Foreign professionals are back in Bordeaux for the 2021 primeurs. After two years of Covid, shipments of refrigerated planes to transport the wine to the other side of the world, and video tastings, the primeurs were back in Bordeaux, in April 2022. Nearly 5,000 professionals, including journalists and merchants, flocked to Bordeaux and the châteaux to taste the wines being aged in the cellars of the grands crus. A typical Bordeaux tradition, which makes it possible to assess the quality of a vintage, and to prepare future contracts. Negotiations begin today and will last seven weeks. A system that allows buyers to benefit from advantageous prices, and producers to have cash and avoid stocks when these wines are generally consumable several years later. These orders can represent between 50 and 100% of the castles’ turnover.

An edition which therefore saw the return of foreign professionals. They were 2,300, with the British (about 400) and the Americans (300) as first and second nationalities. However, the Asian professionals, especially Chinese and Hong Kongers, were not there, due to the stricter rules linked to Covid-19. That is about 500 people who did not make the trip, just like the Russians, ostracized since the start of the war in Ukraine. Thus, only about thirty sample kits were sent to Hong Kong this year for remote tastings, while there were 400 last year. Mainland China and Hong Kong remain the leading importers of Bordeaux wines, with purchases of €616 million in 2021.

Buyers are happy to come back, to see us, a “appreciated” 2021 vintage, even if the level of the exceptional 2018-2019-2020 trilogy seems difficult to match. It is a “different” vintage, more in the softness, in the elegance. With a slightly more digestible side”. The red wines are « a little less greedy », but the dry and sweet whites are « wonderful ». The year 2021 had been a year of “challenges”, with an episode of price frost which had destroyed a good part of the buds that had already emerged, and the outbreak of vine diseases. After a week of tastings in the vineyards of Médoc, the Right Bank and Pessac-Léognan, we were able to discover an astonishing 2021 vintage, often of great purity, with Cabernet Francs which were harvested in October. The vintage asserts itself as a vintage with particularly intense conditions. An “unpredictable” vintage for Hubert de Bouard in Saint Emilion, “Rock and roll” for Jean-Charles Cazes in the Médoc and “colorful” for Véronique Sanders in the Graves. After a wet and mild winter, in the first days of spring an episode of brutal frost surprised the winegrowers who embarked on a tough fight at the beginning of April. At the end of May and then in June, repeated rainfall led to very high mildew pressure, mainly affecting Merlot, and causing very significant crop losses.

It is from mid-August that the summer period has definitely taken hold. But the late sunshine is felt and marks the style of this vintage with airy, seductive, refreshing notes thanks to a moderate PH. To this, the alcohol degrees make the 2021 vintage elegant and airy. The Reds, eclectic due to their geographical location and the blends, present an airy, fresh nose, with aromas of red fruits, ripe blackcurrants and violet flowers. They offer immediate pleasure and appetite. With a very gentle construction led by controlled extractions, this vintage presents delicate and elegant wefts. The finish is full of sapidity, fresh and juicy, often marked by Cabernet Francs or Cabernet Sauvignon. The whites are aromatic and fresh, a great success. This year, we tasted a selection of 500 wines.

Our top 12 wines to have in your cellar : Angélus, Fonplégade, Figeac, Château Corbin, Château Beauregard, Les Carmes Haut Brion, Château Haut Bailly, Château de Ferrand, Château Beychevelle, Calon Ségur, Ducru Beaucaillou, Fourcas Hosten …

All the wines were tasted at the properties between April 25 and 28 or at Duclot in Bordeaux on April 28, 2022.
We would like to thank Duclot, MCG, Hémisphères Sud and Bee Bordeaux for their participation in the organization of the tastings.

Other wines will follow this week in this 2021 ranking…

Saint-Emilion – Château Angelus : 98/100
Yield 23 hl / ha – 60% Cabernet – 40% Merlot
An intense ruby ​​color, a fresh and vibrant nose, the wine is balanced and precise, energetic and lively with a fine finish.

Saint-Emilion – Château Figeac : 97-98 / 100
The wine is elegant, of great finesse, general, with a spicy finish.
Despite a complicated 2021, Figeac remains a great Saint-Emilion. »A vintage of great determination » explains Frédéric Faye

Saint Emilion – Château Corbin : 96+ / 100
The wine is balanced, on the red fruit, a beautiful aromatic brightness, lively and elegant, a great purity, the finish is mineral and in finesse.
“Certainly the property’s purest vintage. explains Anabelle Cruse-Bardinet.

Saint-Emilion – Chateau Canon: 96/100
A beautiful ruby ​​color, a « bubble gum » nose, the wine is lively and elegant, the finesse is omnipresent with a good length.

Saint-Emilion – Château Clos Fourtet : 96/100
The nose is subtle and invites tasting, the fruit is concentrated, the finish is full of finesse.

Saint-Emilion – Château Fonplégade : 96/100
In biodynamics since 2013, Mr. and Mrs. Adams have replanted 1/3 of the vineyard.
The wine is elegant, airy, with a nice freshness and minerality, the finish is slightly spicy finesse.

Saint-Emilion – Château Fonroque : 96/100
In biodynamics since 2002, probably the 1st in Bordeaux.
On the nose, the wine presents aromas of wild roses, the wine is mineral with a singular depth, a slightly peppery finish, with finesse.

Saint-Emilion – Château Monlot : 95/100
A sublime ruby ​​color, a charming nose of graphite and ripe fruit, an elegant wine with a fine finish !

Saint Emilion – Château de Ferrand : 95/100
1st vintage in the process of being converted to organic – the first certified organic harvest is expected for 2024.
An intense ruby ​​color, a seductive nose, the wine is balanced, of great precision, on the fruit, a real charmer !

Saint-Emilion – Château La Gaffelière : 95/100
The wine is elegant, with a nice freshness, in delicacy on the fruit, a nice finish in finesse.

Saint-Emilion – Fleur de Lisse : 94+/100
A pleasant nose, with freshness, balance, a lively, slightly peppery wine and a fine finish !

Saint-Emilion – Clos du Breuil : 94+/100
A pretty nose, aromas of ripe fruit, a nice balance, a charming wine !

Saint-Emilion – Château Puyblanquet : 94/100
The castle was bought by the Mallet-Roquefort family, when it belonged to the same family before.
The wine presents a nice balance, on the fruit, elegant, with a nice acidity.

Saint Emilion – Château Fleur Cardinale : 94/100
An elegant wine, with freshness, well balanced with notes of ripe fruit.

Saint-Emilion – Château Fombrauge : 94/100
The nose is airy, the wine is balanced, on the fruit, elegant, sapid with a finish in finesse.

Saint-Emilion  Château Grand Mayne : 94/100
The wine is lively, balanced, with freshness, on the bright fruit.

Saint-Emilion – Château Pavie Macquin : 94/100
The nose is very elegant, the wine is fruity, elegant, with a mineral finish.
Saint-Emilion – Château La Marzelle: 94/100A nice nose, freshness, mineral aromas, a lively and energetic wine!

Pomerol – Château Beauregard : 96+/100
A beautiful ruby ​​color, elegant notes of ripe fruit, great finesse and silky tannins, elegance returns on the finish.

Pomerol – Château La Conseillante : 96+/100
150th anniversary of the property
The wine has a beautiful ruby ​​color, a very nice bouquet, notes of ripe fruit, elegant, sapid, with finesse.

Pomerol – Château Mazeyres : 95/100
Estate in biodynamics since 2012.
The wine is energetic, with a nice balance, savory, freshness and a mineral finish brought by a little Petit Verdot.

Pomerol – Château Porte Chic : 94+/100
A remarkable label for lovers of horses or Orientalism.Freshness, a lively, peppery wine with a fine finish !

Pomerol – Château de Sales : 94/100
The wine is balanced, with silky tannins, the fruit is fair, the finish is slightly peppery.

Lalande de Pomerol – Ambrosia : 94+/100
Freshness and lightness, great drinkability, a gem for lovers of « lighter » Bordeaux

Lalande de Pomerol – Fleur de Bouard : 94/100
A pretty nose, aromas of ripe blackcurrant, good balance, sapidity with a fine finish.

Margaux in Médoc – Château Kirwan : 96/100
The nose is seductive, the wine is balanced, light, on the fruit with a fine finish.

Margaux in Médoc  Château d’Issan : 95/100
The wine is very fresh, with a nice density, on the fruit with a very fine finish.

Margaux in Médoc – Château Cantenac Brown : 95/100
Fresh, the wine has a nice density, gourmet, lively and elegant.

Château Cantenac Brown white : 94/100
The wine is very fresh, on the fruit, slightly lemony, a very nice Sauvignon !

Haut-Médoc – Château Sociando Mallet : 94/100
A balanced wine, with freshness and a spicy finish.

Haut-Médoc – Château La Tour Carnet : 94/100
A balanced wine, with freshness and a spicy finish.

Haut Médoc – Château Citran : 94/100
A nice nose, a nice balance with aromas of ripe fruit and a lot of finesse !

Margaux en Médoc – Blason d’Issan : 94/100
The wine gains in complexity with the addition of a plot of Malbec (recently acquired) in the blend.
The wine has a nice freshness, a nice density, on the fruit, in finesse.

Margaux in Médoc – Château Marquis de Terme : 94/100
The wine is balanced, lively, with sapidity and a fine finish.

Margaux in Médoc – Château Rauzan-Ségla : 94/100
The wine is balanced, on the fruit, with sapidity and a slightly mineral finish.

Margaux in Médoc – Château Lascombes : 94/100
A nice balance, mineral with sapidity, an already elegant wine !

Pauillac in Médoc – Château Lynch Bages : 95/100
Ripe black fruits (Cabernets and Merlots), a nice balance, an elegant wine, lively and tender at the same time.
A complicated vintage, but the wines have a good balance with real drinkability.
The yield made it possible to produce precise wines with real aromatic freshness.“A Rock n Roll year” according to Jean-Charles Cazes.

Pauillac in Médoc – Echo de Lynch Bages : 94/100
The wine is elegant with a nice freshness, on the ripe fruit.

Pauillac in Médoc – Château Pauillac : 92/100
A pleasant freshness, a balanced wine with aromas of ripe fruit

Saint Estèphe in Médoc – Château Calon Ségur : 95/100
The wine is very fresh, very fruity with a nice balance and notes of bright black fruits.

Saint Estèphe in Médoc – Chateau Phélan Ségur : 95/100
The wine is elegant, balanced, with a pretty fruit, lively and a fine finish.

Saint Estèphe in Médoc – Château Lafon-Rochet : 94/100
New owner, new director but no change in management of the vineyard.
The wine is well balanced, lively, elegant, saved by the Cabernets (in the Médoc).

Saint Estèphe in Médoc – Château Meyney : 94/100
The wine is balanced, with sapidity and aromas of ripe fruit.

Saint Julien in Médoc – Château Lagrange : 95/100
The color is intense ruby, the wine is lively and elegant, the finish is peppery and delicate.

Saint Julien in Médoc – Château Ducru Beaucaillou : 96/100
The wine presents itself on ripe black fruits, with a nice balance, a nice acidity and salinity, the finish is elegant and delicate.

Saint Julien in Médoc – Château Beychevelle : 95/100
The wine is elegant, well balanced, the fruit is lively with a fine finish.

Saint Julien in Médoc – Château Talbot : 94/100
The wine is elegant, with freshness, aromas of ripe black fruits, mineral with a fine finish.

Listrac in Médoc – Château Fourcas Hosten : 96/100
2021 is the first certified organic vintage.
Yields are very low (10.5 hl / ha) which gives it a good density.
The color is sublime ruby, the nose is fruity and elegant, the wine is fresh, lively, balanced, on silk.

Listrac in Médoc – Château Fourcas Hosten white : 95/100
The nose is fruity and elegant, the wine has a nice acidity, a nice balance, the seafood is not far away !

Graves – Château les Carmes Haut Brion : 98/100
“A very complicated vintage, frost in early April, high temperatures and rain in June, excessive yoyo effects » says Guillaume Pouthier.
Notes of fresh blackcurrant, with a beautiful finesse and perfectly balanced, the finish is delicate.

Graves – Château Haut-Bailly : 96/100
A chic wine, the fruit is very pure, lively with an elegant finish.

Graves – Domaine de Chevalier : 96/100
An elegant and mineral nose, a balanced wine with notes of ripe fruit and a fine finish.

Graves – C de Carmes Haut Brion : 95/100
Good acidity, drinkability, notes of fresh, peppery blackcurrant, good length with salinity.

Graves – Château Malartic Lagravière : 95/100
A seductive nose a little « bubble gum », a lively and elegant wine with a fine finish.

Graves – Château Pape Clément : 95/100
A gourmet wine, lively and elegant, with a slightly peppery finish.

Graves – Château Larrivet Haut Brion : 94+/100
A graphite nose, very mineral, a nice acidity, aromas of jammy ripe fruits with a nice finish.

Graves – Château Latour Martillac : 94/100
An elegant nose, a wine on ripe fruit and a finish with finesse.

Graves – Clos Floridène : 94/100
On the red fruit, a lively, elegant wine with a finish in finesse

Graves – Château Carbonnieux : 94/100
A balanced wine, on red fruits, an airy brown.

Graves – Château Fieuzal : 94/100
A balanced wine, notes of ripe red fruits, a fine finish.

Graves – Château Portets : 92/100
An elegant nose on the fruit, a nice freshness, air, a pleasant drinkability !

Fronsac – Château La Dauphine : 95/100
Very nice nose, aromas of blackcurrant, freshness, good density with an elegant and spicy finish.

Canon Fronsac – Château Canon Pécresse : 94/100
Presents a good acidity, a good balance, sapidity with a slightly peppery finish.

Bordeaux – Château Leroy Beauval : 92/100
A pleasant nose, a nice freshness, aromas of ripe fruit.