After an initial tasting of Bordeaux vintage 2021 wines in the spring of 2022, I recently re-tasted some to see how two years of aging impacted their development and quality.
Afterwards, I compared notes and scores from these two separate tasting sessions.
Generally—original conclusions derived from the first tastings still hold: that in a vintage that was not as consistently of elevated quality as that of 2018, 2019 or 2020, many wines from 2021 in Bordeaux often show brilliant acidity. Subtle flavors of lighter red fruit are now emerging—buoyed up by that same shining acidity.
Comparing subjective numerical ‘scores’ out of 100 points, it appears that roughly a fifth of the wines (18%) improved over two years, whereas some 10% receded slightly in overall quality. These percentages remain similar for both right and left bank wines.
Notes on wines are below. A few wines only tasted in 2024 have also been added.
Château La Marzelle. Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé. 2021. 94 points.
Delicate floral and red fruit aromas that include wild strawberries and raspberries. A clear and light bodied mid palate rich with fruit. Still young. Mild tannins, brisk acidity. Complexity emerges after minutes in the glass—a deft and easy drinking wine to consider pairing with shish kebab or even sashimi.
Château La Dominique. Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé. 2021. 92 points.
From the Clément Fayat family. Bright, soft red fruit aromas with some earth and minerality. Quite a sizzling mid palate of acidity and some light raspberries with a hint of licorice and tannins on the finish. Pair with teriyaki beef, or a bulgur and green pepper vegetarian dish.
Château Laroze. Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé. 2021. 93 points.
Balanced, crisp, elegant aromas that include chocolate wafers and cherries. Fruity mid palate and a slightly tannic finish. Relatively linear but easy drinking. Pair with a clafoutis dessert of a teriyaki beef main course.
Chateau de Ferrand. Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe. 2021. 94+ points.
Sweet aromas of red cherries. Bright acidity, supple tannins. Surprisingly delicate with textured flavors of red fruit. Light enough to pair even with seafood.
Château de Pressac. Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé. 2021. 95 points.
Ripe fruit aromas. Rich, soft, balanced mid palate of fresh sliced red and black cherries and some shortbread biscuits. Layered and lambent. Juicy acidity, quiet but firm tannins. Well made classic expression of Saint-Émilion.
Chateau Montlabert. Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. 2021. 94 points.
Red fruit and dry forest aromas. A still young wine with firm tannins and a layer cake of flavors that include chocolate, red cherries, acorns and mint on the finish. Well integrated, balanced and complex.
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