The vintage

2021

A cool, classic year in a warm decade

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The 2021 vintage, rated

A cool, classic year in a warm decade

In 2026 a bottle from 2021 marks a 5th birthday or anniversary

The vintage

Good · 3/5

Frost in April and a cool, damp summer made 2021 the odd one out: lower alcohol, fresher wines. Bordeaux is classic and light, best from the top estates. Burgundy made a tiny crop of delicate, pretty wines. Barolo 2021 is excellent and widely praised, Brunello 2021 very good. Champagne was small and difficult; Germany and the Loire fresh and good.

What we would buy, and why

For a fifth birthday, Piedmont is the sure choice: Barolo 2021 is one of the best recent vintages there and will keep. Bordeaux and Burgundy 2021 suit someone who prefers freshness to power - buy from a top name.

2021 in the world

In February the Perseverance rover landed on Mars. In March the container ship Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal for six days, and in the summer Tokyo held the Olympic Games a year late.

Best bets for 2021

  • Barolo 2021 - excellent, a top recent vintage
  • Brunello di Montalcino 2021 - very good
  • Top-estate Bordeaux 2021 - classic and fresh
  • Loire or German whites 2021 - bright and precise

How we grade a bottle

Fill level, label, capsule and cork, then provenance. Every bottle is checked by hand by people who have handled thousands of old bottles, and we write down the flaws as well as the good news. What the fill levels mean · How to choose a birth-year wine

Real people, not a chatbot

Ask a person about this year

The people who answer are the same people who check and pack the bottles. Ask for photographs, a condition report or advice on a year and you get a straight answer from the ANNO team, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 CET.