Château Grand Village, Rouge, Bordeaux Supérieur, 2021
Omri described 2021 as a "vintage of work". This is not something the Guinaudeau clan are afraid of. Few teams are as well prepared, but even for the most meticulous, nature can sometimes present new challenges. In all they encountered 10 nights that required frost protection, but on the 6th of April, they noticed that the turbines were having no affect. It turned out that a 2 Km column of cold air (that originated in Greenland) was sitting over Bordeaux. The turbines were simply sucking more cold air down into the vineyards. Thankfully it wasn’t a hard frost, so the bougies deployed amongst the vines prevented any serious loss. Omri also defines 2021 as another "multi-vintage year". The first half of summer was oceanic and presented mildew pressure. It wasn't the heaviest rain, but it was unrelenting and required a lot of "gardening". When summer finally arrived, the team worked the soils helping oxygenate the vines. Finally, 2021 provided the opportunity to make wines with lift and elegance. We probably sound like broken records, but this is yet another impeccable range of wines from the Guinaudeau family estates, particularly for Grand Village (red and white) and Les Perrieres. Several plots have been removed from Grand Village. The vineyard area has reduced from 17Ha to just 10.5Ha. By removing the more "rustic" plots, Grand Village has achieved a new level of refinement. One really feels this on the tannic profile. There's a real nobility here. Gorgeous aromatics: leafy black currant, herbs, a touch of wild hedgerow fruit, then fresh and fluid, with dark fruits, tobacco leaf and fine cool earth notes. This grows and develops in the glass. There's plenty of substance, a creamy texture, suave and elegant tannins and a refreshing saline finish. Incredibly poised for a wine at this price point. 75% Merlot and 25% Bouchet (Cabernet Franc)
critic reviews
A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc (Bouchet), the 2021 Grand Village has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It leaps from the glass with gregarious notes of lilacs, cinnamon toast, and black pepper, giving way to a core of Morello cherries and black raspberries. Medium-bodied, the palate is lively and plush, bursting with red berry and spicy flavors, finishing long and lifted.
The 2021 Grand Village has a lovely bouquet with blackberry, raspberry and a touch of black olive, well-defined with nicely integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with a pliant entry and a fine bead of acidity, not a powerful Grand Village but indeed bestowed the elegance that has only been evident in recent vintages—just a lovely wine.
The 2021 Grand Village, a blend of 48% Merlot (picked on the 17th and 24th of September) and 52% Cabernet Franc (picked on the 2nd of October), is undoubtedly one of the best values in Bordeaux, revealing a fresh, gourmand bouquet with aromas of raspberry, cassis, spring flowers and loamy soils. Medium-bodied, tense and elegant with a supple, velvety texture, its perfectly balanced with powdery tannins and a long, mouthwatering, sleek finish that enhances its drinkability. While it offers plenty of immediate charm, it also has the structure to age over the next decade.
This has enticing aromatics of violet, peony, lilac. There is a focus on acidity and tannic structure that makes it more serious than your average AOC Bordeaux, and overall this is an elegant Grand Village, more subdued than in recent years, but with well-expressed brambled red fruits. They are increasingly focusing on limestone expression, as they uproot the heavier clay plots, and you feel it in the architecture and motion through the palate. Harvest from September 29 to October 7.