Batailley, Duhart-Milon, Coutet
Born in climatic adversity, marked by a sense of freshness: the best Bordeaux 2021s have a wonderful vitality and lift. Monday saw the first major chateau to release, perennial Uncorked favourite Batailley. Where many properties suffered difficulties with frost and mildew in 2021, neither struck here. Frédéric Castéja has made a classically proportioned Batailley. It is very claret: cassis, plum, cedar and tobacco. It is also released more cheaply than any other Batailley vintage on the market, which we hope may become a theme!
Duhart-Milon lies on the same Pauillac terroir as its neighbour and mother ship Lafite (fine gravel and black sand over a bedrock of limestone). It has turned in an impressive 2021, very redolent of the august neighbour. Down south, frost and mildew decimated yields in Sauternes and Barsac. But what wine the chateaux here did manage to make are glorious, combining high energy with intense aromatics. So far we have had La Tour Blanche and Coutet.
But the most significant release of the week emerged yesterday. As entertaining and informative as usual, key points in Neal Martin's assessment include:
- A 'complex and turbulent growing season'
- '2021 was one of the most difficult to assess since my first primeur back in 1997'
- 'The headline is that 2021 marks a welcome return to a classic style of Bordeaux in terms of lower ripeness levels and less alcohol'
- 'There are no thrilling wines that set the pulse racing or have "future legend" written over them - it's not that kind of vintage'
- '2021 offers a bevy of outstanding dry whites'
- '2021 is an antidote to the run of hot vintages and for that it should be welcomed, its shortcomings and fallibility perhaps part of its charm and intrigue' /NT
