With a bit of oak that still needs integrate in the nose, the perfume quickly moves to roses, tobacco leaf, cherries, black currants, incense and a background note of orange rind. On the palate, soft, fresh, elegant and refined, with layers of sweet, ripe, red fruits that taste as good as they feel. This is an incredible success for the vintage. The wine blends 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere. Drink from 2026-2050.
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UGCB Amsterdam, walkaround tasting so just short notes.: Juicy dark and red berries, well dosed oak, good acidity and round tannin. Good length. There is a hint of bell pepper noticeable, but it is certainly a very good wine.
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Komplexe Nase, noch dezent vom Holz geprägt, tiefgründig und rein, sehr feiner Cassisduft, Kirschen, Gräser, florale Noten, ein Hit. Im Gaumen elegant, anfangs leicht cremig, wird dann immer straffer, messerscharf, elegant, mit feinkörnigem Tannin, einer ungemein knackigen Frucht und sehr schöner aromatischer Länge. Das ist ein tänzerischer Brane, der früh Spass machen kann, jedoch nicht zu unterschätzen ist in Sachen Potential. 2027-2048+ (Verkostet im November 2023 in Zürich bei UGCB)
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a healthy, lovely 21; powdery, raspberry, blueberry, potpourri - the nose really does catch you. Perfumed floral finish; very pretty, delicate yet gourmand. 92-93
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UGCB SF Tasting Event (Metreon, San Francisco): Endowed with decent fruit and good concentration. Perhaps the most overt toast on the oak, with clove and other baking spice? A pleasing whisp of green and tobacco - actually tastes like cabernet. Needs time to integrate. 92
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UGC 2021 Bordeaux (Vibiana, Los Angeles, CA): 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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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 higher (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, but with very good focus and refinement. Much softer than many of the rest, which were quite acidic and strident. A fairly complete wine showing a judicious use of oak. Second only to Lynch Bages and tied with Giscours, Les Carmes Haut Brion, Canon la Gaffiere, and surprisingly D’Angludet as the best of the rest that I tasted. Unknown ABV **(*)
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Union Des Grands Crus Bordeaux (New York City, NY, USA): I found this rather harsh and rough. Earthy for sure, but fruit totally hidden like most of the Margaux's I tasted today. Seemed one dimensional. Perhaps this and the other Margaux's were tasted early in the event and had not had much time open? Not great for me in this instance. Of note I have enjoyed this wine in many vintage and warmly remember the 1982, 1983 and 1985, which are sadly long gone now.
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11x Bordeaux 2021: UCG Arrivage Tasting of just a handful of 2021 Bordeauxs. Some thoughts: 1) It's a very mediocre vintage. There is not enough substance, many wines seem simple. Especially on the Left Bank, the balance was a bit off (too much acidity, too many herbal notes, not enough fruit... and some showed greenness and drying tannins). 2) 2021 is being promoted as a vintage for "classic" Bordeaux lovers, a vintage for those who liked 2014 and 2017. In my opinion, 2021 does not come close to those vintages. 2014 is more structured, with better balance and often more depth. 2017 is much rounder, more balanced and a bit more polished. 3) We all know the high prices for 2021, so there's no need to chase them (they'll probably only get cheaper in the next few years). Here are some impressions on a few selected wines.
TN: Brief comment, no detailed notes taken. As always, Brane Cantenac delivers. This is a charming, round, well-balanced wine with a good fruit core. It is a bit simple, yes, but still a success. 91pts.
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Bordeaux 2021 Arrivage Tasting (Dolder Grand, Zurich): A polished, rather ripe and dense wine. Hints of spice, iron-like mineral notes, unsweetened liquorish and leathery notes complement a fruit that started off dark, but changed to a brighter, more red type of berry. Fresh and juicy palate, but leaning towards a bit too much acidity.
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(94-96 vvPunkte) Komplexe Nase, noch dezent vom Holz geprägt, tiefgründig und rein, sehr feiner Cassisduft, Kirschen, Gräser, florale Noten, ein Hit. Im Gaumen elegant, anfangs leicht cremig, wird dann immer straffer, messerscharf, elegant, mit feinkörnigem Tannin, einer ungemein knackigen Frucht und sehr schöner aromatischer Länge. Das ist ein tänzerischer Brane, der früh Spass machen kann, jedoch nicht zu unterschätzen ist in Sachen Potential. 2027-2048+ (Verkostet "En Primeur" im April 2022. Château Brane-Cantenac) vvWine.ch
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Selections of Bordeaux 2021 from barrel: With perfumed aromas of faded rose, white pepper, black tea leaf, and nutmeg spice, this blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and bits of Carmènere, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc mightily impresses for its robust mid palate. Overall refined tannins albeit a touch drying on the finish, but barrel aging should resolve this. (94-96)
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Tobacco, roses, currants and bouquet garni kick off the perfume. The wine is soft, fresh, medium-bodied, and quite charming, as well as vibrant, finishing with a touch of spice on top of all the sweet red fruits you find on the backend. You will be able to enjoy this on release. The wine blends 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere 12.7% ABV. The harvest took place September 23-October 7. Drink from 2023-2050 93-95
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Cabernet Sauvignon 74% Merlot 22% Cabernet Franc 2% Petit Verdot 1% Carmenère 1% from clayey gravel soil and vines of average age 36 yrs. Vinified in oak casks. Aging (pending) in new oak. 12.7% Abv. Proprietor/Winemaker: Henri Lurton (since 1992)
Barrel sample presented in May 2022.
A(ccuray)=2: Deep purple. Plush, focused Cab blend. B(alance)=3: Tout fruit with firm structure. C(omplexity)=2: Dark berries, licorice, vanilla, oak tannin. D(epth)=2: Cool mouthfeel. Even palate and lingering finish.
Wine Tally Score [2,3,2,2]= 9/10
Lurton explained the strategies behind this tricky vintage.
For story-telling label graphics, see: [https://www.instagram.com/p/CeV9OBcJo-x/] [https://www.facebook.com/WineTally/] For a unique multimedia resource, see [https://winetally.wixsite.com/vingnette]
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En-Primeur campaign for the 2021 vintage; 4/25/2022-4/29/2022 (Bordeaux): Plenty of polished oak up front, wild blackcurrant compote, slight pyrazine. Medium plus intensity acidity lends juiciness, fleshy, fresh crunchy blackcurrant, sweet and savoury spice, drying grainy tannins show the oak and persist long. Pretty good for a classic Bordeaux as long as those oaky tannins integrate with rather than dominate the fruit.
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3/9/2024 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
With a bit of oak that still needs integrate in the nose, the perfume quickly moves to roses, tobacco leaf, cherries, black currants, incense and a background note of orange rind. On the palate, soft, fresh, elegant and refined, with layers of sweet, ripe, red fruits that taste as good as they feel. This is an incredible success for the vintage. The wine blends 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere. Drink from 2026-2050.
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3/4/2024 - Zweder Likes this wine: 93 Points
UGCB Amsterdam, walkaround tasting so just short notes.: Juicy dark and red berries, well dosed oak, good acidity and round tannin. Good length. There is a hint of bell pepper noticeable, but it is certainly a very good wine.
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3/1/2024 - vvWine.ch wrote: 95 Points
Komplexe Nase, noch dezent vom Holz geprägt, tiefgründig und rein, sehr feiner Cassisduft, Kirschen, Gräser, florale Noten, ein Hit. Im Gaumen elegant, anfangs leicht cremig, wird dann immer straffer, messerscharf, elegant, mit feinkörnigem Tannin, einer ungemein knackigen Frucht und sehr schöner aromatischer Länge. Das ist ein tänzerischer Brane, der früh Spass machen kann, jedoch nicht zu unterschätzen ist in Sachen Potential. 2027-2048+ (Verkostet im November 2023 in Zürich bei UGCB)
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1/26/2024 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
a healthy, lovely 21; powdery, raspberry, blueberry, potpourri - the nose really does catch you. Perfumed floral finish; very pretty, delicate yet gourmand. 92-93
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1/25/2024 - ohne_musik wrote:
UGCB SF Tasting Event (Metreon, San Francisco): Endowed with decent fruit and good concentration. Perhaps the most overt toast on the oak, with clove and other baking spice? A pleasing whisp of green and tobacco - actually tastes like cabernet. Needs time to integrate. 92
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1/24/2024 - KeithAkers wrote: 91 Points
UGC 2021 Bordeaux (Vibiana, Los Angeles, CA): 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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1/23/2024 - Jake Barnes Likes this wine:
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 higher (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, but with very good focus and refinement. Much softer than many of the rest, which were quite acidic and strident. A fairly complete wine showing a judicious use of oak. Second only to Lynch Bages and tied with Giscours, Les Carmes Haut Brion, Canon la Gaffiere, and surprisingly D’Angludet as the best of the rest that I tasted. Unknown ABV **(*)
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1/22/2024 - oldwines wrote: 91 Points
Union Des Grands Crus Bordeaux (New York City, NY, USA): I found this rather harsh and rough. Earthy for sure, but fruit totally hidden like most of the Margaux's I tasted today. Seemed one dimensional. Perhaps this and the other Margaux's were tasted early in the event and had not had much time open? Not great for me in this instance. Of note I have enjoyed this wine in many vintage and warmly remember the 1982, 1983 and 1985, which are sadly long gone now.
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1/20/2024 - Dr.Cork Likes this wine: 91 Points
UGCB Millésime 2021 (Montréal, QC, Canada): Complexe, fruité, floral, épices. Beaucoup de concentration, explosif, mais bien dosé. Tannins soyeux. Long.
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11/19/2023 - Cailles wrote: 91 Points
11x Bordeaux 2021: UCG Arrivage Tasting of just a handful of 2021 Bordeauxs. Some thoughts: 1) It's a very mediocre vintage. There is not enough substance, many wines seem simple. Especially on the Left Bank, the balance was a bit off (too much acidity, too many herbal notes, not enough fruit... and some showed greenness and drying tannins). 2) 2021 is being promoted as a vintage for "classic" Bordeaux lovers, a vintage for those who liked 2014 and 2017. In my opinion, 2021 does not come close to those vintages. 2014 is more structured, with better balance and often more depth. 2017 is much rounder, more balanced and a bit more polished. 3) We all know the high prices for 2021, so there's no need to chase them (they'll probably only get cheaper in the next few years). Here are some impressions on a few selected wines.
TN: Brief comment, no detailed notes taken. As always, Brane Cantenac delivers. This is a charming, round, well-balanced wine with a good fruit core. It is a bit simple, yes, but still a success. 91pts.
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11/6/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux 2021 Arrivage Tasting (Dolder Grand, Zurich): A polished, rather ripe and dense wine. Hints of spice, iron-like mineral notes, unsweetened liquorish and leathery notes complement a fruit that started off dark, but changed to a brighter, more red type of berry. Fresh and juicy palate, but leaning towards a bit too much acidity.
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6/20/2022 - vvWine.ch wrote: 95 Points
(94-96 vvPunkte) Komplexe Nase, noch dezent vom Holz geprägt, tiefgründig und rein, sehr feiner Cassisduft, Kirschen, Gräser, florale Noten, ein Hit. Im Gaumen elegant, anfangs leicht cremig, wird dann immer straffer, messerscharf, elegant, mit feinkörnigem Tannin, einer ungemein knackigen Frucht und sehr schöner aromatischer Länge. Das ist ein tänzerischer Brane, der früh Spass machen kann, jedoch nicht zu unterschätzen ist in Sachen Potential. 2027-2048+ (Verkostet "En Primeur" im April 2022. Château Brane-Cantenac) vvWine.ch
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5/31/2022 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 95 Points
Selections of Bordeaux 2021 from barrel: With perfumed aromas of faded rose, white pepper, black tea leaf, and nutmeg spice, this blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and bits of Carmènere, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc mightily impresses for its robust mid palate. Overall refined tannins albeit a touch drying on the finish, but barrel aging should resolve this. (94-96)
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5/20/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Tobacco, roses, currants and bouquet garni kick off the perfume. The wine is soft, fresh, medium-bodied, and quite charming, as well as vibrant, finishing with a touch of spice on top of all the sweet red fruits you find on the backend. You will be able to enjoy this on release. The wine blends 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere 12.7% ABV. The harvest took place September 23-October 7. Drink from 2023-2050 93-95
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5/8/2022 - WineTally Likes this wine:
Cabernet Sauvignon 74%
Merlot 22%
Cabernet Franc 2%
Petit Verdot 1%
Carmenère 1%
from clayey gravel soil and vines of average age 36 yrs.
Vinified in oak casks.
Aging (pending) in new oak.
12.7% Abv.
Proprietor/Winemaker: Henri Lurton (since 1992)
Barrel sample presented in May 2022.
A(ccuray)=2: Deep purple. Plush, focused Cab blend.
B(alance)=3: Tout fruit with firm structure.
C(omplexity)=2: Dark berries, licorice, vanilla, oak tannin.
D(epth)=2: Cool mouthfeel. Even palate and lingering finish.
Wine Tally Score [2,3,2,2]= 9/10
Lurton explained the strategies behind this tricky vintage.
For story-telling label graphics, see:
[https://www.instagram.com/p/CeV9OBcJo-x/]
[https://www.facebook.com/WineTally/]
For a unique multimedia resource, see
[https://winetally.wixsite.com/vingnette]
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4/25/2022 - chatters wrote:
En-Primeur campaign for the 2021 vintage; 4/25/2022-4/29/2022 (Bordeaux): Plenty of polished oak up front, wild blackcurrant compote, slight pyrazine. Medium plus intensity acidity lends juiciness, fleshy, fresh crunchy blackcurrant, sweet and savoury spice, drying grainy tannins show the oak and persist long. Pretty good for a classic Bordeaux as long as those oaky tannins integrate with rather than dominate the fruit.
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