2021 Burgundy En Primeur
‘A fight in the vineyards. Beautiful in the bottle.’
Caroline Drouhin, Domaine Drouhin-Laroze
Following a trio of unusually warm vintages, 2021 makes an appearance fondly reminiscent of years gone by. However, it was no easy feat for the vignerons of the Côte d’Or who faced some of the toughest challenges they’d seen in decades.
Describing 2021 as a ‘terrible fight in the vineyards, but beautiful in the bottle,’ Caroline Drouhin is delighted with how the wines have turned out. With classic, delicate reds and whites with tension and energy we’re looking forward to following these wines from arrival, and over the next decade and more.
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THE GROWING SEASON – 2021
- A warmer than average winter led to early bud-break during late March and early April.
- Frosts with temperatures as low as -8’c from 6th to 8th April, destroying up to 80% of the potential crop in the Cote d’Or.
- Cloudy and cold spring followed – damp and wet weather perfect for mildew to spread.
- Wet conditions also made it difficult to combat the spread of mildew and the sometimes daily spraying of vines took its toll on vignerons and the workforce.
- July & August remained relatively cloudy and wet against the annual averages, reducing yield further.
- September brought warmer, and importantly, sunnier weather – crucial in bringing phenolic maturity and ripeness to the grapes.
- Rains and cooler temperatures on the 18th and 19th September persuaded some growers to pick, while those who held off until after the rain were rewarded with a final flourish of warm sunshine.
THE WINES
Whites
The whites across all levels show incredible freshness and balance. Remarkably, given the relatively little sun, many wines show a rich tropical side, the result of a longer ripening season and lower yields, concentrating the flavours in the little fruit that was produced. The freshness and balance mean that the depth to the flavour is almost weightless, and being able to pick out individual terroir much more easily than some recent warmer vintages makes these whites fascinating, as well as delicious.
‘The best whites are lively and fresh, with firm acidity, bright, lemony fruit and noticeable minerality. Wines of substance and depth will reward ageing for at least a decade. Charles Curtis, Decanter
Reds
The reds are classic, elegant and pretty. Where producers waited until after the rains in mid-September, there is beautifully pure and ripe fruit. It’s certainly a more heterogenous vintage in the Cote de Nuits, but like the whites, the terroir is wonderfully apparent in the 2021 reds and we found an amazing balance of tannins, acidity and alcohol. Careful winemaking has been required in 2021, with many domaines changing adjusting the use of oak or whole bunch for example – this has enabled the terroir to shine through even more. The cellar of any Burgundy enthusiast will be weaker without some of the best 2021s.
‘Top red Burgundy from the Côte de Nuits should be delicious’ – Charles Curtis, Decanter
Terms & Conditions
All prices quoted are En Primeur (ex Duty & VAT) except where indicated otherwise.
All the wines are currently lying in France and are offered subject to availability.
Some wines will be heavily oversubscribed, and allocations will be necessary, with preference given to those who buy across the board.
Although we request the wines are bottled in the case sizes specified in the offer, very occasionally despite our requests, some wines are received in different case sizes, resulting in the need to split cases and re-pack to order.
Most wines will arrive in our cellars in late 2023 or early 2024.
All wines being delivered Duty Paid will incur a duty and VAT invoice at prevailing rates, payable before delivery. For current delivery and storage terms, please see here.
Some areas of Scotland will incur additional delivery charges, please contact the fine wine team on privatecellars@davy.co.uk for a quote.
