WHITE BORDEAUX SHINES IN CHALLENGING 2021 VINTAGE

Walking through Château Malromé in Entre-Deux-Mers just before April frost struck the Bordeaux region for the second year in a row, director David Trancart explained how some 80% of the estate’s production was lost to frost and mildew in 2021: “It was a challenging vintage”, he stressed. This year’s frost does not seem as devastating (as this article goes to press), because the vegetation cycle was not as advanced for it to have done as much damage, says Marine Chaligné, the estate’s communications director. However, other sources report that many vineyards in Bordeaux will indeed suffer from frost damage this year.

The nights of April 7 and 8 2021 were marked by frosts “historic” in dimension, say Bordeaux University experts Laurence Geny and Axel Marchal in their recent report of last year’s vintage. Readers may recall many dramatic Instagram photos of thousands of candles, lit next to the vines to minimise damage. 2021 posed other hurdles in addition to frost, including mildew, induced by rainfall in May and June, that further cut production overall.

Statistics released by the Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB) in April this year show that the 2021 harvest counted some 3.77 million hectolitres – down nearly one million from an average production vintage (4.7m hectolitres). Overall production dipped below 4 million only two other years since 2010: 3.8m in 2013 and 3.49m in 2017.

But less wine does not mean lower quality. Tasting 2021 dry whites from the humble Bordeaux appellation, one can appreciate how Marchal and Geny describe the vintage as yielding “exceptional” dry white wines. They explain how cool summers – which are not so ideal for reds – are “generally conducive” to obtaining “great” dry white wines, as they “guarantee good acidity and preservation of aroma precursors”. And 2021 has proven to be no exception to that rule.

For Marchal and Geny, the Sauvignon Blancs in particular are “brilliant”. Despite high levels of malic acid, they are ripe, with a “chiselled profile” and intense aromatic expression. On the other hand, Sémillons have “sometimes suffered”, on light soils, from a form of dilution, but on the best terroirs, they are slender, sapid and fragrant.

2021 proves the point that a challenging vintage for red Bordeaux can be more interesting for white. Other such vintages, including 2007 and 2017, come to mind. A comparative tasting, for example, of the dry white of Château d’Arche 2020 (an excellent red wine vintage) and its 2021 counterpart, showed that the latter exuded more vivacity and grip. In short: a better wine. And consumers can find excellent price/quality ratios from Bordeaux AOC wines, including those outlined in the tasting notes featured here.

ON BORDEAUX AOC WHITE

While white Bordeaux is produced in no less than 12 appellations, from the famous Pessac-Léognan to Entre-DeuxMers, this article focused on Bordeaux AOC, for which most wines blend the three main authorised grapes: Sauvignon Blanc (43% of plantings), Sémillon (45%) and Muscadelle (5%). Across the 12 appellations for white Bordeaux, 46 million bottles were produced in 2021: 15% less than in 2020. For the appellation of Bordeaux AOC, volumes dropped by 19% compared to 2020.

INCREASING PRODUCTION OF BORDEAUX ROSÉ

For some readers, Bordeaux Rosé could beg the question: “Why”? But more vintners are taking the summer drink seriously, with a concern for locallymade wine. As Didier Galhaud of Château d’Arche in Sauternes remarked: “We like to diversify, and that includes home-grown rosés”. Some which were tasted blind for this article revealed good to excellent quality, with attention paid to ripe fruit, freshness and mostly light-bodied fun, even if that did not always correspond with fun labels (don’t judge a book by its cover). Some 1,200 vintners, cooperatives and négociants are making dry Bordeaux rosé these days, which makes up no less than four per cent of total Bordeaux wine production. A great discovery for your next summer visit to the region.