Bordeaux 2021: The Harvest
As harvest approached it was clear to many that the yield was going to be much reduced, with a smaller crop across the entire region, even when compared to other recent historically small vintages, including 2017. Figures vary, but the causes are the same; in part it is due to frost, also in part due to poor flowering and mildew, in part due to selection, and in part due to selection and the saignée of juices, particularly on the Merlots. In general, the yield across the region is reduced by about 30% this year.
Some examples of these low yields include Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte where the harvest volume was just 22 hl/ha, technical director Fabien Teitgen says mostly because of the mildew. Further north on the left bank Château Pichon-Lalande brought in just 15 hl/ha, for all the reasons quoted above. Here technical director Nicolas Glumineau also felt that the rejection of some juices in the cellar, deemed to be of insufficient quality, made a significant contribution to this low figure. Over on the right bank, at Château Angélus the yields varied from 16 to 23 hl/ha across the three wines presented. Jean-François Julien, at Château La Fleur Morange, brought in just 10 hl/ha. There are plenty of other examples to choose from, and these four serve as mere illustrations. Having said that there are many estates with more ‘normal’ yields, especially up on the St Emilion plateau (which confers protection against frost), or who are not following a strict organic or biodynamic philosophy (allowing more effective chemical treatments against mildew).
