Bordeaux En Primeur 2021

wines are genuinely very good and offer another facet to the Bordeaux experience. For Australians, en primeur is the best way to buy Bordeaux, because it guarantees allocations, the prices are generally advantageous, and it’s the nearest thing to an ex-châteaux delivery. Also, buying in sixes should promise delivery in an original branded timber case. Many of the 2021s will turn out to be classics. Although the alcohols are relatively modest (as low as 12%, mostly around 13%, but as high as 14.5%!), the tannin structures play an essential role in the overall presence and identity of the vintage. They often fill out the mid-palate and lengthen the flavours to the finish. The fruit is more juicy than sweet, but the concentration is generally very good. With further age, the elements will fold into each other, allowing more richness, volume and complexity to develop. Cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc (particularly on the Right Bank) performed extremely well, but although some reports suggest merlot universally struggled, there are many examples of merlot-dominant wines that are successful.

and women between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. to deploy candles and wind machines on the worst frost mornings. This effort saw the temperature in vineyards raised by as much as 2°C and serious damage avoided. Mobile wind machines and helicopters have been used for quite a while now, but in recent years more châteaux have been buying computer-controlled gas-heated wind machines to circulate the air and raise temperatures. The threat of frost has become one of the key worries of vignerons. I can’t ever remember seeing so many wind machines lying about and ready for deployment while travelling around the Left and Right Banks this April (2022). There is a general feeling that weather patterns are more unpredictable than ever and that technology, machine learning and sustainable practices will play an increasingly important role in the future. The 2021 growing season is not even across the Bordeaux region. Oceanic weather has a tendency to fluctuate, causing contrasting climatic conditions. For instance, while many vineyards were exposed to the black frosts of 6th–8th April, more than a few châteaux avoided the disaster altogether. Ch Pontet Canet, Ch Montrose, Ch d’Issan and others exposed to the warming effect of Gironde Estuary were spared. Ch Troplong Mondot’s elevated vineyards in Saint-Émilion experienced normal yields. Yet at nearby Ch Quinault L’Enclos, early bud burst and stagnant air (promoted by a walled environment) led to half of its crop lost overnight. Nature can be cruel.

“A vintage of moderation and harmony” Thomas Duroux – Ch Palmer

Many of the very top châteaux have pulled rabbits out of the hat this year. This reflects a general philosophy of “the wine coming first.” This was not a year to listen to accountants. The best wines of the vintage, therefore, are invariably linked to the best resourced and intuitive winemaking teams. Although the location and aspect of vineyard sites were important, timing and decision making were also crucial. Hence, there is no obvious Left Bank or Right Bank trend in terms of who produced the better wines. Although cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc performed extremely well, merlot – with its greater vulnerability to poor weather – needed a lot of attention in the vineyard. General work duties included secondary shoot removal, leaf plucking, green harvesting and hedging to achieve the quality of grapes desired. All of this was done with special spacing rules to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Vineyard workers, used to a 35-hour week, rose to the challenges of the season and did their bit from early morning frost fighting to weekend vineyard work. In Pomerol, the Mouiex family were assisted by 48 men

The Vintage Journal – International Series

Bordeaux 2022