2021 Château Saintayme

The 2021 Saintayme is a very pretty, supple wine to drink now and over the next decade. It offers lovely freshness and verve to match its mid-weight personality. Crushed flowers, mint, dried herbs and red berry fruit are some of the notes that grace this vibrant, mid-weight Saint-Émilion. Saintayme can often show a slightly vegetal note, but that is not the case with the 2021, which is pretty remarkable for the year. This was aged 20-25% in tank.

- Antonio Galloni (12/2023)

Crunchy and pretty, with peaches, dark chocolate, walnut and spices on the nose and palate. Medium body, firm and racy with a bright finish. The quality is always excellent, and it’s extremely well priced. Drink or hold. (07/2024)

Saint-Emilion did well in the vintage, and the 100% Merlot 2021 Saintayme (which comes from slightly more gravelly, clay soils near Saint-Etienne-de-Lisse) reveals a medium ruby hue as well as solid aromatics of ripe red and black cherries, cedary, green, minty herbs, truffle, and spice. It's a medium-bodied, transparent, elegant, juicy, up-front, and charming effort to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years or so. There's a solid green edge here, and this is another 2021 that will be loved by the staunch traditionalists out there. (04/2024)

The 2021 Saintayme is 100% Merlot and has a deep garnet-purple color. Wonderfully pure scents of black raspberries, mulberries, and wild sage jump from the glass, leading to hints of mossy stones and fallen leaves. The medium-bodied palate is soft and refreshing, with red berry flavors and savory accents, finishing with a lively lift. (04/2024)

Youthfully reserved, the 2021 Saintayme, a 100% Merlot, evokes aromas of dark berries and spices with some green notes. Moderately weighted and round on the palate, the wine is firm and tannic on the finish. The maturation process seems to have made the wine stricter and more tannic than during the en primeur tasting session.

- Yohan Castaing (02/2024)