- Vinous has published Antonio Galloni’s Bordeaux 2021 En Primeur report.
- Seven wines received his highest barrel-range score of 96-98 points.
- Galloni called 2021 ‘a brilliant vintage for the dry whites of Bordeaux’.
Vinous has published Antonio Galloni’s Bordeaux 2021 En Primeur report entitled ‘Back to Classicism’, making him the third major critic to release his assessment of the new vintage.
In his opening line, Galloni states that the 2021 vintage has ‘turned out to be such a surprise’. Despite the challenges, he says, ‘the top properties turned out gorgeous, classically built wines that will absolutely thrill readers who appreciate freshness and energy’.
Galloni sees the 2021s as ‘a radical departure from the preceding three vintages’. The wines are 1% or more lower in alcohol than in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and ‘oak is very nicely integrated in many of the best wines’.
Like other critics, Galloni explains that ‘quality is inconsistent […] so choosing carefully is essential’.
Top-scoring wines
Galloni’s top-scoring wines can be seen in the table below.
Two dry whites make the list of his favourites: Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc and Château Haut-Brion Blanc. The critic claimed that 2021 was ‘a brilliant vintage for the dry whites of Bordeaux,’ which have ‘the energy that is often associated with cooler seasons, but the textural richness that is often only achieved in warm years’.
Most of his top-scoring wines also make the list of wines that he would ‘personally love to have in [his] cellar’ because they ‘offer a compelling mix of quality, personality and expected price’.
The question of price
On the question of pricing, Galloni commented that ‘2021 carries with it a negative perception because of the challenges of the year’ – a view that ‘is simply not justified by the quality of the best wines’.
On the one hand, he considered rising interest rates and the possibility of global recession as reasons why owners should be cautious with pricing.
On the other, he explained that inflation, with prices of bottles, labels and other materials up over 25%, the US dollar’s appreciation vis-à-vis the Euro and wine shortages, might justify price increases.
Upcoming Bordeaux 2021 coverage
Galloni’s report covered close to 300 wines, focusing on the wines that are sold En Primeur. He revealed that Neal Martin’s report, expected on Thursday, will cover a wider range.
Here is the link to the Liv-ex En Primeur Report for Bordeaux 2021, which was published recently and is currently available to members only.
Liv-ex will be covering this year’s campaign in full. Don’t forget to sign-up to our email alerts during the campaign in order to not miss a single release.
Liv-ex analysis is drawn from the world’s most comprehensive database of fine wine prices. The data reflects the real time activity of Liv-ex’s 560+ merchant members from across the globe. Together they represent the largest pool of liquidity in the world – currently £100m of bids and offers across 16,000 wines. Independent data, direct from the market.
