2021 Clos Solene l'Insolent
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Lastly, the 2021 L'Insolent is a Bordeaux-like blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot, and 9% Cabernet Franc that's from a mix of the Clos Solene, Brecon, and Gateway vineyards. Its deep ruby/purple hue is followed by terrific notes of red and black currants, iron, leafy herbs, and liquid violets. It picks up a Pauillac-like lead pencil character with time in the glass and is full-bodied, dense, concentrated, and structured. It needs 4-6 years to come close to maturity but will have over two decades of prime drinking.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2021 L'Insolent is more withdrawn and understated than expected. Still quite youthful and backward, it wafts up with a nuanced mix of dried flowers, cedar spice box, graphite and currants. This is elegance personified, silky and sleek, with ripe black fruits and peppery inner florals that resonate over a mass of building fine-grained tannins. Notes of licorice and liquid violets saturate as the 2021 finishes classically structured and dry—built for the cellar. This is a dark and understated beauty, but patience is required.
The 2021 L'Insolent is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot and 8% Cabernet Franc. It grabs your attention and is reminiscent of Bordeaux, with bright herbal tones that complement a core of blackcurrant, cigar box and graphite. The full-bodied palate is bursting with concentrated, detailed flavors that run the gamut from ripe fruit to graphite, and it boasts Goldilocks ripeness. It has a frame of velvety tannins, focused acidity and a very long, nuanced finish. It's a lovely blend that's elegant and easy to drink without sacrificing complexity.
72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet Franc from estate vineyards, Gateway and Brecon. Aged in 90% new French oak. 500 cases produced. Tasted blind. Deep opaque purple. Muted but slightly gravelly. High, very tight, sandy tannin that’s mouth-coating and grippy – acid is in balance but the tannin is so high and textural it's all I can do to chew through it. (SCJ)