Southern Rhône 2021: full report and top-scoring wines

Southern Rhône 2021 overall vintage rating: 2/5

Fresh, bright, intense white wines throughout the region. A hard frost reduced yields and produced a fragile harvest for reds. Quality is mixed; many wines lack ripeness, but there are some very good wines in a lean, fresh style with relatively low alcohols.

‘In this chaotic, unpredictable and atypical vintage, buying by appellation, or even producer, isn’t a reliable strategy.’

Southern Rhône 2021 red wine of the vintage

Château de Beaucastel, Hommage à Jacques Perrin, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Southern Rhône 2021 white wine of the vintage

Domaine de Beaurenard, Boisrenard, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Though Châteauneuf-du-Pape wasn’t the worst hit, many producers, such as Vincent Avril of Clos des Papes, suffered reduced yields due to the frost. Temperatures dropped to -4 ̊ C here, but ‘what was mad is that it was 19 ̊C that afternoon,’ he said, ‘and 25 ̊C less than a week earlier.’ No wonder the vines were shocked.

Some plants that were frosted eventually produced secondary shoots, which produced welcome but limited amounts of fruit. The quality, however, is rarely as high, and it was a more common phenomenon with young vines rather than old.

Scroll down for Matt Walls’ top-scoring southern Rhône 2021 wines

After the frost, the season was clement enough: warm, and dry but not parched. But storms during harvest caused havoc – 100mm of rain fell on 15 September. This led to localised rot, not to mention dilution. It’s a miracle anyone made good wines. And yet some did.

Most agreed it was the Syrah that was worst hit by the frost. Late-budding Mourvèdre fared much better, as did Carignan and Cinsault. The overall effect was a delicate harvest. Philippe Faraud of Mas des Restanques says ‘the grapes had very thin skins, so people were afraid of rot… and many picked too early.’ Those who did were blighted with green tannins and weak fruit.

See all 400 Rhône 2021 tasting notes and scores

For growers who managed to successfully ripen their crop, the typical style of 2021 remains marked by a certain austerity. It’s a vintage without great generosity or richness, with fruit flavours often more towards red berries rather than black. Acidities are high, alcohols are low, and tannins are often strict and rigid.

It’s not easy to draw comparisons with other vintages. Serge Férigoule of Le Sang des Cailloux suggested 2014, 2008 or 2004. Louis Barruol of Château de Saint Cosme also referenced 2008. Jean-Paul Daumen of Domaine de la Vieille Julienne said ‘I can’t compare it to any other vintage – it’s like a UFO.’

See also: Rhône 2021 full vintage report and top scoring wines

See also – individual appellation analysis on:

Châteauneuf-du-Pape | Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Beaumes de Venise | Rasteau, Cairanne and Vinsobres | Lirac and Tavel

In the same vein as 2014 and 2004, 2021 is a vintage with one particular strength: outstanding whites. White varieties weren’t hit as severely by the frost, and they don’t have tannins to ripen. They share the traits of high acidity and low alcohol with the reds this year, giving them a zestiness and precision that makes them beautifully vibrant. Don’t miss them.

Although whites were consistently strong across the southern Rhône, reds were clearly at their best in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. There are some unexpectedly successful wines, but they’ll need time for the tannins to relax. Higher altitude sites in Gigondas, Vinsobres and Beaumes de Venise often fared relatively well. Lirac and Vacqueyras were less successful.

But in this chaotic, unpredictable and atypical vintage, buying by appellation, or even producer, isn’t a reliable strategy. This year it was often a combination of experienced hands, excellent terroir and a lucky roll of the dice that produced the goods.

Rhône 2021 score tables:

All top Rhône 2021 score table

Top-scoring southern Rhône 2021 score table

Top-scoring northern Rhône 2021 score table

Top-scoring 2021 red wines

Top-scoring 2021 white wines

Top 10 southern Rhône producers

• Château de Beaucastel
• Château de Montfaucon
• Clos de Caveau
• Clos des Papes
• Domaine Benedetti
• Domaine de Cristia, Chapelle Saint Théodoric
• Domaine de la Janasse
• Domaine des Bosquets
• Domaine Gramenon
• Domaine Raymond Usseglio

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Top-scoring southern Rhône 2021 wines:

The wines below all scored 95 points or above, and are listed white then red in score order.

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