2021 is a complicated vintage for St. Emilion. While heterogenous, there are several very fine wines, even in this challenging year. Growers with Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon produced wines with St. Emilion character, and style that are well worth tasting.

It is often the case with white Bordeaux that when the vintage is difficult for the red wines, white wines often excel, which is exactly what happened with 2021. The best whites exude purity, freshness, lift, and vibrancy. The fruits are aromatic, sweet, ripe, and sizzling with the racy acidities that are unique to Bordeaux. And, only 2 wines earned perfect scores this year, and both are white wines!

While not homogenous, there are several quite nice 2021 Pomerol wines with style, character, and the ability to age, and evolve gracefully. In fact, 2 Pomerol wines are in competition for wine of the vintage! Most 2021 Pomerol will have wide drinking widows, as they will be for the most part, delicious early in life, yet, will evolve for up to 2 decades.

2021 Lalande de Pomerol wines are like the other Bordeaux appellations, the product of a difficult and challenging growing season. Yields are down, quantities are small, but, even with all of that to contend with, there are estates that produced some very charming, stylish wines.

If you are seeking easy-drinking wines with charm that offer freshness, vibrancy and early-drinking charm, there are several choice to be found in the all of the 2021 wines from the Saint Emilion Satellite Appellations.

With the numerous appellations that make up the Cotes de Bordeaux, as you might surmise, the results in a challenging are quite heterogenous. Yet, there some success stores here, with wines that deliver above what you would expect from the difficult 2021 vintage that deserve consideration.