Medium-bodied palate with fine, silky tannins and a juicy, nuanced finish. Elegant and polished.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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.
Rating: 92+
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.