2021 Bordeaux En Primeur: Back to Classicism

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | MAY 10, 2022

The 2021 Bordeaux have turned out to be such a surprise. Weather conditions were challenging, and yet the top properties turned out gorgeous, classically built wines that will absolutely thrill readers who appreciate freshness and energy. Restrained alcohols and mid-weight structures will remind readers of Bordeaux pre-2000s. The best wines offer a striking combination of old-school classicism with modern-day precision. Quality is inconsistent though, so choosing carefully is essential. Even so, there is much to like in the 2021s.

How did this happen? Wasn’t the year a disaster, you might be asking? Well, there is a lot to talk about. To be sure, 2021 was full of challenges. These include severe frost, heavy summer rains, elevated disease pressure and then a lack of sun during the summer. It was not an easy year, to say the least. And yet the best wines are so compelling.   

There is no question there is far greater precision in farming and winemaking today in Bordeaux than ever before. One of the key elements in 2021 was labor. With wages up around 50%, estates that could afford extra workers at critical moments clearly had an advantage over those that could not. Another significant development in Bordeaux is the wave of new cellars that have been outfitted with small fermentation vats. Imagine a large stock pot in your kitchen. It needs to be filled with a certain volume to work well. That is the same with the large fermentation vats. Today’s fermentation tanks need to be filled with a smaller volume of grapes than in the past. That means vineyard managers can pick only what is truly ripe as opposed to having to pick a certain amount of fruit to fill tanks, as they once did. This greater amount of selection with regards to timing in the field is having a profound impact on the quality of Bordeaux wines, especially in challenging years.

Experience is another factor. Winemakers, vineyard managers and owners had the experiences of frost in 2017 and mildew in 2018 to guide their choices in 2021. This year, I heard far more technical discussions of the different kinds of frost (black versus white), along with the different techniques to mitigate them, than ever before.

The 2021 red wines are generally marked by alcohols in the 13% range for the Left Bank and a bit more for the Right Bank, but about 1% lower across the board than what we have become accustomed to in the 2000s. The 2021s are intensely aromatic and marked generally by red fruit character. The low alcohol style, classic for Bordeaux, is sure to appeal to both consumers and professionals who appreciate vibrancy and nuance. I expect 2021 will find a great deal of enthusiasm among sommeliers. In some ways, the 2021s remind me of the 2014s in that they aren't obvious wines as this stage, but in the best wines quality is there, for those who are willing to look, just as it was with the 2014s. 

Sara Lecompte Cuvelier, seen here at Leoville-Poyferré, turned out a gorgeous set of 2021s at her family’s various properties.

The 2021 Growing Season

The year got off to an early start. Warm, dry conditions in February and March led to a precocious budbreak at the beginning of April. Unfortunately, Bordeaux witnessed brutal frost on April 7 and 8, which reduced the crop and weakened the vines ahead of the challenging weather that arrived in the summer and then led to irregular ripening. Flowering was quite variable from property to property. An especially fine spell of weather at the end of May and early June helped many estates achieve very fast and even flowering. Results were less consistent for estates where flowering was later. Of course, this sort of timing can’t be planned with Mother Nature in advance, it is coincidental.

June brought heavy rains, about double the historical average, along with hail in some places. Mildew pressure mounted considerably in July as rain continued. Blocks that had struggled through frost were especially vulnerable. Vineyard managers responded by deleafing more aggressively than most years to stave off rot. Merlot was more heavily affected by both coulure, rot and later by bloat than Cabernets and Petit Verdot. Potential yields were once again impacted.

Summer was overcast, with no excess heat to speak of. Vegetative growth continued later than what is considered optimal. During set, vineyard managers are looking for the vine to stop growing so that a natural water deficiency causes the vine to focus of all its energy into the berries. In 2021, that happened, but later than ideal. Mid-veraison, a critical measuring point for estimating harvest dates, was both later than the 20-year-average and more drawn out because of the lack of heat and sunlight, along with the lack of water stress.