The 2021 Issues

I like the best 2021s for the vivid, crystal clear, light-footed wines they are. They are in many ways a return to the Burgundies of yesterday, with the wines having a more delicate balance and no or little global-warming-based generosity.

This is, however, a delicate balance; a very delicate balance in some instances.

The palate gap

Some of the wines have a “weak chin” if you like, leaving the mid-palate hollow or thin in expression and power.

It seems like this is the case when the vigneron tries to stretch the wine too far … and extract too much – and this causes a mid-palate collapse, what I will call the palate gap.

These are not necessarily bad wines, however some are not inspirering at all.

Hail in core of Gevrey

There was some hail in the core of Gevrey-Chambertin’s vineyards, and this can in some cases be seen in the wines as the famous “gout de grele,” (taste of hail).

The least perceptible version of this is weak mid-palate fruit. The problem was mitigated by thorough sorting, and is tolerable. But the wine is rarely as exciting as a wine with full fruit expression.

The gout de grele in its more serious sense is a bitter note than can be perceived as enhanced tannins in the wine. It can be quite pronounced, and some people are more sensitive. I would recommend not to buy wines that have this problem. Check the harvest and tasting reports (like this one) for hail warnings.

Some vineyards have this issue, while others do not. But the vineyards north of the Gevrey grands crus up to Brochon/Fixin can sometimes be affected.

Unclean flavours

Most good vignerons have produced transparent wines of good purity; the best are crystal clear, crunchy, and delicate.

But if you move a bit down the producer ranks then the fruit gets slightly unclear – or worse. Be aware of producers with both owned and bought grapes: Some have not been so lucky with their purchased fruit.

Uncleanliness of fruit can also be the case with growers that employ less-than-optimal sorting – not a good choice in 2021.

Light versus chaptalized wines

As 2021 was not a year with great ripeness, quite many wines have been chaptalized. This is not necessarily bad when done with moderation. However…

Frequently is it preferable to leave lesser wines as just that, rather than attempting to boost them with more extraction and/or sugar. Lots of Burgundy fans long for a true vin de soif.