This estate continues to make progress, and the 2021 Château Marquis De Terme is well worth seeking out. Ripe darker currants as well as tobacco leaf, iron, violets, and classy oak all show in its aromatics, and it hits the palate with a beautifully balanced, medium-bodied, elegant profile with fine-grained tannins. Older vintages have always had a rustic edge, but this is pure, polished, and seamless, with the class to offer pleasure today yet evolve for two decades if well stored. The blend is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot.

The 2021 Marquis de Terme is a powerful, deep wine, but it has not come together quite as well as I had hoped. Today, burly contours and strong acids dominate. I don’t see much Margaux charm today. Dark red cherry, scorched earth, chalk, white pepper and floral notes struggle to fully emerge from behind a wall of coarse tannins. Perhaps time will help. Tasted three times.

Tight and focused with blackberry, blueberry and some licorice character. Medium body, firm tannins and a bright, linear finish.

Exhibiting aromas of sweet cherries, berries, loamy soil and creamy new oak, the 2021 Marquis de Terme is medium to full-bodied, broad and fleshy, with a seamless, polished profile and creditable depth at the core despite the challenging vintage.