Wine Advisor
Quinault l'Enclos 2021
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2021 Quinault l'Enclos delivers aromas of cherries, strawberries and warm spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping palate that's supple and charming, with lively acids and a demonstrative, fruit-driven style. Some 80% of the blend is matured in foudres rather than barriques. It's produced by Cheval Blanc's winemaking team.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2021 Quinault L'Enclos is exquisite, but is the kind of wine that needs a bit of time to be understood. Incisive, soaring Cabernet aromatics are quite vivid. Hints of rose petal, mint and dried savory herbs lead into a core of dark red fruit. Beautifully persistent, the 2021 is wild, even a bit exotic perhaps, but certainly long on personality. Challenging conditions reduced the crop by nearly 50%.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2021 Quinault l'Enclos has a perfumed nose of cranberry jus, wild strawberry and blood orange, intense but maybe a missing a little complexity. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins on the entry, and quite strict and slightly peppery, leading to an almost Left Bank finish. Fine.
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Despite the challenges of the season, the 2021 Quinault l'Enclos has turned out nicely, offering up aromas of sweet cherries, berries, lilac and spices, followed by a medium-bodied, ample and fleshy palate built around velvety tannins and concluding with a pure finish.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2021 Quinault l'Enclos, of which 50% of the crop was lost due to mildew, has a mixture of red and black fruit on the nose, hints of licorice coming through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with strict tannins, very linear and saline in style. It’s a bit short and, you could argue, mean, though it keeps you coming back for more.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Pretty blue fruit with graphite and fine, juicy tannins. Medium-bodied with a fine, silky texture. 59% merlot, 23% cabernet franc and 18% cabernet sauvignon.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This is very good for the vintage, with purple fruits, iodine, hazelnut husks and chocolate, showing precision and length with ultrafine tannins. Medium-bodied, it’s polished and focused, linear and tight. 59% merlot, 23% cabernet franc and 18% cabernet sauvignon. Better in two or three years.
About the Producer
Chateau Quinault l'Enclos is located in the Saint-Emilion appellation of Bordeaux, France, and dates back to the 17th century. The winery takes its name from a writer named Philipe Quinault. In 1930, the estate of the Château de Montréal was only 8 hectares. Until the 1990s, when Chateau Quinault l'Enclos came under the wing of the famous winemaking family - Raynaud Family, Dr. Alain Raynaud invested heavily in Chateau Quinault, eventually making it one of the most famous châteaux in Saint-Emilion. In 2008, Quinault l'Enclos was taken over by Bernard Arnault and Albert Frere, owners of the LVMH group. Then the winery became part of the LVMH group, along with the famous Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau La Tour Figeac, and the estate's vineyard area was expanded. The winemaking team became the Pierre Lurton team of Château Cheval Blanc. Michel Rolland, the famous "flying winemaker", was also hired as a consultant. Now, the vineyard is approximately 20 hectares, planted with 83% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The oldest vines were planted in 1930, and the average age is 45 years. The vineyard was taken over by LVMH in 2008 and was converted to organic farming, and in 2012 it was successfully certified as such. When Dr. Alain Raynaud was at the helm of Château Grand Cru, the wines produced were straightforward, sweet and ripe, round and soft, in the typical style of Saint-Emilion wines, suitable for drinking in their youth, with an optimum age of 10 to 12 years. Today's winemaking team, Pierre Lurton's team, produces wines that are clearer and fresher on the palate, with pleasantly soft tannins and well-integrated oak flavours.
