Bordeaux 2021 at Two Years: The Rest of The Right
Beyond the famous appellations, both the left and right banks deserve exploration. Here on the right bank there are numerous high-quality yet overlooked limestone terroirs, from Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac to the seriously under-exploited satellites of St Emilion. In this ‘mopping up’ report, I present approximately sixty tasting notes in the 2021 vintage on wines from these aforementioned appellations, as well as the various Côtes de Bordeaux appellations including Castillon, Francs and Blaye, as well as Côtes de Bourg and Lalande-de-Pomerol.
While there are occasionally hidden gems to be found here, these regions did not escape the ire of La Dame Nature during this season. While some properties – particularly those situated on the limestone plateau, or close to the Dordogne – are shielded from frost, many are more isolated, distant from the protection offered by elevation or nearby bodies of water, and as a consequence are prone to damage. And almost all focus on the more mildew-prone Merlot, in some cases nothing else. Come harvest time, the maturity here was no better than it was anywhere else.
As with my report on the more peripheral appellations of the left bank in 2021, the pickings here are rather slim. The bones have not been picked entirely clean though, and to my surprise – give the difficulties endured, as alluded to above – there were a small handful of wines which matched or even surpassed the level of quality found in the Haut-Médoc and Listrac-Médoc appellations.
