Bordeaux 2021 wines: Our en primeur verdict

Bordeaux 2021 preliminary rating:

Reds: 3.5/5 but ‘with some exceptional wines in every leading appellation’

Dry white wines and Sauternes: 4 & 4.5/5

Bordeaux 2021 summary: Challenging conditions cannot be ignored in an uneven 2021 vintage, but heroic efforts and improved winemaking facilities mean the best wines are supremely balanced and pleasurable in a year that marks a return to ‘cool classicism’ in Bordeaux.

We’ve published 400 reviews online for Decanter Premium subscribers, and there are more to come this week.

The vintages that divide opinion are arguably more interesting than those that don’t – and Bordeaux 2021 is no exception.

Now that the annual en primeur tastings have drawn to a close, an array of differing opinions on these young wines have been offered by leading critics .

Potential 100-point scorers count among the best of the vintage, but comparisons have also been drawn to the worst vintages of the past two decades, with correspondingly low scores.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring Bordeaux 2021 en primeur wines

Join Decanter Premium today to enjoy full access

Why might this be?

• Bordeaux 2021 presented untold viticultural challenges that tested even the most hardy and experienced winemakers with varying results across the region.
• Weather conditions included frost, hail, rain storms, cool and gloomy days and lack of sunlight – all contributing to delayed growth, uneven fruit set, mildew and grey rot.
• Generally speaking, Merlots suffered more from frost and mildew. Cabernet performed better on gravel soils and Petit Verdot enjoyed the rainy conditions. But it’s neither a ‘Merlot’ nor ‘Cabernet’ vintage, and therefore isn’t a ‘Left’ or ‘Right Bank’ year either.
• A long and drawn-out growing period helped to develop aromatic complexity for the reds, and benefited the whites by keeping acidity high.
• Harvests were protracted and conditions were difficult to judge, which required flexibility and manpower.
• Yields were already low before harvest, with precise and extremely strict sorting leading producers to discard additional uneven grape bunches.
• Some grapes struggled with sugar accumulation, so chaptalisation was performed to increase alcohols.
• Ripeness was for the most part achieved, with few wines exhibiting green or herbaceous flavours. However, those on the limits of ripeness, with overt acidity on show, come across as lean and austere.
• A lack of mid-palate depth and dilution can also be experienced in the less successful wines with general increases of press wine to add body.
• The best wines are supremely balanced and pleasurable. They are characterful with crisp red fruits, refreshing acidities and silky, well-integrated tannins as well as expressive of terroir.
• The overall resulting style won’t necessarily be suited to all palates. There’s a return to ‘cool classicism’ with refined, elegant and low alcohol wines more reminiscent of Bordeaux from the 1980s and 1990s, as opposed to many of the recent – and much acclaimed – vintages, including 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
• Widespread sample variation was encountered throughout the en primeur tastings, meaning many wines might have benefitted from being tasted twice (or more), or rather suffering if only tasted once on a bad occasion. There could be several reasons for this. Firstly, the 2021 blends were generally finalised later than usual so samples tasted later in the month benefitted from an extra few weeks of ageing and harmonising. Secondly, all en primeur samples are prepared in advance, but this year any that were more than a few days old seemed to have suffered from degradation. Lastly, there were huge changes in the barometric pressure across the month of April that affected tasting conditions, ranging from gloriously sunny and hot to unseasonably cold. There were even thrashing storms on one memorable day in Pomerol in mid-April.
• Scepticism from the wine trade was widespread ahead of the primeurs and seems to have been validated in some cases, whereas others are much more positive. This is likely to affect sales messaging in the release campaign.
• I tasted almost 950 samples, many of them more than once, and some up to four times and can absolutely say that there are some incredible wines produced in 2021.
• Among successes in the vintage, resources and technology played a part alongside terroir and great winemaking, but strict quality control and the ability to make sound judgement calls under pressure were also key.
• Demand is high from négociants and merchants who have little stock to sell, and want to keep their allocations.
• While the vintage definitely shouldn’t be overlooked, questions remain firstly whether certain wines will be priced favourably enough for people to buy, and significantly whether they should be bought now.
  

  ---

Bordeaux 2021 red wines of the vintage

Médoc: Lafite Rothschild 2021

Pessac-Léognan / Graves: Haut-Brion 2021

St-Emilion: Figeac 2021

Pomerol: Lafleur 2021

In-depth overview

Very broadly, 2021 can be summarised as a vintage of ‘happy surprises’ both for winemakers who managed to battle the elements to harvest healthy, ripe grapes and for people who enjoy a return to cool-classic, fresh, lively, refined and lower-alcohol Bordeaux.

For a vintage that may have been a catastrophic failure in Bordeaux 10 or 20 years ago – and one that might still suggest that on paper – 2021 has resulted in some exceptional wines in every leading appellation, thanks to improvements in viticultural practices and vinification techniques.

Standouts span both banks, covering red, white and sweet styles. There are wines that I thoroughly enjoyed tasting, would be thrilled to own and that I believe will be incredibly sought-after when it comes to actually drinking them.

However, the vintage is also incredibly uneven, with viticultural challenges indiscriminate in their effects across the region. Frosts may have spared the highest or most protected terroirs, but rain, slow flowering, mildew, botrytis, grey rot, lack of sunlight and even cicadelle parasites (green vine leafhoppers) didn’t care for classifications or historic hierarchies. It’s therefore not a vintage to buy blind.

The Bordeaux 2021 growing season

When analysing the success or otherwise of a Bordeaux growing season, it’s always helpful to reference the five prerequisites to creating a ‘great’ red Bordeaux set out by the ISVV (Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences of Bordeaux University, Oenological Research Unit)

The conditions that need to be met are as follows:

1) and 2) A temperate spring to facilitate a quick flowering and fruit-set.

3) A warm and dry July to allow the gradual onset of hydric stress before véraison (when the grapes change colour).

4) Continued warmth and dryness into August and September to allow a prolonged and complete ripening of each grape variety.

5) Clement weather during the harvest to allow vignerons to choose their ideal picking date without any fear of dilution or rot.

The first and second were largely fulfilled, though in some cases impacted by historic and catastrophic frost episodes on the 7 and 8 April for much of the Right Bank, Pessac-Léognan, Graves and Sauternes.

Even if frost damage wasn’t immediately apparent, it would show itself later with uneven fruit sets needing to be sorted and managed throughout the season right up to harvest. Localised frosts also occurred in May, with wet and cool conditions continuing.

Summer arrived in late June and flowering unfolded in favourable conditions, albeit a week later than the 20-year-average.

Storms and abundant rainfall – as well as some hail – prevented any hydric stress and impacted the size of berries, but also increased the onset of ravaging mildew, which first appeared in June.

August was the coolest since 2014 and véraison occurred unevenly in the middle of the month, with variances noted across single vineyard plots – let alone whole appellations.

A prolonged period of dry, sunny spells and large diurnal variation subsequently benefitted aromatic complexity, although lack of direct sunlight was an issue cited across the region.

The red wine harvest began for most estates in late September with large berries, high malic acid and low sugar levels. Large berries mean dilution in most cases, and as such can contribute to a lack of density on the mid-palate.

Estates who held their nerve to keep grapes on the vines, despite the threat of storms that never arrived, were able to achieve ripe Cabernets and harvest under favourable conditions with very few wines displaying green or herbaceous notes.

Grapes for dry whites were picked in the first three weeks of September with good acidity and aromatic complexity.

Sauternes was severely affected by frost and hail in 2021. Plots that weren’t affected saw excellent development of noble rot in ripe grapes, which had higher acidity compared to previous vintages. There were fine weather conditions for harvest in October, but some estates had yields as low as one hectolitre per hectare.

Bordeaux 2021: Vintage comparisons

When pushed, winemakers were hesitant to offer a comparative vintage in terms of exhausting and stressful conditions, with some having never experienced such ruinous frost or ravages of mildew and rot.

The 2014 vintage comes close for similar weather patterns, although it produced a much higher yield than 2021.

That said, some producers in Pomerol had no frost or mildew and saw healthy yields, so it really wasn’t one rule for all.

Viticulture & vinification

Winemakers often state the vintage is made in the vineyard and it goes without saying that you can’t produce good wine from bad grapes, but technology and decision making in the cellar was also extremely important in 2021.

Investments in winemaking facilities and oenological laboratories over the past 20 years also benefitted a vintage in which it paid to be precise.

Time, energy and money were poured into the 2021 vintage with additional staff and resources needed to manage anti-frost measures, deleafing and green harvesting, as well as more protracted and careful sorting at harvest. Having flexible teams was key, whether living on-site or able to work weekends.

Despite heroic efforts, overall yields in Bordeaux were down 14% on 2020 and 20% on the 10-year average.

Sauternes saw the sharpest year-on-year decline, down 51%, with Graves down 25%, St-Emilion, Pomerol and Fronsac down 21% and the Médoc down 6%.

Some winemakers referred to a dedicated approach to more sustainable and environmentally-friendly viticultural methods – organic and biodynamic processes in particular – as helping vines adapt and thrive with almost no hydric stress in 2021.

Some terroirs outperformed the expectations of the vintage, with early-ripening sites and gravel soils doing well.

That said, estates with diverse plantings both in terms of location and grape varieties were also better able to cope in 2021, even if they presented atypical blends or differing percentages of key grape varieties in the grand vin compared to other years.

You’ll see more wines with higher percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon – particularly on the Left Bank – as well as Cabernet Franc and also Petit Verdot in some cases.

Every individual decision shows in the glass, from the duration of pre-fermentation maceration/cold soaking to fermentation temperature, number of punch downs, percentage of press wine, chaptalisation and decisions on the final blend. This was not the year for over-extraction or a heavy touch in the winery.

The ageing process will also be incredibly decisive in determining the ‘in bottle’ taste, with both longer and shorter ageing periods being quoted by winemakers, as well as increased experiments with amphorae and glass globes to retain freshness.

In short, the work really hasn’t finished and more than once I wrote in my tasting notes that I look forward to retasting the wines at a later stage in-bottle.

Bordeaux 2021 white wines

White grapes had a bit of an easier growing season and as such are far more uniform and consistent across the board than the reds.

They enjoyed the cool summer days retaining desired amounts of acidity and freshness and a complex aromatic potential. Grapes were harvested without issue in the first half of September.

The white wines are in general extremely impressive, with intense acidity, vibrancy and aromatic complexity all on show.

They are racy and alive in the glass, and there is lots of promise covering styles expected to deliver both early pleasure and long ageing capacities.

There are plenty of standouts in Pessac-Léognan and Graves but gems can also be found in the Médoc, Fronsac, dry whites from Sauternes, new bottlings from St-Emilion and even the first wines from grapes planted within the boundary of the Pomerol appellation.

Sauternes 2021: ‘A feat of pure magic’

I wrote in my Bordeaux en primeur first impressions piece that the Sauternes producers who were able to make any 2021 achieved a feat of pure magic and I stand by that.

Yields were severely depleted by frosts and hail, meaning many winemakers were left without any 2021 production. Others were grateful for even 1hl/ha after picking grape by grape off the vine.

More and more I find myself championing these delicious wines and I loved almost every one I tried, for their concentration and textural richness but also for their freshness and liveliness. They are totally captivating and utterly compelling.

We all know Sauternes has an incredible capacity to age. For those with big cellars and who like to see the evolution over time, this vintage can be a welcome addition to the collection. Yet I’d be tempted to buy what you can and drink them as young as possible to enjoy their food friendliness and overall sense of joy.

Bordeaux 2021 prices and the market

So, it’s a smaller, more expensive-to-produce and more variable crop – and comes after a very successful run of recent vintages, including 2015, ’16, ’18, ’19 and ’20.

Of those, the 2019 vintage notably combined high quality with price cuts on release in the summer of 2020, amid concerns about the economic impact of the Covid pandemic. A number of top 2019 wines have risen in price on the market since then.

Some smaller estates may justifiably want to raise release prices for 2021 en primeur wines in order to remain solvent. Meanwhile, some of the vintage’s bigger successes may want to capitalise on market demand.

Despite expectations for en primeur release prices to drop versus 2020, they may still be significantly above the 2019 market price – or a fraction above more mature vintages that people can tuck into now – which presents a dilemma for consumers questioning whether to part with their money.

This also comes at a time of political unrest and military conflict, the potential reawakening of the Covid-19 health crisis and fears of a global recession.

While writing this summary, a news headline popped up: ‘Cost of living crisis: Inflation hits 40-year high of 9%’ – its highest level since comparable readings in 1982.

This may not necessarily shake the fine wine investment market too much, with high-scoring, tradable wines most likely to be unaffected, but it does raise the issue of general appeal and affordability.

The Bordeaux 2021 vintage has no doubt produced wines worth buying – with just under 100 scoring 94 points or above – a traditional benchmark of safe-bets for Decanter. The question will be whether people want to buy them now.

Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the wine trade, surveyed its international merchant members and found most expected to see lower demand for 2021 en primeur, with more than half of respondents expecting demand to drop by more than 20% in volume.

But it’s still too early to judge supply and demand, because only a few estates have been released so far. Carruades de Lafite, the second wine of Château Lafite Rothschild, was released 6% below its 2020-vintage en primeur price on an ex-Bordeaux basis (€ per bottle), with Pavie down 2.5%, Château Batailley flat year-on-year and Château Cheval Blanc up 3%.

Yet, it’s also important to consider the current market prices of an estate’s available back-vintages.

Batailley and Carruades de Lafite both earned praise for being the cheapest vintage on the market, for example. Analyst group Wine Lister described Cheval Blanc 2021 as ‘an obvious buy’ and noted that a recommended onward selling price of £395 per bottle (in bond) was around 28% lower than current prices for the 2019, ’18, ’16 and ’15 vintages.

My favourites

My notes and scores are very much a reflection of the wine at the time, taking into consideration the balance, structure, ageing potential and likely evolution in-bottle. Decanter doesn’t do ranges for barrel samples, unlike some other publications, and so I have given fixed scores. These are harder to calculate but perhaps easier to understand.

In no particular order, and not necessarily the highest-scoring, here are my favourite wines of the vintage – offering a combination of quality, value and pure joy.

• Château Lafite Rothschild
• Château Figeac
• Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
• Petrus
• Château Clinet
• Vieux Château Certan
• Château La Fleur-Pétrus
• Château Carmes Haut-Brion
• Château Lafleur
• Château Phelan Ségur
• Château Beau-Séjour Bécot
• Château Brane Cantenac
• Château Bastor Lamontagne
• Château Grand Village
• Château Meyney
• Château Fleur Cardinale
• Château de La Dauphine
• Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Blanc
• Château La Louvière, Blanc
• Château Malartic-Lagravière, Blanc

See tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring Bordeaux 2021 en primeur wines:

We’ll be publishing more Bordeaux 2021 wine reviews online for Premium subscribers throughout this week, with 400 tasting notes currently available.

Related content

Cheval Blanc 2021 released en primeur: ‘an obvious buy’

Bordeaux 2021 en primeur set for lower demand

Bordeaux 2019 in bottle: Overview and top-scoring wines