2021 Vintage: Freshness and precision

2021 vintage: freshness as the guiding thread

The 2021 vintage was built against wind and weather, quite literally. The April frost struck hard, cutting yields by 20 to 50% depending on the area. Then a cool summer, with intermittent rain, preserved a natural acidity that the previous vintages (2019, 2020) had largely sacrificed to the heat. The result: taut, precise, digestible wines, with an aromatic freshness and a minerality that lovers of the classic style had been awaiting for several years.

2021 in Burgundy: the great return of classicism

It is in Burgundy that 2021 shines brightest. The whites show remarkable tension and straightness: the Chablis from Bernard Defaix and Grand Calcaire, the Saint-Aubin Premiers Crus from Domaine Larue, and the Mâconnais wines from Domaine Mathias and Clos des Rocs express a floral freshness and a minerality that hot vintages do not allow. The reds are perhaps even more successful: Edouard Delaunay made Hautes-Côtes de Nuits of exemplary lightness and precision in 2021, while Jean Fournier offers organic Marsannay and Fixin with a remarkable purity of fruit. The Morgon 2021 from Jean Foillard and the cuvées from Terres Dorées complete a Burgundy-Beaujolais picture of rare coherence.

2021 beyond Burgundy: Rhône, Languedoc, Bordeaux

In the Northern Rhône, Christophe Pichon offers a Condrieu 2021 of great aromatic freshness, less opulent than in hot years but more precise. In the Languedoc, the Pic Saint-Loup 2021 from Domaine de Villeneuve, the Minervois La Livinière from Aubert & Mathieu and the L'O de la Vie cuvée from Anne Gros & Jean-Paul Tollot make the most of the vintage's freshness to show an elegance that is unusual in these southern appellations. Château Le Puy Emilien 2021, a benchmark natural Bordeaux, displays perfect balance and drinkability.

How to approach these wines today?

Most 2021s are already very enjoyable to drink: their freshness and tension make them approachable young. Entry-level and mid-range white Burgundies are at their best now or within the next 2 to 3 years. Village and premier cru red Burgundies will gain further complexity until 2027-2029. The great cuvées, Premiers and Grands Crus, deserve another 5 to 8 years of patience. Serve the whites between 11 and 13 °C and the reds between 15 and 17 °C, with a short aeration of one hour for the reds.