En primeur 2021: our first impressions.

Cette année, pour la première fois depuis 3 ans à l'occasion de la semaine des primeurs, nous avons le grand plaisir d'accueillir en personne nos clients dans nos propriétés familiales et chez nos Grands Crus partenaires.

This intense week was an opportunity to present the 2021 vintage in-barrel to a number of journalists and wine professionals.

Naturally, our Family Estate Château Montlabert provided the ideal setting for a week of exchanges and meetings. As well as hosting hundreds of wine professionals as part of a tasting organised by the Grand Cercle des Vins de Bordeaux, the château served as a hub, bringing together our clients to taste the 2021 vintage of our selection of Grands Crus.

"If we had to sum up the 2021 vintage today, I would say that we can draw two main conclusions. The first is that great terroirs have come to the fore. The second is that this really is a winegrower’s vintage. Why? Because in 2021 winegrowers really faced some occasionally very difficult climatic conditions: frost, rain, and a fairly cool summer. Thankfully, the late season saved the vintage, which today presents a number of really remarkable characteristics, on both banks.

If we try to sum up the three major colours that are produced in Bordeaux, we can firstly say that this is a truly exceptional year for dry white wines. Why? Because we had a relatively cool summer, which has given the wines good acidity and excellent fruit. The sauvignon blancs are particularly impressive this year.

To sum up the reds, what we have are wines with good texture, tannic structure and fruit. We are of course coming of the back of three great vintages, very concentrated, with quite high alcohol. This year the wines are easier to drink, with more tension, with some very impressive cabernets, especially the cabernet francs from the right bank, and the cabernet sauvignons from the left bank. Finally, sweet wines are unfortunately somewhat scarce this year, but genuinely exceptional."

We would like to thank the Grands Crus and all our partner châteaux who contributed to this tasting, and we wish everyone involved an excellent “en Primeur” campaign.

Our Family Estates were also available to taste at a number of trade events across the Bordeaux region, including those organised by the Union des Grands Crus, the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc and Oenoconseil.

For more information, do not hesitate to get in touch.