Overview

For anyone who loves drinking good Bordeaux, there are great opportunities in the 2021 vintage. The harvest has given many superb wines, but it is far from a straight-forward vintage and prices needed to be sensible. You will notice that our range below is very carefully chosen, often eliminating even famous names, due to either lack of value or misjudged winemaking, sometimes both. The wines we do list, we recommend wholeheartedly. They offer lovely purity, freshness, elegance and style. These bottles will give immense pleasure when the time comes to pull the corks.

Notable Successes

The properties of two, family owners stood out for their excellent quality this vintage. Ets. Jean-Pierre Moueix, the great right-bank specialists (think Hosanna, Bélair-Monange, La Fleur-Pétrus) produced an extraordinary range. They completely nailed the style of 2021, with a range from top (La Fleur-Pétrus) to bottom (Peymouton) that displayed beautiful fruit purity, silky textures and immense charm – excellence to suit all budgets. We were also most impressed with the wines from the father and son team of Philippe and Frédéric Castéja (Batailley, Trotte Vieille, Domaine de l’Eglise). Once again, we found wines that were beautifully harmonious, nothing forced, combining intense, bright fruit characters and fine tannins. They also offer a great value option with the exceptional Pauillac, Château Haut-Bages-Monpelou.

Weather Conditions

The cool summer meant that natural sugars were lower than for the last three vintages, and natural acidities higher – so the style of the vintage is a return to classic Bordeaux, after a run of alcohol-rich, powerfully-structured years. The most successful properties in 2021, to our minds, have aimed to make wines which will be delicious while relatively youthful.

Most châteaux – though fortunately not all – were impacted by severe frosts on 6th, 7th and 8th April. This reduced potential yields for many, and also resulted in secondary shoots appearing, to compensate for those buds which had been frozen. This might seem beneficial, but it could set the stage for uneven ripening. Conscientious owners needed to commit to eliminating late-ripening grapes, by clipping and sorting, in both vineyard and winery.

There was more rain in May and June, and less sun in July, than the recent averages. Showers and sunshine meant that damage from mildew threatened, and over-took some vineyards, further reducing yields. Fortunately, however, August had plenty of sun. Evidently, this is a less successful vintage than those when summers are dry and hot. But excellent wines were achieved thanks to a good flowering period, fine weather during late September and the first half of October, and above all meticulous care in the vineyards. It was one of the third hottest Septembers since 2000, and Merlots came to ripeness as the month was ending. Many were harvested in excellent health, giving well-balanced, fruity freshness.

Wine-making and viticultural skills are now very high in Bordeaux. In 2021, many properties stuck to their guns towards the end of September, in spite of dire weather warnings, which predicted heavy rains. The best owners were determined not to pick while the grape skins might show vegetal aromas. Some gave in, as 70mm rain were forecast for the month-end – but the greatest properties held out, and the downpours did not occur. Exceptional sunshine and late harvesting allowed fully ripened, healthy Cabernet Francs and Cabernet Sauvignons to be picked at optimum ripeness, during a dry spell.

These wines are offered in bond UK, for delivery during 2024.