- Alexandre Ma has recently published his Bordeaux 2021 in-bottle tasting report.
- Two wines from Sauternes emerged as his top-scoring wines.
- Three whites were also among the highest-rated wines.
Last month, Alexandre Ma published his Bordeaux 2021 in-bottle tasting report.
In his report, Ma notes that ‘2021 can’t be considered a great [vintage] in the traditional sense, but it certainly shouldn’t be dismissed as a poor vintage.‘ In terms of quality, he rates the 2021 vintage two out of a possible five stars – placing it above the 2007 and 2013 vintages.
He reports that the 2021 ‘red wines lean towards a more delicate nature with lower alcohol, higher acidity, and a paler color compared to previous vintages’ characteristics in which ‘any minor flaw is magnified.’ Among the 800 bottles he tasted, ‘the majority of wineries don’t perform as well as they did during the En Primeur tastings.’ He lists the issues he tasted most frequently, which include coarse tannins and dull aromas.
Despite the ‘exceptionally complex’ weather conditions, Ma describes the 2021 white wines as ‘absolutely stellar.’ He notes that ‘the sunny yet cool August might not be ideal for the ripening of red grapes, but it provides white grapes with lofty acidity and a complexity of flavors that come once in a decade.’
During the initial En Primeur tastings in May 2022, ‘among the 1,100+ wines that [he] tasted, more than 340 are rated 90 points or above…among which only 31 surpass the 95 mark.’ In his most recent report, Ma tasted 800 wines – 350 of which were scored 90 or above points and only 30 above 95 points.
The recently released Château d’Yquem claimed the top spot with 98+ points, with fellow Sauternes Château Suduiraut taking second place, enjoying an upgrade from its in-barrel score.
Château Haut-Brion Blanc and Domaine de Chevalier Blanc also surpassed Ma’s in-barrel expectations. Meanwhile Château Trotanoy ended towards the bottom of its barrel range.
One of the main themes from the report is how, in general, the wines have not performed as well in-bottle as was expected.
For example, Ma awarded both Domaine de Chevalier Rouge and Château Léoville Poyferré 94-96 ranges in-barrel, then lowered the scores to 93 points in this most recent report.
Many others were award scores at the bottom of their in-barrel – such as Château Haut-Brion which went from 97-98 in-barrel to 96+ in-bottle.
Back in 2022, Liv-ex noted that the 2021 was ‘a vintage that was destined for the dining tables, not decades in cellars.’ Even before the end of the campaign, offers were appearing on the market up to 15% cheaper than their opening prices.
When Liv-ex looked at Neal Martin’s (Vinous) in-bottle scores, we pointed out that the 2021 vintage commanded a similar Market Price to that of the 2018, 2019 and 2020 – despite having a lower average score.
For further insight on the vintage’s En Primeur campaign, see our 2021 concluding report, Bordeaux 2021 – Predictable chaos.
Alexandre MA is a leading Chinese wine critic and educator based in Bordeaux. In 2021 he set up his own wine media platform https://www.alexandrema.com, with a clear focus of engagement and education aimed at a younger wine-loving audience in China and beyond.
