Bordeaux Primeurs 2021: A vintage full of surprises

Vineyard of Château Cheval Blanc located in Saint-Émilion

At the end of April, our team of tasters had the pleasure of visiting the Bordeaux vineyards In order to form an opinion about the 2021 vintage, after reading various articles on the climate and some initial impressions, we started with a few concerns but returned with pleasant surprises. Certainly, we are not dealing with an exceptional vintage like the three previous ones, but some very good results are to be commended.

A reminder about the vegetative cycle and its many challenges in 2021

First of all, it is essential to remember the conditions encountered by winegrowers throughout the vegetative cycle. 

The vines faced numerous challenges during the 2021 vintage. Initially, they suffered two frost attacks in April just as the buds were emerging. Then, the early summer was rainy, depriving the vines of necessary water stress and bringing with it a host of fungal diseases (downy mildew initially, followed by powdery mildew). Fortunately, the good weather finally arrived in mid-July, allowing for excellent veraison, followed by a mild Indian summer that completed the ripening of the grapes. 

The white wines benefited from the significant contrasts between beautiful, warm, sunny days and cool nights. The result is superb. The whites are fresh, vibrant, full of character, with superb aromatic intensity.

At harvest time for the red grapes, the weather forecast darkened. Heavy rains were predicted, potentially devastating for the crop. What to do? Wait and risk losing everything, or harvest despite the grapes barely reaching maturity? The boldest, those who chose the first option, were rewarded, as the rain was far less severe than forecast, and those extra few days made all the difference for the Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The quality of the red wines is relatively uneven. Châteaux with exceptional terroirs have produced outstanding wines. Volumes are low for some appellations or châteaux because extensive sorting was necessary to retain only the best grapes. Indeed, this is the first time we've heard so much talk about sorting by density. Many will describe 2021 as a winemaker's vintage, where human intervention has a significant impact on the final result.

Volumes in sharp decline?

Vineyard of Château Clinet located in Pomerol

The Bordeaux vineyard harvest is, overall, significantly down, with a decrease in quantities estimated at around 22% compared to the average of the last 10 vintages. 

Some appellations have been more impacted than others, with the most dramatic example being in Sauternes, which recorded an average yield of 3.5 hl/ha! The sweet wines are splendid but extremely rare. 

Even within the same appellation, not everyone will have the same volumes. The most striking example for our team was Pessac-Léognan with the Château Haut-Brion which benefits from almost normal yields and other castles having lost almost everything. 

The table below clearly shows the declines in harvest compared to previous years. 

Source: Cavissima with data from Liv-Ex

Once again, the name Saint-Julien is heavily affected, as are Pauillac and the Right Bank (Saint-Émilion and Pomerol). The Saint-Estèphe appellation, on the other hand, seems to have decent volumes. 

In conclusion, this vintage has often been compared to the climatic conditions of the 1990s. However, the biggest difference lies in technological progress. From the work of the vineyard workers and the strengthening of the vines thanks to significant reductions in the use of chemicals, to the technical advancements in the winery, all these developments allow us to harvest the very best grapes and produce magnificent wines even in challenging vintages.

To conclude these tastings, we can say that this year, described as a "winemaker's vintage," was very interesting to taste. It is indeed easier to taste great vintages, but it is more interesting for us tasters to focus on the intermediate vintages. 2021 has many advantages, such as lower alcohol levels (1 to 1.5% less than 2020), an approachable character in its youth, offering drinkability with a lovely freshness, while still retaining aging potential. 

No, 2021 is not an exceptional vintage, but it is nonetheless a very interesting vintage in terms of taste, with some very good wines not to be missed.