Today, Wednesday, September 18, 2024 my most anticipated event of the season, 2021 media tasting, prior to the opening of sales on September 28, aka It Doesn’t Get Better Than Bordeaux. Ain’t that the truth and this year’s releases are no exception. But lest you think it’s the same old, same old, let me assure you there are differences you need to be aware of.
First, please note the quantities available on September 28 come from a total stock of 60,000 bottles. How does this differ from last year? I’m glad you asked, last year saw 100,000 bottles hit the shelves. It doesn’t take a math major to figure out a 40% drop in available stock. The rush is on, be ready on September 28th for the Bordeaux 2021 Release. This is interesting because the 2021 vintage is considered to be more exceptional than the 2020 which suffered from heat stress.
The tasting was lead by Barbara Philip, Master of Wine and Category Manager – Wines of Europe for the BC Liquor Distribution Branch.
Although clearly wines of Bordeaux command a premium price there are a number of worthy wines that have a much more affordable price for those who are looking to add one or two Bordeaux wines to their collection, and especially for those who, up to now, have not ventured into the Bordeaux experience.
By affordable I mean the following, that were available at the media tasting, priced at $70, $55, $50, $80, $70, and $50. Overall there are about 170 Bordeaux wines available. Most at the Cambie Street store but most signature stores should carry a good selection on, or about September 28 if your location is other than Vancouver Cambie. (see the list below)
Wines tasted today include:
Château Carbonnieux Blanc
Pessac‑Léognan
“Bright and tangy, high acidity with a crispness to the expression – fresh green apple. Almost too tart for me, but it’s lifted with lots of energy and a really sherbet-esque edge to the palate which gives character. Lots of citrus lemon and lime adding to the flavours and lingering on the finish.” Drink 2024 – 2034
91 pts, Decanter
411924 $85
This wine was like a fruit salad for the nose. Banana, pineapple, green apple, peaches, as assortment of stone fruit. Medium body. Tangy, fresh with a creamy, oaky finish.
Château Brown Blanc
Pessac‑Léognan
“Slightly toasty nose, the waxy, honeyed and perfumed Semillon also stands out. Nice weight and texture on the palate, a little thicker and more oily than some others but with just as high, mouthwatering acidity giving weight and texture. Green apple, bitter lemon and orange, gooseberry, and pineapple. More of a serious take, this feels like it will age and will be good with richer foods.”
Drink 2024 – 2032
91 pts, Decanter
435854 $70.
This was a classic, refreshing wine. Fruity with delicate straw scents. Traditional in style with both good body and good acidity. A delicious expression of the region.
Château La Vieille Cure, Fronsac
“Offering up aromas of cherries and berries framed by a generous application of creamy new oak, the 2021 La Vieille Cure is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and ample, with lively acids and a vanillin-inflected finish. It’s a creditable effort from this unabashedly modern-styled
Fronsac estate.”
Drink 2025 – 2039
88-90 pts, Wine Advocate
411862 $55.
Aromas of black cherries and dark fruits, blackberry. Lighter to medium bodied with medium tannins. Smooth and quite lovingly rich with ripe fruit and good acidity.
Château de la Dauphine, Fronsac
“Beautifully lifted and aromatic nose, smells wonderful with such clarity. Juicy and succulent, lovely energy straight away, fruit is bright but not sour with a soft hint of both sweetness and cooling freshness. Layers of minerality and wet stones offset the fruit and the well integrated tannins give the structure. Not lean but not massy, a lovely balance for a finessed, delicate wine in 2021. Ends a touch light but give this time.”
Drink 2025 – 2039
93 pts, Decanter
411859, 434247 $50.
I found this wine to be a bit more subtle than the previous two. Fruity with plum and cranberry notes. Nice body but not quite medium, very light tannins. Loving all these wines for their fruit forwardness and acidity.
Château Haut‑Bailly
Pessac‑Léognan
“The 2021 Haut‑Bailly is incredibly poised, even if it is clearly a wine of reserve in this vintage. Its vertical build speaks of pure sophistication. Time in the glass brings out hints of dried herbs, menthol, licorice, pine, blackberry and underbrush. Most of the blend is Cabernet, so the flavour profile and overall structural feel is quite savory. I can’t wait to see how the 2021 ages. It may very well surprise down the road.”
Drink 2031 – 2061
96 pts, Vinous
411981, 425526 $275 6 bottle limit
Sometimes you do get what you pay for. Rich yet delicate. The scents excite the nose bringing thoughts of game and wild boar. Ripe notes with quite tantalizing scents overall. Cherries, cooked ripe fruit, plum torte. Rich and creamy with acceptable tannins. Very sniff worthy, slightly lighter than I anticipated.
Château Chasse-Spleen
Moulis-en-Médoc
“Offering up aromas of dark berries, pencil shavings and pipe tobacco, the 2021 Chasse-Spleen is medium-bodied, fleshy and polished, with a lively core of fruit, ripe tannins and a seamless profile, concluding with a delicately minty finish.”
Drink 2025 – 2040
90 pts, Wine Advocate
411912 $80.
Dusty rose with stone fruits, peaches. I found this wine had some tropical notes, a bit of pineapple and citrus. Interesting and on the lighter side. Not harsh but lacks smoothness in the finish. For me it was a bit too acidic.
Château d’Issan, Margaux
“Mint and flowers on the nose with delicate fragrant black bramble fruit. Smooth and elegant, lifted with a lovely balanced acidity to this, not sharp – it’s all very calm and delicate but with texture ot the tannins, slightly grippy and softly chalky giving the frame and the definition. I feel they’ve treaded delicately here, not tried to overdo it, and it’s not as ample or fleshy as some in Margaux but what it doesn’t have in confrontation it has in finesse. Really easy to drink and easy to enjoy with gorgeous fragrance throughout, lovely raspberry and strawberry elements, and some black tea on the finish.”
Drink 2026 – 2046
94 pts, Decanter
412021 $150.
Again I detected some dusty scents but without the roses, some leather and tart fruits such as cranberry. Not initally terribly appealing. Odd as after tasting all the wines and coming back this wine headed my favourites list for good value.
Pleasant, ripe fruit with light tannins and medium body. Very tasty with flavour to spare, good acidity and light tannins. Very drinkable with rich, deep flavours. A bit leaner than I would normally go to but it always pays to take your time and allow the scents and tastes to develop before making a judgement.
Château Margaux, Margaux
“It is the blackberry fruits that leap from the glass in this fine wine. Its structure is there, but in a way that is so elegant. The wood tannins give structure and layers of concentration. The wine is juicy with black currant flavours giving great density of freshness.”
Drink from 2028.
98 pts, Wine Enthusiast
324550 $1,500.
Okay so sometimes price does count.This was definitely the favourite in the room and with good reason. Scents of roses, violets, woodsy like Poplar trees in the early spring coming into bud. Fresh scents with some dusty notes. The wine gies the impression of lightness on the nose with a bit of peppermint candy.
Beautiful, rich, full bodied, likeable tannins with ripe fruit and good substantial acidity. Excellent.
Les Fiefs de Lagrange, St‑Julien
“Amounting to some 61% of the estate’s production, the 2021 Les Fiefs de Lagrange offers up attractive aromas of cassis, plums, tobacco leaf and nicely integrated oak. Medium to full-bodied, ample and charming, it’s a supple, seamless wine that will drink well on release.”
Drink 2024 – 2030
89-91 pts, Wine Advocate
412364 $70.
Rich aromas of ripe berries and Bing cherries. A very pleasant wine with intense acidity and very light tannins. Herbal and toasty, juicy and complex. Fresh and also elegantly understated. I detected some alcohol on the finish, perhaps some peaty notes?
Apprarently this is a “second” wine from original vines mid 1980’s when the winery was taken over by Suntory. The vines are thought to have come into their own. So once vines considered young, no longer.
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
Pauillac
“A pretty and fragranced nose, then a sense of true classicism with bright, shining acidity underpinning crushed-velvet tannins and undertones of cola, liquorice and cool blue fruit. Slightly lean but also with lots of Cabernet characters supporting the frame – good weight and focus, with drive. Quite linear and straight, but this works and makes you come back for more.”
Drink 2027 – 2047
95 pts, Decanter
411890, 450192 $180.
A very pleasant wine with light scents of evergreen boughs and cedar, red apple and apricot. Quite heavenly, very nice. Dark, ripe fruit, lingering. Medium body with light tannins. The wine is quite light with light tannins. Notes of cinnamon and spice. A very nice wine and an excellent price point for this one.
Château Phélan Ségur, St‑Estèphe
“Unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums and cherries mingled with notions of rose petals, pipe tobacco, sweet spices and loamy soil, the 2021 Phélan Ségur is medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with impressive depth at the core, ripe tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, saline finish. Concentrated and well constructed, this is a serious wine with a bright future ahead of it. It’s a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. Tasted five times, twice at the estate.”
92-93 pts, Wine Advocate
324569 $110. 6 bottle limit
Lighter notes with light fruit and cherry pie and a surprising liveliness. Light but fresh, some minerality. Pleasant but for me there were better choices. I found the wine light with medium tannins.
Petit-Figeac, St-Émilion Grand Cru
“Soft florally, lightly delicate flowers, blue fruits and spices. Gorgeous succulence and texture – fluffy almost, textured, pillowy, the flavours caresses the mouth and linger. Salty, spicy, liquorice, tobacco and clove, but fruity too with the cleanest finish. Delicious. A serious second wine, one of enjoyment, juicy blackcurrant, black cherry and chalk. Sexy and not many 2021s are that sexy, they’re more svelte. Great character.”
Drink 2026 – 2035
94 pts, Decanter
324676 $125.
Again, a wine with beautiful dark fruit scents but quite subtle also. Some candy on the nose. Ripe and flavourful, light tannins with very good acidity. Elegant. I liked this wine.
Château Gazin, Pomerol
“This is lifted, bright and high toned. There’s some energy here with tannins that are fine but have bite and tang and support the
expression and coat the mouth in grippy saltiness. A good effort this year, not trying too hard. Mouthwatering but cool and crisp with a lovely weight and frame and flavours of blueberry, liquorice, flint and dried herbs.”
Drink 2025 – 2040
92 pts, Decanter
411945, 435730
$220. 6 bottle limit
The wine exhibited ripe scents and also cut grass. Warm and inviting fruit aroma are beautiful yet subtle. Heavily rich and ripe with good body Spicey notes of pepper an cinnamon, chocolate, tasty. Quite different. Amazingly peppery to my nose but caveat because I never use pepper in or on my food.
Château Doisy Daëne, Barsac
“The 2021 Doisy Daëne stands out for its delightful bouquet of ripe orchard fruits, passion fruit, exotic fruits and spring flowers. Medium-bodied, tense and lively, it’s concentrated for the vintage, with a stunning freshness and a saline finish enhanced by bright acids. While it may not reach the complexity and richness of the most memorable Doisy Daëne vintages, its flawless execution is undeniable.”
Drink 2024 – 2044
94 pts, Wine Advocate
412117 375 ml $50.
This wine had heavier notes, some green gage plum and hard candy. In fairness this is not a wine I personally favour so any thoughts would not be fair.
Château Suduiraut, Sauternes
“In 2021, Suduiraut navigated through a challenging “annus horribilis,” enduring significant losses from spring frost and downy mildew, nearly decimating the entire crop. However, amidst this adversity, the 2021 Suduiraut emerges as a real gem. Crafted solely from Sémillon grapes and yielding a minuscule crop of one hectoliter per hectare, this vintage is nothing short of remarkable, possessing a deep, complex bouquet of spices, vanilla pod, exotic fruits, ripe orchard fruits, herbs, flowers and menthol. Medium to full-bodied, it exudes concentration and richness, enveloping the palate with controlled power and impeccable balance. Its lively acidity complements a fleshy fruit core, culminating in a long, mineral-laden and precisely articulated finish. This vintage is one of the most refined and perfumed expressions ever produced at Suduiraut and could earn the maximum score in future years. Kudos to the team for crafting such an exceptional wine under challenging circumstances. Residual sugar: 138 grams per liter.”
Drink 2030 – 2070
98+ pts, Wine Advocate
324668 $175.
Again not a varietal that I would normally drink so with fairness I found it initially to have heavy notes on the nose both ripe and syrupy. A bit stinky with some green grass. As you sip, it becomes more pleasant and rather nice. For this I defer to those who enjoy this wine style.
Some takeaways from today’s event: premium wines are expected to continue to be priced slightly lower, the 2023 vintage is expected to be slightly down in price, consumers are buying less and spending less, prices have been too high, 2021 wines have more finesse, alcohol and ph are down, acidity and concentration are up. For whites 2024 expected to be a very good year for Sauvignon Blanc with a cool summer and a September harvest. Reds harvested in October are expected to be beautiful with good ripeness. Although the 2021 vintage are a bargain overall there will be fewer good value wines compared to last year. Comparable to the 2017 vintages due to similar growing conditions.
The 2021 vintage is noteworthy for its finesse and purity, a reflection of the unique attributes of each appellation and the meticulous craftsmanship of Bordeaux’s winemakers. Despite the challenges posed by rising temperatures and water shortages, the growing season was extended by periodic summer rains, resulting in grapes with naturally lower alcohols and higher acids. This has produced wines of restraint and elegance, each with its own individuality and character. BC Liquor Distribution Branch
The Bordeaux Release has been expanded to 56 BC LIQUOR locations to meet the high demand. Due to the limited quantities of some Châteaux, selections will vary across stores.
Here are the stores that will be carrying an assortment of the wines, stock may vary.
Semiahmoo, Nelson, Marpole, Powell River, Sidney, Haney, Cloverdale, Richmond Brighouse, Northgate, Kamloops Columbia Pl, Gibsons, Hillside, Nicola Station, Tsawwassen, Dunbar, Ocean Park, Richmond Ironwood, Westshore, Alberni & Bute, Penticton Plaza, Vernon, Arbutus, Kelowna Mission Park, Abbotsford, Como Lake, Parksville North, Langley, 39th & Cambie, Westwood Centre, Meadowtown, Kelowna Orchard Pk, Sardis, Pr. George Pine Centre, Caulfeild, 8th & Cambie, Fairfield, Whistler Market Place, Broadmead Village, Fleetwood, Peninsula Village, Nanaimo Longwood Stn, Abbotsford Village, Ubc Wesbrook Vill, South Burnaby, Ganges, Port Moody, Squamish, Kerrisdale, Fort Street, Highgate Village, Solo, Park Royal, Nordel Crossing, Nanaimo Terminal Pk, Richmond Seafair, Lynn Valley.
If you want to dig into more details about all the 2021 Bordeaux wines available here is the link.
Wine and vintage notes courtesy of the BC Liquor Distribution Branch. My notes (in italics). Images MyVanCity. With thanks to Barb Philip, and her team, for the invitation and hosting this event for media. I received complimentary admission for myself and a partner.
