Bordeaux 2021 at Two Years: St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé
Despite the order of publication of these reports, I began my tastings of the recently bottled 2021 vintage in St Emilion. Having flown into Bordeaux on Sunday evening, on a horrendously delayed flight which prompted a sprint from passport control to the car rental office (closure of which was imminent) at the front of the airport, I eventually reached my accommodation shortly before the hour Cinderella always dreaded.
One swift glass of Domaine Vacheron Sancerre later (see – proof that you can find good Sauvignon Blanc in Bordeaux – said while donning protective hard hat, naturally) and I was ready for bed. As my head hit the pillow, I gave thanks to the wine gods that my flight had not landed even later, stranding me at the airport with no access to my hire car, and no guarantee it would be there for me the next morning. The delay, which had seen us sitting on the tarmac at Gatwick airport for 90 minutes before taking off, had been down purely to a Bordeaux air traffic controllers’ strike which had restricted the number of aircraft permitted within the airspace around the airport at Mérignac at any one time.
“Well, if that’s the worst strike-related event I see this trip, it won’t be so bad”, I whispered to the walls around me.
Fast forward a week and I found myself dodging protesting farmers, who had chosen to express their dissatisfaction with the government by parking their tractors on the Bordeaux Rocade, closing the obvious route between the vineyards of the left and right banks. The blockade had me considering a trip (for first time ever) on the Bac Girondin, the ferry from Lamarque across to Blaye; and in truth, that only reason I didn’t do, taking my chances on the Rocade instead, that was the fact the ferry wasn’t running.
Because the crew were on strike*.
Anyway, back to my arrival and the start of my tastings. After a decent night’s sleep I arose and departed early for my 9am appointment at Château Ausone, where I tasted through a rather curtailed range of wines with Alain Vauthier, several of his cuvées failing to make an appearance in 2021.
