▻ Bordeaux 2021

Let's Talk About

27 May

Written By Sarah Kemp

In conversation with Jane Anson

Episode Summary:-

Jane Anson, Bordeaux expert and owner of janeanson.com, has just finished tasting and writing up her notes and scores for the 2021 Bordeaux vintage. She talks to Sarah Kemp about her views of the vintage and describes how many of the vines struggled, due to the difficult weather conditions. There are some delicious wines, she says, but for most wines you would do better purchasing from previous vintages. Teamwork was the key factor for Jane in producing successful wines, as it was important to be able to react resiliently throughout the year in the vineyard. Sandy soils struggled due to issues with water, and the wines situated on them tended to have no power in the mid-palate. Those on gravel did pretty well, but not as well as normal due to the lack of heat in the summer. The terroir which did best, she concludes, was clay/limestone. “Saint Estèphe has a charmed life in the last five years,” Jane says, and picks out Châteaux Calon Ségur, Montrose and Cos d’Estournel as particularly noteworthy. Another region of Bordeaux with clay and limestone is Saint Emilion, and again she found wines she admired there.

Which were Jane’s stars? Jane revealed that her highest score was to a white, Château Haut-Brion Blanc, “a brilliant wine.” Others she praised included Château Figeac, Château Lafite and Château Canon. “It has been the decade of Château Canon and they continue to deliver.” She laments that Sauternes has produced great quality but tiny quantities. One estate on Jane’s radar is Les Champs Libres Blanc, a wine made by the Lafleur team near Fronsac. Made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc, and Jane recommends it highly.

Sarah and Jane discuss the alcohol levels, which are, across the board on average, two per cent lower than recent vintages. Jane explains that it’s not because the Bordelais have had a change of heart about reducing alcohol levels, it is because the sugar didn’t get high enough with the cool weather in August, which meant, in some cases, chaptalization for the first time this decade. She describes how many wines lack a bit of flesh around the mid-palate and how since the 2005 vintage we are used to a little more roundness. There is still high acidity and tannins, but there is a lack of intensity in many wines. She suggests that they may end up like the 2007 vintage which was not admired at that time and now are proving delicious to drink.

Jane normally recommends Fronsac for good value, but this year she says the late-ripening commune didn’t shine as well, though there are exceptions, including Château La Rivière and Château de la Dauphine. In Saint Estèphe, she was impressed by Château Ormes de Pez and Château de Pez. As always at En Primeur, we come back to price, and while we are early in the campaign Jane hopes that the Bordelais will peg this vintage at a friendly price to the market. She notes that there is a lot of goodwill toward Bordeaux, and says it is up to the châteaux to choose how to build on that goodwill.

““There is a place for En Primeur. There is a lot of goodwill to Bordeaux and I think it is up to the Bordelais to price and build on that goodwill.””

— Jane Anson

Running Order:-

0.00 – 9.00

“ Saint Estèphe has a charmed life in the last five years.”

– Jane Anson’s overall impression of the vintage.
– The key factor which led to successful wines – teamwork in the vineyard.
– The different terroirs and how they coped with the vintage.
– Jane’s star wines of the vintage.
9.01 – 17.11

“There was chaptalization for the first time in a decade.”

– Alcohol levels in the vintage on average 2 per cent lower.
– The style of the vintage.
– Where to find good-value wines in 2021.
– The market’s reaction to date.