Flowers, black cherries, menthol, spice and forest leaves produce the attention seeking aromatics. The palate is equal to the nose with its freshness, silky-textures, and layers of sweet, dark red fruits. You find touches of herbs, olives, cocoa, and mint that pop in at the back of the finish adding complexity, and character. The wine blends 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2026-2050.
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UGCB tasting-Amsterdam 2021 Bordeaux 03-04-2024: A smooth bouquet with, red fruit, vanilla and soft spices. The vanilla comes, in modesty, back in the midttaste. The wine has a good body, lovely bitters and a creamy finish; 94 points in future?
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Mittleres Rubin. Etwas zurückhaltende Nase, braucht Zeit, sich zu öffnen, zeigt dann Waldbeeren und getrocknete Rosen. Im Gaumen von leichtem bis mittlerem Körper, rote Frucht, feinkörniges Tannin, der Wein ist gradlinig, hat Präzision und endet langanhaltend auf eine feine Himbeernote. Etwas weniger Komplexität als in den grossen Giscours-Jahren, jedoch mit Charme und Rasse. 2027-2044 (Verkostet im November 2023 in Zürich bei UGCB)
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Ripe strawberry, raspberry, cracked black pepper, lipstick. Biggish, yet in a come-hither rather than extracted way. Lots of material int he mouth, more substance than may 21s. 65 CS, 25M.
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UGC 2021 Bordeaux (Vibiana, Los Angeles, CA): 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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UGC Bordeaux (Drake Hotel - Chicago IL): Walkaround tasting with the producers. On the fun side, this has charming near ripe black fruits with faintly sweet spice. Good depth and balance. Will start drinking well in just another year or two.
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First, a few words about the vintage as it was revealed to me this evening. I was always taught, of course, that if you don’t have anything nice to say that you shouldn’t say anything at all, and in the words of twentieth-century British poet Philip Larkin, I’m struggling to “find words at once true and kind, or not untrue and not unkind.” I’m afraid, however, there are no two ways about it—this is not a good vintage, and it can be summed up as thin, tart, sour, cranberry, acidic, and oaky. Critics have said this is a heterogenous vintage, but I don’t think that’s true based on tonight. I felt like I was tasting slightly better and slightly worse versions of the same mediocre, tart, oaky, cranberry-filled wines all night.
Critics are also spinning 2021 as a vintage for lovers of classical, low alcohol Bordeaux. I quite like a stoic, low alcohol wine myself, but this is just…. Well, let’s just say that for me this vintage will probably not even serve as an early drinker while waiting for better vintages to come around. The quality is just too low and the prices too high for that. In virtually all cases here tonight, the quality seems to be magnitudes lower than it is in the 2014 through 2020 vintages, and in most cases, the wines are only marginally less expensive than the 2020s were. In some instances they’re even more expensive (Prieure Lichine, for example). I can’t see buying any of these wines over virtually any of the same wines from the 2014 through 2020 vintages, many of which can still be had for nearly the same price or just a bit more than what is being asked for the 2021s.
In finality, there’s just no value proposition here. I’m going to forget about this vintage and load up on the 2014 through 2020 vintages.
Tasting Note:
A bit thin and full of crunchy cranberry fruit, like all the wines this evening, but with very good focus and refinement. Much softer than many of the rest, which were quite acidic and strident. They made the most of what there was. A fairly complete wine showing a judicious use of oak. Second only to Lynch Bages and tied with Brane Cantenac, Les Carmes Haut Brion, Canon la Gaffiere, and surprisingly D’Angludet as the best of the rest. Unknown ABV **(*)
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Union Des Grands Crus Bordeaux (New York City, NY, USA): A very "pretty" wine... Bright and structured. Medium Bodied but yet powerfully flavored. Has some florals and cherry fruit just peeking through the tannin. Needs air and aging, probably better then.
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Bordeaux 2021 Arrivage Tasting (Dolder Grand, Zurich): Felt like some brett notes combined with a closed phase made it really hard to identify much beyond a darker fruit profile. The palate felt fresher, with decent balance, although the tannins felt unripe, green and drying.
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(92-94 vvPunkte) Mittleres Rubin. Etwas zurückhaltende Nase, braucht Zeit, sich zu öffnen, zeigt dann Waldbeeren und getrocknete Rosen. Im Gaumen von leichtem bis mittlerem Körper, rote Frucht, feinkörniges Tannin, der Wein ist gradlinig, hat Präzision und endet langanhaltend auf eine feine Himbeernote. Etwas weniger Komplexität als in den grossen Giscours-Jahren, jedoch mit Charme und Rasse. 2027-2044 (Verkostet "En Primeur" im April 2022. UGCB) vvWine.ch
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Violets, spice-tinged cherries and currants create the nose. On the palate, the wine exudes a sweetness to its core of red berries, along with elegance and refinement. Balance and freshness are the hallmarks of this wine, which finishes with layers of sweet, finesse styled red fruits and tannins. The wine is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, 13.5% ABV, pH 3.8, the harvest took place September 27 - October 13. Yields were 38 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2026-2045. 92-94
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65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot from 105 ha of mostly gravel with some sand and limestone and vines of average age 45 yrs planted to ~10,000/ha in progress toward fully biodynamic farming. Manual harvest. Optical sorting. Fermentation in gravity-fed stainless steel and concrete tanks. Malolactic in tanks and barrels. Aging: ~18 months in French oak (50% new) 13.5% ~25,000 cases Background: Acquired by Eric Albada Jelgersma (d. 2018) in 1995. Inherited by children Dennis, Derk and Valérie (Meijer-Albada Jelgersma). Managing Director: Alexander Van Beek (who joined in 1995 at age 24)
Barrel Sample presented in May 2022.
A(ccuracy)=2: Deep ruby. Juicy. toasty blend. B(alance)=3: Ripe fruit with fine structure. C(omplexity)=2: Dark berries, ripe plum, oak spice, mineral. D(epth)=1: Plummy mouthfeel. Good length and finish.
Wine Tally Score [2,3,2,1] = 8/10
Fruity with some edges.
For story-telling label graphics, see: [https://www.instagram.com/p/Cek1BCbJrTO/] [https://www.facebook.com/WineTally/] For a video explanation of WineTally (in 8 languages) see: www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2qWL0bXxgE
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En-Primeur campaign for the 2021 vintage; 4/25/2022-4/29/2022 (Bordeaux): Initially medium minus intensity aromas but opens to show quite pretty black and red fruits backed by meaty savoury notes and sweet oak spice. Medium plus intensity acidity is juicy, savoury woody dark hued fruits (with a smear of red fruit compote beneath this) have a pretty fruit core but there is, like the Sirene, a hard bitter and moderately astringent note on the finish. Tannins are tight, chewy, drying and there is also a smidge of alcohol warmth here. Hmm
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4/26/2024 - ggroebli wrote: 90 Points
91-92
Leger mais satisfaisant.
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3/9/2024 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Flowers, black cherries, menthol, spice and forest leaves produce the attention seeking aromatics. The palate is equal to the nose with its freshness, silky-textures, and layers of sweet, dark red fruits. You find touches of herbs, olives, cocoa, and mint that pop in at the back of the finish adding complexity, and character. The wine blends 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2026-2050.
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3/4/2024 - Zweder Likes this wine: 94 Points
UGCB Amsterdam, walkaround tasting so just short notes.: Beautiful and complex bouquet with red and dark berries and beautiful oak and cedar. On the palate round but also tight with a good length. Sexy wine.
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3/4/2024 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Amsterdam UGCB Tasting (Zuiderkerk): Fruity peppers, supple and juicy, floral and fragrant, very precise, firm but gentle tannins, masculine elegance, long.
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3/4/2024 - FransS wrote: 93 Points
UGCB tasting-Amsterdam 2021 Bordeaux 03-04-2024: A smooth bouquet with, red fruit, vanilla and soft spices. The vanilla comes, in modesty, back in the midttaste. The wine has a good body, lovely bitters and a creamy finish; 94 points in future?
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3/1/2024 - vvWine.ch wrote: 93 Points
Mittleres Rubin. Etwas zurückhaltende Nase, braucht Zeit, sich zu öffnen, zeigt dann Waldbeeren und getrocknete Rosen. Im Gaumen von leichtem bis mittlerem Körper, rote Frucht, feinkörniges Tannin, der Wein ist gradlinig, hat Präzision und endet langanhaltend auf eine feine Himbeernote. Etwas weniger Komplexität als in den grossen Giscours-Jahren, jedoch mit Charme und Rasse. 2027-2044 (Verkostet im November 2023 in Zürich bei UGCB)
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1/26/2024 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
Ripe strawberry, raspberry, cracked black pepper, lipstick. Biggish, yet in a come-hither rather than extracted way. Lots of material int he mouth, more substance than may 21s. 65 CS, 25M.
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1/25/2024 - MRichman wrote:
UGC Bordeaux 2021, SF: A bit green and lacking weight, with chalky tannins. Not a good showing.
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1/24/2024 - KeithAkers wrote: 90 Points
UGC 2021 Bordeaux (Vibiana, Los Angeles, CA): 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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1/23/2024 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
UGC Bordeaux (Drake Hotel - Chicago IL): Walkaround tasting with the producers. On the fun side, this has charming near ripe black fruits with faintly sweet spice. Good depth and balance. Will start drinking well in just another year or two.
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1/23/2024 - Jake Barnes wrote:
Tasted at the UGC at the Drake Hotel in Chicago.
First, a few words about the vintage as it was revealed to me this evening. I was always taught, of course, that if you don’t have anything nice to say that you shouldn’t say anything at all, and in the words of twentieth-century British poet Philip Larkin, I’m struggling to “find words at once true and kind, or not untrue and not unkind.” I’m afraid, however, there are no two ways about it—this is not a good vintage, and it can be summed up as thin, tart, sour, cranberry, acidic, and oaky. Critics have said this is a heterogenous vintage, but I don’t think that’s true based on tonight. I felt like I was tasting slightly better and slightly worse versions of the same mediocre, tart, oaky, cranberry-filled wines all night.
Critics are also spinning 2021 as a vintage for lovers of classical, low alcohol Bordeaux. I quite like a stoic, low alcohol wine myself, but this is just…. Well, let’s just say that for me this vintage will probably not even serve as an early drinker while waiting for better vintages to come around. The quality is just too low and the prices too high for that. In virtually all cases here tonight, the quality seems to be magnitudes lower than it is in the 2014 through 2020 vintages, and in most cases, the wines are only marginally less expensive than the 2020s were. In some instances they’re even more expensive (Prieure Lichine, for example). I can’t see buying any of these wines over virtually any of the same wines from the 2014 through 2020 vintages, many of which can still be had for nearly the same price or just a bit more than what is being asked for the 2021s.
In finality, there’s just no value proposition here. I’m going to forget about this vintage and load up on the 2014 through 2020 vintages.
Tasting Note:
A bit thin and full of crunchy cranberry fruit, like all the wines this evening, but with very good focus and refinement. Much softer than many of the rest, which were quite acidic and strident. They made the most of what there was. A fairly complete wine showing a judicious use of oak. Second only to Lynch Bages and tied with Brane Cantenac, Les Carmes Haut Brion, Canon la Gaffiere, and surprisingly D’Angludet as the best of the rest. Unknown ABV **(*)
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1/22/2024 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Union Des Grands Crus Bordeaux (New York City, NY, USA): A very "pretty" wine... Bright and structured. Medium Bodied but yet powerfully flavored. Has some florals and cherry fruit just peeking through the tannin. Needs air and aging, probably better then.
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11/6/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 88 Points
Bordeaux 2021 Arrivage Tasting (Dolder Grand, Zurich): Felt like some brett notes combined with a closed phase made it really hard to identify much beyond a darker fruit profile. The palate felt fresher, with decent balance, although the tannins felt unripe, green and drying.
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6/21/2022 - vvWine.ch wrote: 93 Points
(92-94 vvPunkte) Mittleres Rubin. Etwas zurückhaltende Nase, braucht Zeit, sich zu öffnen, zeigt dann Waldbeeren und getrocknete Rosen. Im Gaumen von leichtem bis mittlerem Körper, rote Frucht, feinkörniges Tannin, der Wein ist gradlinig, hat Präzision und endet langanhaltend auf eine feine Himbeernote. Etwas weniger Komplexität als in den grossen Giscours-Jahren, jedoch mit Charme und Rasse. 2027-2044 (Verkostet "En Primeur" im April 2022. UGCB) vvWine.ch
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5/20/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Violets, spice-tinged cherries and currants create the nose. On the palate, the wine exudes a sweetness to its core of red berries, along with elegance and refinement. Balance and freshness are the hallmarks of this wine, which finishes with layers of sweet, finesse styled red fruits and tannins. The wine is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, 13.5% ABV, pH 3.8, the harvest took place September 27 - October 13. Yields were 38 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2026-2045. 92-94
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5/8/2022 - WineTally Likes this wine:
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot
from 105 ha of mostly gravel with some sand and limestone and
vines of average age 45 yrs planted to ~10,000/ha in progress
toward fully biodynamic farming.
Manual harvest. Optical sorting.
Fermentation in gravity-fed stainless steel and concrete tanks.
Malolactic in tanks and barrels.
Aging: ~18 months in French oak (50% new)
13.5% ~25,000 cases
Background: Acquired by Eric Albada Jelgersma (d. 2018) in 1995.
Inherited by children Dennis, Derk and Valérie (Meijer-Albada Jelgersma).
Managing Director: Alexander Van Beek (who joined in 1995 at age 24)
Barrel Sample presented in May 2022.
A(ccuracy)=2: Deep ruby. Juicy. toasty blend.
B(alance)=3: Ripe fruit with fine structure.
C(omplexity)=2: Dark berries, ripe plum, oak spice, mineral.
D(epth)=1: Plummy mouthfeel. Good length and finish.
Wine Tally Score [2,3,2,1] = 8/10
Fruity with some edges.
For story-telling label graphics, see:
[https://www.instagram.com/p/Cek1BCbJrTO/]
[https://www.facebook.com/WineTally/]
For a video explanation of WineTally (in 8 languages) see:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2qWL0bXxgE
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4/25/2022 - chatters wrote:
En-Primeur campaign for the 2021 vintage; 4/25/2022-4/29/2022 (Bordeaux): Initially medium minus intensity aromas but opens to show quite pretty black and red fruits backed by meaty savoury notes and sweet oak spice. Medium plus intensity acidity is juicy, savoury woody dark hued fruits (with a smear of red fruit compote beneath this) have a pretty fruit core but there is, like the Sirene, a hard bitter and moderately astringent note on the finish. Tannins are tight, chewy, drying and there is also a smidge of alcohol warmth here. Hmm
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