From a backwater in southern Catalonia, Priorat took its rightful place on the world wine map in the early 1990s. Its meteoric rise to fame was propelled by low-yielding, old Cariñena and Garnacha vines clinging to precipitous and ancient slate slopes. The best producers including Mas Doix, Alvaro Palacios and René Barbier were making wines that were turbo-charged: rich, ripe and powerful yet zinging with vibrant acidity.  But its rapid ascent to fame created growing pains: the region has struggled to define what makes Priorat Priorat, while overzealous winemaking and the inclusion of international
varieties has led to a regional identity crisis. Fortunately, Priorat has nature on its side: its distinctive llicorella slate soil limits yields and provides these Mediterranean-climate wines with a distinct mineral freshness. Combine this with the extreme fluctuations in temperature between day and night and, an extremely dry, sunny climate, and you have the potential to produce rich yet vibrant reds.  Priorat: troubled times The timing of Priorat's emergence as a fine wine producer could be the source of some of its nascent troubles. Its renaissance coincided with the heyday of Robert Parker and a global demand for reds with masses of new oak, super-ripe grapes and intense extraction to
maximise colour and tannin. It wasn't just the winemaking trends of the '90s that saw Priorat become the most intense, powerful and overbearing wine in Spain. Valentí Llagostera, founder of Mas Doix, explains that it had long been a supplier of bulk wine and a blending partner to bolster weaker wines from cooler climates – adding concentration, power and alcohol.  Lacking a tradition of fine winemaking, the idea of what a Priorat wine should be was fluid. Consequently, it became a region producing many different styles, leaving the wine drinker confused. Llagostera adds that the region had a real inferiority complex, with many growers
believing if the wine wasn’t big, powerful and as intense as possible, it wasn’t Priorat. This mentality also led to the incursion of international varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah were planted, in a bid to emulate the success of Bordeaux and the Rhône.  From the industrial to artisan Industrial-like estates, predominantly based in Rioja, have not been interested in reflecting a specific place but rather more focused on producing a homogenised house style with grapes sourced from as far as 300km away going into the same wine. This approach is therefore completely at odds with the concept of terroir. It is common for older vines to be uprooted to maintain high production levels and wines to undergo lengthy ageing in oak barrels to create greater homogeneity. "Spanish wines made in this way are more about a process than a place," according to Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate's critic for Spain.  Of course this homogenised style proves incredibly popular: Rioja remains one of the most
successful wine exporters thanks to its reliability and high volumes, offering value for money. However, wine lovers have become increasingly discerning; there is more demand for wines with a sense of place, whether they hail from a plot of old vines or from an indigenous variety. Priorat’s move towards a fresher, more elegant style is part of a wider movement in Spain. There's a revolution underway, with a younger generation of vignerons who have actively rejected the larger estates' approach, instead they're focusing on crafting unique wines with a strong sense of place, whether it be the saline-rich, volcanic soils of Tenerife to the high-altitude mountain-vine Garnacha from the Gredos Mountains, or the incredibly vibrant, taut perfumed wines of Ribeira Sacra.   The intensely concentrated yet mineral wines of Priorat should fit into this more terroir-driven movement. The unique slate soil, Priorat's mountainous landscape and old vines meant that it
was not possible for the region to become a Rioja lookalike. The trend toward fresher, more mineral wines aligned with a rediscovery of the region's indigenous varietals (Cariñena and Garnacha) has allowed Priorat to experience a second coming. Could Priorat be on the verge of discovering its true self? Will the real Priorat please stand up? Llagostera feels there is plenty of room for experimentation in search of Priorat's true identity. The team at Mas Doix is carrying out many trials, including ageing wines in amphora, maturing Garnacha in larger barrels to avoid oxidation, and fermenting in wooden vats to
achieve greater textural sophistication. There are also more radical approaches: German native Dominik Huber of Terroir-Al-Limit doesn't destem his reds, instead practising whole-bunch fermentation, leading to an intensely fresh style. Huber believes it required a generational change before Priorat could find its new identity. Despite the varied stylistic interpretations, the goal is to better understand Priorat's voice not disguise its raw beauty. Explore all Mas Doix listings or read more Editorial 

We talk to Mais Doix’s founder Valentí Llagostera about Priorat’s identity crisis and how a new generation of Spanish winemakers is putting the focus firmly on terroir

Mais Doix’s founder Valentí Llagostera on Priorat’s identity crisis and how a new generation of Spanish winemakers is putting the focus firmly on terroir

A new Priorat dawn

Priorat: a new dawn

The 2021 vintage in Bordeaux is not another 2018, 2019 or 2020. Indeed, this is a year that is seemingly without precedent. It was a year first and foremost of the wine-grower. Forget the idea that the best wines are made with minimal intervention, naturally conjured from fine terroir and effortlessly evolving in the cellar: that’s an illusion at the best of times. To succeed in 2021, producers had to put in serious graft. They needed to be out amongst the vines day in, day out. And then they needed to follow that through in the winery. Several had already written off the year after hearing about the frost and mildew that plagued the growing season (about which you can read much more in our detailed report). In our view, that’s a mistake. It’s not the vintage of the century, and anyone would be foolish to pretend it is – but there are some brilliant wines, especially for those who are partial to more elegant styles, lower alcohol levels and freshness. It’s important to caveat that when we discuss a vintage en primeur, we are talking about the very crème de la crème of Bordeaux – the finest estates who have not only the region’s best-sited vineyards, but the necessary resources – the manpower, money and equipment – to be able to succeed. Our 10 days in the region revealed the full complexities of the year, one where it is nigh-on impossible to generalise. As Omri Ram at Ch. Lafleur told us, “There are hundreds and thousands of 2021s.” The key was being able to analyse what was happening in the vineyards – and then be able to act on it. Quickly. For Ram, with 24 people working 21 hectares, that was fortunately possible. At Ch. Lafite Rothschild, Technical Director Eric Kohler told us that the cost of production in 2021 was an almost incredible 45% higher than normal. Christian Moueix estimates his team spent 30% more hours in the vineyard than normal. At Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou, they hired an additional 35 people to manage mildew amongst the vines in June and July (surplus to the normal 40), while at both Ch. Rauzan-Ségla and Les Carmes Haut-Brion they had enormous teams for the harvest – 150 each, harvesting and sorting at Rauzan-Ségla, and doing three or four passes through each plot at Carmes. At Smith Haut-Lafitte, they bought five additional tractors to ensure they could spray the entire property in one day. “All the challenges we could dream of happened,” said Jean-Basile Roland of Ch. Rauzan-Ségla. Because of these challenges, it’s a vintage that producers are justifiably proud of – for it was a hard-won battle, and Covid-19 was still a consideration. Yields across the region varied significantly. In total, the region produced 14% less than in 2020, but some estates reported a full crop. At others, they had the lowest yields since 1991 – largely due to mildew, although frost was a factor as well. Inevitably, estates working organically and biodynamically had more of a battle when it came to mildew so were more significantly impacted. Both elements had less of an impact than might be expected, however, as producers have learnt – and invested – after the severe frosts of 2017 and mildew of 2018. As already highlighted, this was a year of the grower; where the human hand was everything. There were key decisions to be made at every stage of the season and these influenced the style of wine produced. Again, from what we tasted there wasn’t a right or wrong decision to be made – but it’s important to emphasise the various elements that have defined the wines this year. First up was picking. In general, harvest dates were much later than we’ve seen in recent years – producers having to wait for ripeness to arrive in the year’s cooler conditions. Merlot started coming in at the end of September, and most finished picking their Cabernet by 18th October. The key decision was around the first weekend in October, when heavy rain was forecast, yet most Cabernet wasn’t yet ripe. Some rushed to pick their fruit, while others took the risk and waited. Those who held their nerve were rewarded; the storms were replaced by sunny days for key ripening. While recent years have seen producers waiting for phenolic ripeness, with sugar levels soaring in warm conditions, 2021 saw something different. At some estates, phenolic maturity arrived first, with the sugar never quite following; at others the phenolic, flavour and sugar ripeness all seemed to arrive at once. For the former, chaptalisation was necessary. This practice – the addition of sugar prior to fermentation to increase alcohol levels – was once the norm in marginal climates like Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, the Loire and many more. Opinions on the topic are rife, with some winemakers extremely anti; from what we tasted, where well-judged and expertly managed, you can’t tell. There were a handful of wines with warming alcohol that doesn’t feel fully integrated, but where done well, chaptalisation has rounded the wine out – fleshing out the body with half a degree of alcohol or so. It’s also important to emphasise that chaptalisation is something we simply haven’t spoken about previously – at Ch. Margaux, Aurélien Valence highlighted that they even chaptalised a few parcels in 2019 and 2020, while some estates haven’t done so for decades. Some châteaux opted for reverse osmosis as an alternative way to concentrate the wines, generally on lower-tier wines. Given the year’s challenging conditions, producers didn’t face a crop of flawlessly clean fruit. It was a cool and damp year and sorting was essential. Optical sorters are now the norm at many addresses, but this year saw the addition of density baths at several estates (Chx Léoville and Langoa Barton, Angélus and Smith Haut-Lafitte, to name a few, following in the footsteps of the likes of Ausone). Indeed, just at Smith Haut-Lafitte, there were six stages of sorting across the vineyard and winery to ensure that they kept only the finest fruit. One point of discussion at almost every estate was how producers managed extraction. With the year’s wet conditions, berries were generally plump and dilution was a risk. The cooler weather also meant that tannins weren’t necessarily as ripe, although in terms of “IPT” (the Indice de Polyphénols Totaux – the level of tannins, a number that has started appearing on technical sheets and critic reports increasingly in recent vintages) 2021 had the same numbers as 2018, ’19 or ’20.  The difference, however, was that there isn’t the same stuffing to balance it – so it was essential that tannins were handled gently. Cold soaks were used at several addresses to extract colour and flavour, but not tannin; many opted for gentler and shorter maceration periods. Saignée – the act of bleeding off juice to concentrate what remains – was commonplace, and higher portions of press wine feature in several blends. Several producers noted that in particular the seeds or pips weren’t ripe this year, so it was important to avoid extracting tannins from them; it’s one reason for the significant portion (45%) of whole-bunch fermentation for the Grand Vin at Les Carmes Haut-Brion. The blends this year are in some instances atypical. On the Left Bank, the Merlot struggled with coulure (uneven fruit-set), meaning some wines have record-high proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend (a record 98% at Ducru-Beaucaillou, 96% at Lafite, 90% at Calon-Ségur, for example). Cabernet Franc seemed to thrive on both sides of the Gironde, and represents higher-than-normal percentages on the Right Bank (30% at L’Evangile, 60% at Angélus). You may also find a little more Petit Verdot in blends than normal – used to add both colour and spicy richness to the wines (for example, representing 6% at Pontet-Canet). Given the generally lighter style of the wines, élevage will be key. While of course this is not set yet, many producers have opted for lower levels of new oak and plan to leave the wines in barrel for slightly less time. As Noëmie Durantou Reilhac of Ch. l’Eglise-Clinet highlighted, this is to preserve the wines’ delicate tannins and aromas. At Ch. Rauzan-Ségla, Jean-Basile Roland noted that it was particularly important this year to use hot water and steam to extract the harshest tannins from barrels before they were filled. And so what of the style of the actual wines? Well, as you can tell, it is not easy to generalise. This is not a Left or Right Bank year, in our view, although we found a little more consistency amongst estates on the Right (and especially warmer Pomerol). Despite the fact that Merlot struggled a little on the Left, it doesn’t seem to have been such an issue on the Right Bank – it’s neither a Cabernet or Merlot vintage. Several producers were quick to declare it a “terroir” vintage – and certainly it seems that limestone and clay soils were an advantage – but terroir was not the only element at play. It really is a year that needs to be judged individually, per estate and wine. We noted in particular that some second wines have suffered from the selection required to achieve greatness in the Grand Vin. The best embraced the natural style of the vintage – working with the year’s elegance rather than battling it. There is an old-school charm to the finest wines, yet with a very modern fruit profile. “Modern classic” was a term that came up time and again, although we’re loathe to repeat it. At Vieux Château Certan, where Guillaume Thienpont has undoubtedly made one of the wines of the year, he described the wine as “two-thirds perfume, one-third flavour”, while Pierre-Olivier Clouet at Cheval Blanc – another overperformer this year – considers it “academic” rather than “classic”, built on dual pillars of tannin and acidity.  The best wines have fresh acidity, delicate and often floral aromatics, with crunchy fruit – often more at the red end of the spectrum. Alcohols tend to sit between 12 and 13% (a little higher on the Right Bank) and the tannins are not negligible, often providing a chalky grip, and they are surprisingly approachable now. They won’t be wines to cellar for the serious long-term, but will be one of those vintages to consistently overperform – surprising blind tasters with their charm as they evolve in bottle. Given all this, it’s no surprise that producers struggled to find a comparative vintage. Faced with such tricky conditions just a decade ago, producers wouldn’t have been able to make the wines they did today. The 1990s were consistently used as a reference point in style, but more recently 2001, 2008 or possibly 2014 offer the best comparison in terms of style – if not climatic conditions. The wines are more concentrated than 2017, and as is very clear, drastically different to 2018, ’19 or ’20. The vast majority of what we offer en primeur is red, and that is where the focus of our report lies, but this was an exceptional vintage for whites. Several estates feel they’ve made the best wines in their history – and certainly from our tastings that is true. At Ch. Margaux, Aurélien Valence said they thought 2017 was their best Pavillon Blanc, but 2021 exceeds it. The cool conditions that made the year challenging for reds was perfect for the white grapes, which benefitted from the long, slow growing season – offering aromatic ripeness, yet vibrant acidity. They really are superb. Crops in Sauternes were decimated by frost unfortunately (Ch. Suduiraut has just 500 cases of its Grand Vin to offer the world), but what little we tasted was similarly outstanding. Buy what you can of these increasingly rare and special wines, made at almost illogical expense. Bordeaux 2021: the vintage in summary A complicated year, but with some brilliant wines In places, frost and mildew means yields are down by as much as 50% Producers needed the resources to handle everything nature threw at them For reds, quality is not homogenous, but the best are vibrant and crunchy, with lower alcohols, chalky tannins and pretty aromatics Very hard to compare to other vintages, but 2001, 2008 and 2014 are the closest in style An exceptional vintage for dry whites, and tiny volumes of excellent sweet whites Explore all 2021 listings or read more Editorial 

Our team spent 10 days in Bordeaux tasting the 2021 vintage – a year that is far from simple. Frost and mildew made for challenging conditions, but the wines shouldn’t be written off. This was a year where tasting was essential and it’s impossible to talk in generalisations. Here, we dig into why

Your one-stop guide to a complicated Bordeaux en primeur vintage that is hard to compare to other vintages, but 2001, 2008 and 2014 are the closest in style

Bordeaux 2021: the human hand

Noel Verset is a true wine legend of Cornas. In fact, the fine wine region might not even have existed today were it not for his resilience and that of his compatriots Auguste Clape and Rene Balthazar.  Today, Cornas is widely recognised as one of the world's greatest sites for Syrah production and although the history of winemaking in this village dates back over a thousand years, just 50 years ago it was largely a forgotten backwater of the Rhone Valley. Even up until the 1990s Cornas' top producers did not share the gravitas of the more established nearby villages of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage. But it is now common for Noel Verset’s wines to out-price top  Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage due to its rarity and historical importance. Like much of Europe’s viticultural regions, Cornas was left devastated by the Phylloxera outbreak in the late 1800s. The onset of World War I, The Great Depression and World War II only further damaged the region. Production levels were in continual decline and many vineyards were left abandoned. Despite its dwindling production, however, Cornas was awarded its appellation status in 1938. Noel Verset and his vigneron father witnessed much of this downfall. Born in Cornas (in 1919)  Verset was working with his father in the vineyards by the age of 12. Despite the region being on its knees at this time, Noel and his father continued to manage vines on the steepest, most difficult and low-yielding granite sites, which they knew produced the finest wines in the region.  In 1943, after marrying his wife Aline Balthazar (sister of Rene Balthazar, another godfather of Cornas), Noel stopped working with his father and set up his own business. Five years later, Noel Verset purchased Domaine del Sabarotte, a 1.3-hectare vineyard,  from Cornas négociant Delaygue. Verset continued to secure arguably the finest plots in the Cornas appellation, including the lieu-dits of Chaillots, Champelrose and Reynard which are all very steep granite sites. The industrialisation boom in the 1950s further depopulated the region making it a largely forgotten site for wine production. According to John Livingstone Learmonth’s book on Northern Rhone, Cornas remained in a time warp right through the 1970s. From 1968 to 1976 Verset, now in his mid-fifties, was forced to take on a second job in the town of Valence,
unpacking parcels from railway wagons, working evening shifts whilst managing his vineyards during the day.   However, the northern Rhône's star was starting to rise, as wine collectors from around the world started to look beyond Bordeaux and Burgundy. Neighbouring Hermitage and Côte Rôtie were starting to enjoy fame and although Cornas was playing catch up, quality improvements were taking place as growers started to bottle their own wine.  It was slow progress. Auguste Clape was the first to bottle his Cornas in 1955 and by the 1980s only 20 of the 60 growers, including Verset, had followed suit. However, the greatness of these low-yielding, estate-bottled expressions needed time to show its potential. Verset and Clape's benchmark style for Cornas was fiercely traditional, rugged Syrah, built for bottle maturation.   Cornas was brought back from the brink by the tireless efforts of Noel Verset, Auguste Clape and Rene Balthazar. Between the 1970s and 2005, the appellation had doubled in size to more than 100 hectares and there was growing demand for its vertiginous sites. In 2001, and nearing retirement at 82 years of age, the sale of his original Sabarotte vineyard to Auguste Clape and Laurent Courbis yielded four times more than it had been valued at just six years earlier. Finally, the vineyards of Cornas and Verset's wines had gained the recognition they deserved.  
In 2015, Verset passed away, aged 95, but his legend lives on in his wines, which often fetch prices exceeding the very best Côte Rôtie and Hermitage bottlings.  A number of the most prized 21st-century Cornas wines hail from the plots Verset nursed over eight decades. Thierry Allemand bought his Reynard vineyard and would go on to become the darling of the new generation of Cornas while his nephew Franck Balthazar took over the Chaillots vineyard in 2006 and has become a highly respected Cornas producer in his own right. The current custodians of these have inherited the Cornas earth and they have Verset to thank for it. Noel Verset also used to sell two barrels of wine to respected négociant Tardieu Laurent who were producing their top Cornas Vieilles Vignes cuvee made from Verset’s wine blended with another Cornas legend Robert Michel’s wine. On discovering the connection we couldn’t believe our luck when we were able to source the cuvee from the widely respected 1999 vintage retailing at under £40 a bottle. If you can even find a Verset bottle from this period it is retailing at well over £400 a bottle. Of course, it is not the same thing, but the interwoven web of wine production can sometimes lead you to some pretty magical discoveries. Whilst the odd case of Noel Verset’s Cornas comes up on the market every now and then, you might have more luck sourcing the Tardieu Laurent Cornas Vieilles Vignes which he contributed to, up until the 2006 vintage.  Explore more Editorial 

Noel Verset is one of the world’s great wine legends. During his 75-year winemaking career, the vigneron was instrumental in putting Cornas back on the fine wine map. We explore the legend's impact

Exploring winemaking legend Noel Verset's impact during his 75-year career which has included putting Cornas on the fine wine map.

A legend of Cornas winemaking

Noel Verset: A legend of Cornas

THE LEFT BANK Overall looking at the regional numbers, yields were less impacted on the Left Bank – with Margaux, Saint-Julien and Pauillac producing fractionally more than in 2020, although significantly less wine (-38%) was made in Pessac-Léognan. When you dive into individual estates, the numbers are much more varied – with many down by as much as 50% in each commune. In the Médoc in 2021, Cabernet Sauvignon reigned supreme – with Merlot suffering from coulure (poor fruit-set) and being more susceptible to mildew. As a result, some of the blends are atypically Cabernet-dominant. From our tastings, quality seemed more varied on the Left Bank, especially when it came to second wines – however there are still some exceptional wines. Saint-Estèphe This northern commune escaped the impact of April’s frosts, as it always does – so mildew was the main threat to yields. In general, however, producers fared well, often producing a little more than in 2020. Properties with gravel over clay subsoils – such as Tronquoy-Lalande – thrived, as the free-draining soils that were problematic in 2020’s dry conditions helped provide water stress in 2021, something that aided ripening. At Calon-Ségur, they removed leaves from the vines on both sides, opening up the canopy in the spring to expose the fruit to what little sun there was – something that helped significantly. The key here, as throughout Bordeaux, was to be in the vineyards battling the mildew. At Tronquoy-Lalande, they found that everything ripened at once and they had all their fruit in by 6th October. Cos d’Estournel was just a day behind, and the wine is a modest 12% alcohol, interestingly with lower acidity than the 2020. They employed lower fermentation temperatures to preserve the wine’s aromatics. At Calon-Ségur it was the latest harvest since 2012, starting on 28th September with the Merlot and finishing on 13th October – their decision to wait until after the forecast rain for their Cabernet paying off. The wines here don’t show the austerity sometimes found in Saint-Estèphe, offering pretty and charming expressions of the appellation, but more tannic grip than elsewhere in 2021. Highlights: Calon-Ségur, Cos d’Estournel, Montrose, Marquis de Calon, Phélan-Ségur Pauillac Gravel and Cabernet Sauvignon: the two reasons that Pauillac seems to be more consistent than some other appellations in 2021. The free-draining soils meant vines here saw a little more water stress in the little of the season that was dry, and a natural predominance of Cabernet Sauvignon was helpful – provided you could ripen it. Blends contain high (and sometimes record-making) percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon – 98% at Pichon Comtesse, 96% at Lafite-Rothschild, 88% at Pichon Baron and so on. Yields varied significantly here, with a full crop at Batailley (which produced one of their best vintages), but at Pichon Baron yields were a lowly 22hl/ha – over a third down on the already small 2020 – and 23hl/ha at Ch. Latour (similar to 2018). The battle against mildew was tougher for estates working organically (like Lafite) or biodynamically. At Ch. Pontet-Canet, Justine Tesseron explained how this was the year they could put into action everything they’d learnt in 2018, when they lost two thirds of their crop to mildew, partly because they farm biodynamically. The 2021 vintage was the first with their own “tisanerie” – to produce their own biodynamic treatments on site – allowing them to reduce the time it took to spray the entire vineyard from 16 hours to 11, and allowing them to be much more reactive, meaning losses were just 15%. Frosts were a threat (indeed, it was the first year Pichon-Baron had ever used candles to protect their vines), but the best sites closer to the river generally escaped serious damage. Harvest dates ran from 22nd September through to the third week of October, with the Batailley one of the last teams out on 15th October. The best wines show an old school elegance and pinpoint precision that we expect of Pauillac, the quality of the Cabernet Sauvignon shining through. Even wines like Ch. Latour are surprisingly approachable now, with the tannins firm but not monolithic. Highlights: Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild, Pichon Comtesse, Lynch Bages, Batailley, Pontet Canet Saint-Julien There are some lovely wines in Saint-Julien this year. The commune’s proximity to the river meant there was little frost damage, but mildew was a problem for some estates – at Léoville-Poyferré the yields were the lowest since 1991 at 24hl/ha, although Beychevelle had a full 50hl/ha. At Ducru-Beaucaillou – where the wine has an astounding 98% Cabernet Sauvignon – yields were only 20hl/ha, with a significant portion declassified to ensure quality met their standards. At Léoville Las Cases, the acidity was a little lower than normal and they’ve reduced the level of new oak and toasting to balance the naturally less concentrated style of wine. For the Bartons, it was their first vintage with a new vat cellar – meaning they could vinify in smaller parcels, a great advantage in a year where selection was everything. The best wines are supple with a depth of richness – perhaps thanks to the Gironde’s proximity – as well as freshness and a bite of crunchy fruit. Highlights: Ducru-Beaucaillou, Léoville Las Cases, Léoville Barton, Langoa Barton, Gruaud Larose Margaux In the Médoc, Margaux seemed the most varied. Frost was a particular threat here, making for sleepless nights in April as four bouts hit the vineyards, and sites further inland saw the most damage. It was, however, the sunny weather from mid-August that turned things round. At Palmer yields are down by around 30%, but at Brane-Cantenac yields were a generous 41hl/ha; Henri Lurton emphasised that he feels it’s a vintage where the best terroirs showed their colours. He was surprised by the sheer number of tannins, which were on a par with warmer years, despite the cooler conditions. At Marquis d’Alesme, Delphine Kolasa noted how happy she was the wines weren’t being sent around the world as samples (a necessity of the global pandemic for 2019 and 2020) – feeling the more delicate style is more fragile, and even more nascent than usual given the late harvest. She thinks of it as a fresh and fruity year dominated by violet aromatics – with careful extraction essential to make sure the wine’s delicacy wasn’t over-ridden. Ch. Rauzan-Ségla produced a stunning wine – putting in the necessary work to do so, with a team of 150 to harvest and sort the fruit, which came in at just 11-12% potential alcohol. Aurélien Valence at Ch. Margaux explained it was the worst mildew pressure the team had ever seen and working organically meant they were often in the vineyard at weekends to spray, but they have made the smallest ever volume of Margaux du Ch. Margaux (the third wine) as a result. The best wines offer dainty floral charm, vibrant red fruit, chalky tannins and well-judged oak. Highlights: Margaux, Palmer, Rauzan-Ségla, Brane-Cantenac, Cantenac-Brown Graves + Pessac-Léognan Frosts threatened Graves and parts of Pessac-Léognan, although vineyards in the suburban sprawl escaped damage. Haut-Bailly brought in just 19hl/ha due to frost, and yields for Smith Haut-Lafitte were only 20hl/ha; although at Carmes Haut-Brion yields were totally normal, and Haut-Brion saw a healthy 48hl/ha. Despite the more generous yields, the Clarence Dillon team emphasised that selection was key to success; although they reported no issues with coulure in the Merlot, there’s 20% less of the Ch. Haut-Brion Grand Vin than normal as a result. At Haut-Bailly, there will be 60% less of the Grand Vin to go around. While volumes varied, quality here was impressive – the wines tending to show more richness and riper tannins than their northern neighbours, with a plush yet refined, elegant profile. Guillaume Pouthier at Carmes Haut-Brion emphasised that clay and limestone were advantageous, leading to water stress that was essential for quality – indeed he achieved 13.5% natural alcohol in the Grand Vin (a standout of the year) so had no need to chaptalise, and wasn’t alone in that regard. As elsewhere, Cabernet represents higher portions of the blend in some instances – with a record 80% at Domaine de Chevalier. (See below for discussion of the whites.) Highlights: Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Haut-Bailly, Domaine de Chevalier, Smith Haut-Lafitte THE RIGHT BANK On the Left Bank Merlot suffered from coulure, but that seemed to be less of an issue on the Right – so Merlot-driven wines shouldn’t be dismissed. We found Pomerol to be impressively consistent, while Saint-Emilion – unsurprisingly given its size – was more varied. In general, the wines of the Right Bank feel almost a little more Left in style – less exotic and polished than in blockbuster vintages, with a charm, elegance and freshness that is invigorating. Yields were down almost a third across both appellations, but again it varied from estate to estate. Pomerol There was no frost in Pomerol, so it was just the mildew that posed a threat to yields. At Ch. Belle-Brise, yields were reduced by 25% – taking them down to a mere 600 cases at this tiny estate. Jacques Thienpont at Le Pin fared particularly well, the warmth of their south-facing gravel slope a boon in the vintage. They picked over a particularly long period – from 25th September to 4th October to bring in each parcel of their two hectares at the perfect moment. At La Conseillante, Dr Bertrand Nicolas emphasised how selection was key – and waiting sufficiently long to pick the Cabernet Franc. For Noëmie and Constance Durantou Reilhac of Ch. l’Eglise-Clinet, it was a particularly swift harvest – lasting just three days, and healthy yields of between 45 and 57hl/ha. The Cabernet Franc in particular was “mesmerising”, in Noëmie’s words. At several estates, the harvest was among the latest this century. Omri Ram at Ch. Lafleur noted how the tannin and sugar ripeness arrived at the same time – thanks to the water stress of August which was key for phenolics. Similarly, Guillaume Thienpont at Vieux Château Certan said it was an easy year to decide when to pick – as sugar, phenolic and flavour ripeness all came at once. At Ch. l’Evangile, it was a baptism of fire for Juliette Couderc as her first full vintage at the estate, and its first certified organic. The warmth of the appellation meant little issue with achieving ripeness, but sandier soils struggled. She noted that younger vines did surprisingly well, suffering from more hydric stress with short root systems and therefore producing more concentrated fruit. The 2021s in Pomerol aren’t powerful, plush wines with 14.5% alcohol; instead they have an alluring transparency, with floral charm and elegance (often at 13-13.5% alcohol), and higher than normal doses of Cabernet in some instances adding a flourish to the wines. Highlights: Lafleur, La Conseillante, Vieux Château Certan, L’Evangile, L’Eglise-Clinet, Clinet, L’Enclos Tourmaline, Belle-Brise, Certan de May, Feytit-Clinet Saint-Emilion Quality in Saint-Emilion varied this year – but it also produced some of the finest wines of the vintage. There’s a herbaceous freshness that isn’t green, crunchy fruit and an appealing presence to the tannic structure that isn’t obstructive – they are moderate, and all the more approachable for it. Despite the drama of the appellation around its classification system, the top wines – classified or not – are impressive. Ch. Laroque shone – continuing its ascendancy, while Clos de Sarpe achieved an impressive 14% natural alcohol in the vintage, holding out until 7th October to start picking. At Tertre Roteboeuf, François Mitjavile declared it a year that was “difficult to define”, but for him the wines show a subtlety, with the structure “tenderised” by the year’s rainy conditions. The Cheval Blanc team excelled – choosing to pick over a particularly long window, from 24th September to 14th October, while at Ausone – another success story this year – the Merlot came in on 30th September, and the Cabernet Franc between 4th and 6th October. Le Dôme felt it was key to wait out the phenolics, picking from 6th October (two weeks later than some of their neighbours) to achieve supple tannins. Frost didn’t have a significant impact here, but mildew did, especially on the crop of Merlot – at Angélus, for example, they lost 40%. Figeac reported a 10% loss, but due to a green harvest. For Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse – her first vintage at the helm of her family estate, Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse – the vintage was a question of extraction to manage the balance of the wines. As Mäylis Mercenat at Clos de Sarpe highlighted, the challenge was to extract weight not tannin – something she did with a combination of infusion and vinification intégrale. Highlights: Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Angélus, Figeac, Canon, Bélair-Monange, Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse, Laroque, Clos de Sarpe, Tour Saint-Christophe THE WHITES The dry whites are outstanding in 2021. Many estates reported it’s the best vintage they’ve ever made – and the wines taste like it. The cool conditions allowed the Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon to develop aromatic complexity slowly, while preserving the acidity; as a result they offer incredible richness of flavour, vibrancy and no sign of greenness. Unfortunately yields were a challenge in some places, with frost taking out certain plots (such as Ch. Margaux – although fortunately not a plot that normally goes into Pavillon Blanc). At Cos d’Estournel – where the whites are thrilling – they noted they had the luxury to pick over an unusually long window, with multiple passes. The same was true at Domaine de Chevalier – with exceptional results. At Lafleur, Omri Ram highlighted that the wines were taking longer to come together than normal, but that the lack of water stress was key to their success – wines that he thinks will be the best white duo the property has ever produced. It was fascinating to see exactly the same blend across all three of the Clarence Dillon stable of whites – La Clarté de Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc and Haut-Brion proper – all 55% Semillon, 45% Sauvignon Blanc, and speaking of their site. They were hit significantly by frost – with 20% less Haut-Brion Blanc and 35% less Clarté. For the team here, the combination of acidity and ripeness is what sets the wines apart, even better than either 2014 or 2017. Botrytised sweet wines were made in tiny volumes, hit significantly by frost. The tiny volumes of fruit that survived benefitted from the long, cool growing season, however, and from the late development of botrytis in October. The tiny amount we tasted was exceptional, however very little will make it to market – with yields as low as 1 or 2hl/ha reported by some estates. At Ch. Suduiraut, for example, they made just 500 cases in total. Highlights: Haut-Brion Blanc, Pavillon Blanc du Ch. Margaux, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, La Mission Haut Brion Blanc, Smith Haut-Lafitte Blanc, Cos d'Estournel Blanc, La Clarté de Haut-Brion, Aile d’Argent, Les Champs Libres, Le Petit Smith Haut-Lafitte Blanc Browse all available releases, or read more about Bordeaux 2021, including our reports on the growing season and our vintage overview

In 2021, it is incredibly hard to make any generalisations – this really is a vintage to be assessed by individual estate. Below we do our best to break down the year by commune; read all our coverage of the year – including our run-down of the growing conditions and vintage overview 

Your guide to Bordeaux 2021 en primeur broken down by region: Saint-Estephe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux, Pessac-Leognan, Pomerol + Saint Emilion

Bordeaux 2021 en primeur guide by region

Bordeaux 2021: a commune-by-commune guide

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