UGC 2021 Bordeaux

This is the first time I've done the smart thing and went somewhere warm for UGC, ha! I always look forward to UGC and this was no different. I knew the vintage was less heralded coming in, but I always like to make my own decisions.

• 2021 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  The nose is perfumed and refined with lovely tones of red cherries, raspberries, incense, violets, crushed flowers, crushed rocks, licorice, and some spice notes. The tones all work really well together at this young stage while showing off a good bit of depth. The Medium bodied feel is polished and deft with crisp, medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. The structure has some youth to it with the tones playing together beautifully already across the nose and palate. This is a real winner in the vintage and one of the few on the day that made me take notice. I would love to see where this develops over the next decade+.

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• 2021 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  The nose is flowing, refined, and deep with fresh and balanced tones of pears, baked apples, lemon oils, nougat, toast, vanilla beans, honeysuckle, and yellow flowers. The Medium bodied feel is deft and balanced with tart, medium+ acidity. The acidity is mouthwatering and refreshing while leaning into a lengthy finish. This is seamless and balanced with a style that is showing well now and for the future.

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• 2021 Domaine de Chevalier 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  The nose is lifted and elegant with polished tones of dark red cherries, cranberries, raspberries, sour red fruits, red florals, violets, earth notes, leather, crushed rocks, cedar, currants, and a touch of tobacco. The Medium bodied feel is balanced and elegant with tart, medium acidity and silky, medium+ tannins. The structure is youthful yet refined with a style that doesn't overwhelm at this stage.

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• 2021 Château Haut-Bailly 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  The nose is captivating and layered, filling the glass with dark red cherries, incense, cranberries, licorice, spice box, raspberries, violets, cedar notes, and some sour red fruits. While there is just a small pour here, there is a ton going on with the nose that makes me take notice in this setting. The Medium bodied feel is deft and elegant with crisp, medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. The structure has some youth and freshness but it isn't too overpowering at this time.

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• 2021 Château Latour-Martillac 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  The nose is classic and aromatic with cedar notes, crushed rocks, currants, dark red cherries, cranberries, violets, leather, tobacco leaf, and some loamy notes. There is good depth here with an open-knit style that is enticing. The Medium bodied feel shows off good balance and length with medium acidity and slightly coarse yet balanced, medium tannins. This feels like it will be an earlier drinker as the tannins are more for framing than being a dominant personality. This feels like it could blossom with that age and improve a fair bit.

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• 2021 Château Latour-Martillac Blanc 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  The nose is heady and elegant with nectarines, dried apricots, spiced pears, lemon peels, yellow flowers, and some red apples. The nose is open and balanced with the tones showing off a darker take with decent depth. The Medium bodied feel is textured and balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity. The acidity is mouthwatering that leans into good length to the finish. There is room for this to improve and develop but it brings some real joy right now.

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• 2021 Château Malartic-Lagravière 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  There is a smokey backdrop to the nose with good balance to the tones of crushed rocks, raspberries, fresh herbs, earth tones, sour red cherries, licorice, and some blackberry compote. The Medium bodied feel is deft and balanced with medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. The structure shows a bit of youth, but it isn't overpowering. This certainly has room to develop, but it also feels like it won't take a long time to get there.

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• 2021 Château Pape Clément Blanc 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  The nose is bright and aromatic with fragrant tones of stone fruits, lemon peels, green apples, peaches, nectarines, white fruits, grassy notes, gooseberry, and some acacia flowers. There is excellent depth and style here as the nose shows off a lot of class yet it still feels like it's slightly holding back. The Medium bodied feel is well balanced and fresh with crisp, medium+ acidity that really brings a mouthwatering quality. This has plenty of room for improvement as the acidity has a bit of sting and the nose doesn't feel close to full flight. I would love to see where this goes with about 5+ years of aging.

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• 2021 Château Pape Clément 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  The nose is seamless and wide open with complex tones of sour red berries, dark red cherries, raspberries, spice notes, crushed rocks, tobacco leather, leather, and violets. There is good layering at this young stage with excellent balance and poise. The Medium bodied feel carries through the balance of the nose while showing off medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. While the structure has some youth, it isn't overbearing nor is it too taught right now. Instead, it feels more for framing and doesn't come across as needing too many years to resolve itself.

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• 2021 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  The nose is balanced and aromatic with tones of red cherries, red currants, tobacco leaf, red fruits, fresh herbs, licorice, and some spice notes. The Medium bodied feel carries through the balance of the nose with medium acidity and somewhat stiff, medium tannins that feel more underripe than they are structured. This lacked a bit on the midpalate and the finish was slightly clipped. The nose was better than the palate and this could improve with time, but it won't ever be considered a top Canon-la-Gaffeliere.

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• 2021 Château La Dominique 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  The nose is fresh and lifted with red cherries, camphor, cranberries, crushed rocks, gun flint, dried herbs, and some spice box notes. The Medium bodied feel is balanced, but lacks on the mid-palate along with crisp, medium acidity and taught, medium tannins. This lacks in the depth department as well as lacking on the mid-palate. While time could benefit this, I have a hard time seeing it really jumping up and turning into a butterfly.

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• 2021 Clos Fourtet 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  The nose is perfumed and poised with heady tones of red cherries, red berries, raspberries, rose petals, incense, cedar, tobacco leaf, herbs, and some crunchy red fruits. There is good depth and balance here as the tones flow well together already. The Medium bodied feel shows off the balance of the nose along with medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is one of the more lovely wines of the tasting already and there is certainly room to grow. This will likely benefit from a few years of aging, but it also doesn't feel like it will make old bones.

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• 2021 Château Pavie Macquin 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  The nose here is fresh and lively with a berry-driven take to tones of red cherries, blueberries, red berries, raspberries, rose petals, kirsch liqueur, earth notes, tobacco leaf, and some cedary tones. There is good complexity here, but it lacks some depth that allows you to get sucked into the glass. The Medium bodied feel is balanced and fresh with medium acidity and somewhat chalky, medium tannins. This has a good bit to like right now, but it does lack in depth and quality of structure. This likely can benefit from cellar time to come into harmony, but the tannins are a bit underripe and may not truly resolve.

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• 2021 Château Valandraud 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  The nose is deep and showing off a fair bit of intensity with fresh coffee grounds, incense, dark red cherries, red berries, raspberries, licorice, spice notes, herbs, and some rose petals. There is a headiness to the nose that is enticing and engaging. The Medium/full bodied feel is plush and balanced with medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. This was easily towards the top of the wines tasted on the day. There is a lot to like here as it shows off a lot of depth and richness across the nose and palate.

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• 2021 Château Le Bon Pasteur 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  There is a good bit of fragrance to the nose with red cherries, red berries, herbs, spice notes, licorice, kirsch liqueur, and violets all working together but there is also an all too prominent note of oak that wraps itself around the fruit tones. The Medium bodied feel is balanced and deft, but lacking on the mid-palate with crisp, medium acidity and slightly coarse, medium tannins. The tannins are a bit woody and tough to the point that they may not ever truly resolve. The oak presents itself a bit too much and it's hard to tell if it will truly integrate. If it weren't for the oak, I'd have enjoyed this much more but it plays a bit too much of a role on the nose and palate without showing off the right amount of integration.

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• 2021 Château Clinet 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  The nose is classic Clinet as it has excellent purity to the red fruit-driven tones of red cherries, fresh picked berries, raspberries, herbs, roses, red florals, spice box, wet clay, licorice, and a touch of cedar. This has good complexity, but something is lacking in the depth department. The Medium bodied feel is balanced and fresh with medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. The lack of depth from the nose shows through on the palate as well while this also lacks a bit on the mid-palate. If this adds weight and fleshes out with age then it will improve a great bit. If it doesn't, then it will stay what it is which is a lovely and red-fruited Clinet that lacks a little bit.

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• 2021 Château Petit Village 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  The nose is pure and berry-driven with fresh tones of raspberries, red cherries, sour red fruits, licorice, incense, earth notes, tobacco leaf, and a good amount of freshly picked roses. There is a headiness to the nose that is enticing and fresh with good depth. The Medium bodied feel is balanced and shows off the freshness of the nose along with crisp, medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is really pretty right now and has room to develop. This is one of the wines of the tasting where I really would love to see where it will go with 5-8+ years of aging.

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• 2021 Château Beychevelle 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  The nose is lifted and elegant with a perfumed nature to the tones of red cherries, raspberries, currants, cardamom, spice box, tobacco leaf, and a good dose of rose petals. The Medium bodied feel is refined and balanced with crisp, medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is a classy, young Bordeaux that shows off excellent depth and poise already. There is plenty of room for this to grow and I can see this developing a good amount further with 8+ years of aging.

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• 2021 Château Branaire-Ducru 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  There is a good bit of perfume to the nose that really draws me in with pretty tones of sour red berries, cranberries, red cherries, raspberries, red currants, potpourri, spice box, cigar wrapper, leather, and some licorice notes. There is good depth with a real expressive side that is enticing. The Medium bodied feel is classy and refined with crisp, medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is a lovely and expressive wine that is showing well already. That is not to say that it won't develop with age, in fact there is a lot of room for this to grow. It's just that it's hitting really well at this moment and could be well worth an early peek in.

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• 2021 Château Gruaud Larose 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  The nose is balanced and refined with red cherries, cranberries, some leather notes, violets, herbs, spice cake, cedar notes, tobacco leaf, savory notes, and a slight meatiness. There is very good depth to this right now with a real expressive side. The Medium bodied feel shows off the balance and refinement of the nose with medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. The tannins show some youth but they aren't too overpowering. This is a classic Gruaud-Larose that leans into a lighter side of the spectrum. I can see this developing well with some age as there is good stuffing already.

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• 2021 Château Lagrange (St. Julien) 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  This is a lovely and upfront Lagrange with a pretty, red-fruit core filled with red cherries, red currants, rose petals, red berries, raspberries, cedar notes, cigarette ashes, and some spice box tones. There is good depth with a seamless quality that is really attractive. The Medium bodied feel is well balanced and lovely with crisp, medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is a friendly and lovely wine that shows off a friendlier side of the grape and region.

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• 2021 Château Langoa Barton 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  The nose is elegant with balanced tones of dark red cherries, cranberries, currants, herbal spices, violets, tobacco leaf, and some leather notes. While there is good fragrance to the nose, it does lack some depth. The Medium bodied feel is well balanced and elegant with medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is an elegant and refined wine. There is good balance across the nose and palate but it does lack some depth on both.

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• 2021 Château Léoville Barton 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  The nose is poised and refined with polished tones of red cherries, raspberries, currants, sweet tobacco, new leather, a touch of cedar box, asian spices, and herbs. There is excellent depth and balance to the nose as it shows off a real regal quality. The Medium bodied feel is balanced and polished with medium acidity and fine-grained, medium tannins. I wonder what this will become with age. There is a lot to like here and I do see some room for improvement, but maybe have a hard time seeing this really turn on those extra gears to get in the highest echelons. That said, this should provide a real good value play for Leoville-Barton and one that is worthy to age.

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• 2021 Château Léoville Poyferré 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  The nose is friendly and aromatic with red currants, sweet tobacco notes, red berries, cranberries, raspberries, leather notes, cedar, and red florals. There is a good bit of elegance to the red-fruited base of the nose. The Medium bodied feel is refined and friendly with medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is a real lovely and elegant Leoville-Poyferre. It leans more into a more upfront and immediate style with good depth across the nose and palate.

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• 2021 Château Brane-Cantenac 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  The nose is refined and open-knit with classic tones of cedar, dark red cherries, dark berries, leather notes, spice box, currants, dark red florals, and violets. There is good depth with an elegance and class that brings me back to the glass. The Medium bodied feel is deft and balanced with crisp, medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. The mid-palate is slightly lacking and the tannins are a little stiff, but I really like everything else and if this can flesh out with some age I can see it improving a good bit.

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• 2021 Château Cantenac Brown 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  The nose shows more of a robust quality than other wines I've come across with noticeable oak striking right away, but it does pull back a bit into tones of fruitcake, dark red cherries, licorice, cedar notes, potpourri, and red flowers. The Medium bodied feel is much more refined than the nose initially showed while the medium acidity is crisp and mouthwatering and the tannins are silky. This is a friendly, young Bordeaux. The structure is lighter and silkier than I would expect from a wine of this age and it could well get to where it needs to go sooner than later. There is certainly room for improvement and I can see it getting there with at least 6+ years.

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• 2021 Château Giscours 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  The nose is pretty and lifted with a higher-toned take to the tones of dark red cherries, cranberries, raspberries, tobacco leaf, spice box, violets, fresh herbs, and cedar notes. This is also well balanced, but there is a slight lack of depth to the tones. The Medium bodied feel shows off the balance of the nose with a refined quality to the feel along with medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is a real pretty, young Giscours. It does lack some depth on the nose and palate that is slightly bothersome, but the mid-palate is more fleshed out than a lot of other wines tasted on the day. I would love to see where this goes with some age and I can see it improving a fair bit.

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• 2021 Château Lascombes 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  There is an oak imprint on the nose that is a bit too prominent while still showing off tart tones of dark red cherries, cranberries, currants, toast, incense, licorice, and some liqueur notes. The oak signature is pushed just a smidge too much for me on the nose. The Medium bodied feel has some density with medium acidity and chewy, medium+ tannins that are a bit woody. The wood framing on this is just a bit too strong for my taste and it isn't integrated. I'm not sure how it will integrate with age, but if it does then it will show off much better.

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• 2021 Château Malescot St. Exupéry 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  The nose shows off a slightly rustic side as cedar, fresh leather, and some cigar wrapper notes are what hits first while leaning into tones of licorice, dark red cherries, cranberries, sour red fruits, and some liqueur tones. The Medium bodied feel is deft and balanced with crisp, medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. The mid-palate is a bit thin and lacking which detracts from the feel. If that can flesh out with age, then I can see this improving a fair bit.

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• 2021 Château Prieuré-Lichine 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  The nose is pretty and lifted with fresher tones of red berries, red currants, toasty notes, red cherries, raspberries, savory notes, fresh herbs, rose petals, and some spice box notes. This is a very attractive nose that shows off good depth and class that I find intriguing. The Medium bodied feel shows off the elegance of the nose along with crisp, medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. This does slightly lack on the mid-palate, but it feels like it has the ability to flesh out with age and add weight.

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• 2021 Château Lynch-Bages 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  The nose is fragrant with balanced tones of red cherries, cranberries, licorice, asian spice notes, some dust, crushed rocks, pencil lead, licorice, and some leather notes. The tones are pretty, but a bit understated and lacking in depth. The Medium bodied feel is fresh and balanced with medium acidity and medium tannins. This could be a bit dumb or it is just lacking. This was a real disappointment for me as Lynch-Bages normally really delivers.

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• 2021 Château Duhart-Milon 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  There is a real brawny quality to the nose that is a nice changeup from many of the other wines on the day. The tones of dark red cherries, earth notes, raspberries, blackberries, currants, spice box, licorice, kirsch liqueur tones, and violets. The Medium bodied feel is well balanced and shows off some of the brawniness of the nose with medium acidity and chewy, medium tannins. The tannins are a little stiff and slightly underripe while it lacks a bit of depth across the nose and palate. If this can add depth and if the tannins resolve well, this can improve by a good amount.

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• 2021 Château Cantemerle 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  The nose is berry-driven and fresh with loganberries, red berries, cherries, licorice, leather, spice box, herbs, tobacco leaf, and some cedary notes. There is decent depth here with an open-knit style to the nose. The Medium bodied feel is silky and balanced with crisp, medium acidity and refined, medium tannins. This has room for development and feels like it can get there with some age. It isn't a long-term Cantemerle, but certainly one that is worthy of holding onto.

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• 2021 Château Clarke 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Listrac-Médoc

  The nose is balanced and straightforward with tones of cedar, dark red cherries, cranberries, raspberries, herbs, violets, and some leather notes. The Medium bodied feel shows off the balance of the nose while having medium acidity and stiffer, medium tannins and lacking a bit on the mid-palate. This is a good and decent satellite bordeaux that is less frills. It has some of the mid-palate issues of the vintage and while it could develop with age, it won't ever become something special.

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• 2016 Château Sigalas Rabaud 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  The nose is succulent and fresh with nectarines, apricots, peaches, creamy notes, elderflowers, meyer lemons, orange peels, and vanilla beans. There is good depth with a lovely balance to the tones as they show more of a stone fruit quality. The Medium/full bodied is beautifully textured and balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity. The feel is deft and shows some youth. This is a lovely, mid-weight Sauternes that will develop at an earlier age but still provide plenty of joy for years to come.

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• 2016 Château Guiraud 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  The nose is lifted and spring-like with lovely tones of white peaches, apricots, quince, pears, white flowers, nectarines, vanilla beans, and apples. There is excellent depth and perfume to the nose while it shows off a lot of youthful freshness. The Medium/full bodied feel is plush and silky with tart, high acidity that has a real mouthwatering quality. This is still clearly young and with a good ways to go before it hits its heights.

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• 2018 Château Doisy-Védrines 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  The nose is immediate and a bit unrefined, filling the nose with kumquats, melons, red apples, nectarines, apricots, peaches, and yellow flowers. The tones more sit on the surface and this doesn't really show off too much depth. The Full bodied feel is balanced and textured with tart, high acidity. The lack of depth from the nose carries through on the palate. It is well textured and possibly a bit awkward right now. I could see this improving with at least another 5+ years of aging.

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I'd mostly call the vintage: varied. There were some real lovely wines while there were some less than stellar ones. There really wasn't much consistency between the appellations for me and it's hard to fully put my finger down on it. The best are lovely and classic while the worst were just boring. This certainly falls in the taste before you buy category and there may well be some of these on deep discount given the amount of good vintages around it.