2021 Mendoza Vintage

On 5 October 2020 a frost struck Mendoza at the start of budding in some varieties and before it in others. Damage was verified in all of the province's productive oases, and the timing left the vines responding very unevenly at flowering and fruit set. The frost hit many vineyards in the eastern part of the province, where most high-volume wines are made; the rest of the province shrugged off the damage, while the East anticipated a 25 percent drop in yields. Mendoza also recorded 28 hailstorms between November and January, causing varying levels of damage. The summer began warm, temperatures dropped from mid-January, and rain began in February and continued into the first week of March. With more cloud cover and cooler days, the Mendoza summer logged 6 percent fewer degree days than the historical average, and high February rains in Mendoza added to the effect. Grapes, especially whites, took their time to ripen. When temperatures rose again in March the weather turned dry and ripening sped up, so the white and red harvests overlapped, while pandemic protocols cut the available labour. The February 2021 forecast put Mendoza's crop more than 9 percent below 2020, a fall attributed to the frost.

• Frost on 5 October 2020 across Mendoza's oases; the East anticipated a 25 percent drop in yields
• 28 hailstorms in Mendoza between November and January
• Mendoza summer degree days 6 percent below the historical average; rain from February into the first week of March
• Forecast: Mendoza more than 9 percent below 2020; Argentina 19,323,000 quintals, down 6.39 percent

Trouble emerged in eastern Mendoza. Hugo Zamora, an oenologist working for ten wineries from San Martin to La Paz, said (translated) that the amount of rain forced an earlier pick to avoid rot or botrytis, bringing in grapes with less sugar. The east also saw damage from Lobesia botrana, the grapevine moth, which turns to rot in humid weather, hail wounds that needed treating in time, and downy mildew (peronospora) attacks tied to the humidity and to many growers being unable to spray again in December. Sergio Case of Trapiche said (translated) that ripening in Mendoza was running normally, that the October frost cost a significant volume in the East, and that he had good expectations for high-end varieties in the Uco Valley such as Pinot Noir. In the Uco Valley, Sebastian Zuccardi said the whites took a while to ripen and that his team harvested Chardonnay from San Pablo at the same time as Malbec from Altamira.

In March 2021, winemakers from several regions agreed the harvest was of high quality even though the quantity was lower than the year before. Sebastian Zuccardi called it "a year of lower concentration with high acidity." Mariano di Paola, chief winemaker at Rutini Wines, said: "It's an extraordinary harvest; surprisingly healthy given how things were looking at one point." Fernando Buscema, executive director at the Catena Institute of Wine, said the cooler climate and rain followed by a sunny March "provided Bordeaux-style conditions for the Cabernet Sauvignon, which arrived healthy and ripe with low alcohol content." On Malbec in Mendoza, Juan Pablo Murgia of Bodega Argento said: "We've seen good expression of fruit, balance, tangy acidity, mild alcohol and complex textures." Silvio Alberto of Bodegas Bianchi said (translated) that the winery harvested around 20 percent less because of the October frost, that the season was colder than 2020, and that consumers would find good quality with less alcohol.

• Zuccardi: "a year of lower concentration with high acidity"
• Buscema, Catena Institute of Wine: "Bordeaux-style conditions for the Cabernet Sauvignon"
• Bodegas Bianchi: around 20 percent less fruit after the October frost

Mendoza holds 70 percent of Argentina's vineyards. In San Juan, the second largest wine-producing province, Decanter called 2021 one of the best harvests in recent years, especially in the Pedernal Valley at 1,371m. The January 2021 estimate for the northern provinces of San Juan, La Rioja, Salta and Catamarca was 5.97 million quintals, 20 percent below the average of the previous 10 years, with San Juan's very dry water situation named as the main cause. In the Calchaqui Valleys the harvest was fairly typical, with average rainfall in Cafayate and a warm summer that brought picking forward a few days. In Patagonia a cool start with unusual snowfalls gave way to a dry, warm, windy summer that brought the Alto Valle de Rio Negro harvest forward.

• Decanter: San Juan one of the best recent harvests, especially in the Pedernal Valley
• Northern provinces: estimate of 5.97 million quintals, 20 percent below the 10-year average
• Patagonia: dry, warm, windy summer brought the Alto Valle de Rio Negro harvest forward