Bordeaux 2021 Primeurs: The Rest of the Right
In this, the penultimate tasting report on the 2021 vintage primeurs, I cover all the remaining right-bank wines. This means Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac, the right-bank satellites of the Pomerol and St Emilion appellations, and of course the Bordeaux Côtes, including Castillon, Francs and Blaye.
And let us not overlook the lone example of Côtes de Bourg.
Aside from a few whites, in the Blaye and Francs appellations, this is essentially a report on Merlot-dominant wines. Given that this is a vintage in which the region’s Merlots suffered most, in the frost, and in the mildew, it might be expected that this will be a report of disappointments. As we have seen in my various St Emilion reports, however, not all the vines read the 2021 rulebook, and even among these ‘lesser’ right-bank appellations we can find a number of gems.
Having said that, it is a marker of the vintage that the highest-scoring wines below are both white, and both come from the hands of Nicolas Thienpont. The 2021 Château Les Charmes Godard Blanc and the 2021 Château Puygueraud Blanc both shimmer with flavour, presence and grip. Give each of these a few years in bottle and they will both be drinking beautifully.
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