Burgundy 2013 Vintage - "Hang time"

“Hang time" is the catchphrase that kept coming up in my tastings with more than 50 producers up and down the Côte d'Or earlier this month. It has become clear over the last decade or so that it is this and well-controlled yields that are two of the vital factors for making great Red Burgundy, certainly more so than hot and sunny weather.


Etienne Grivot sums it up better than anyone: “A difficult but incredible year.”

It was not an easy growing season: The weather was poor during flowering which greatly affected yields, summer was difficult and although end of season weather improved and aided ripening the very late harvest was interrupted by a storm in early October. In fact it was one of the latest harvests ever, certainly for Frederic Mugnier - the last time grapes were picked that late was 1984, the same goes for Marquis d’Angerville. However, despite all of this, the reds at top addresses have turned out brilliantly, something that could not have happened without the tiny crop the vines were carrying and the enormous amount of selection work that the top domaines undertook at harvest time. Acidities, though high, tend not to stick out anything like as much as other high-acid vintages such as 2008 and 1993, in fact they blend beautifully into the wines, adding nothing more than an appetising verve. The fruit, though it took a while, reached full maturity. Unusually in this day and age of global warming, grape skins and pips ripened at low alcohol levels, between 11.5 to 12.5%. But perhaps the most intriguing feature of this red vintage of all are the wonderfully suave tannic structures, a result of the long hang time on the vine (120 days instead of the usual 100 from flowering to ripening.)

The wines boast that beguiling mix of lightness and intensity - Red Burgundy's great attribute. Whilst not always a homogenous vintage, thanks to uneven ripening, rot and hail that damaged vines from Savigny to the north side of Meursault, the important point is that good growers with good vineyards were capable of making great wines. In 2013 each wine's terroir characteristics were even more transparent than in 2012, a reason some vignerons rate their ‘13s more highly. At their best these are bright, transparent, seductive and certainly age-worthy.

The same can be said of the whites: Quality and ripeness were uneven at lesser addresses and here acidities may stick out a touch, but at any domaine worth its salt they are truly excellent.  Acidities are racy, the wines are streamlined, refreshing and show greater balance and refinement than 2012s, and a touch more ripeness than 2007s. Quantities, whilst not big, are a smidgeon better than in 2012.

Overall it is difficult to generalise about 2013 apart from the fact that it was not a homogenous year and quantities are just as small as 2012, sometimes smaller. It is clear, though, that this can be an exciting vintage. There are some wonderful  Côte de Nuits wines from good terroirs and, whilst the weather was a little more challenging in the Côte Beaune, there are some great reds to be found there too, notably around Aloxe and in parts of Volnay. For the whites, there are many extremely fine wines from the top vineyards of Chassagne, Puligny and the south side of Meursault.

Herewith some of our growers’ thoughts on the vintage:

Etienne Grivot: “A difficult but incredible vintage, the alcohols were low but the pips and skins were ripe, it was a very late year, reminding me of 1978.”

Gregory Gouges: “ A Beautiful Vintage.”

Christophe Roumier: “2013 started off reminding me of 1993, but now I am more inclined to think 2001 or 1995.”

Gerard Boudot, Etienne Sauzet: “Among the very best ever Puligny vintages.”

Erwan Faiveley: “An amazing vintage at the very best estates”.

VIDEO: Domaine Chantal Remy, Clos des Rosiers

Our recent Burgundy trip took us far and wide. Here Chantal Remy's son, Florian, explains to us Clos des Rosiers.

White Burgfest 2011: An update on 2011 White Burgundies

Our chairman, Hew Blair, who will soon be tasting his 40th Burgundy vintage with Justerini & Brooks this autumn, looks back at the Burgfest review of the 2011 white wines tasted earlier this year. 

A report on this summer's Red Burgfest 2011 will follow in the coming week.

THE TASTING

-          3 days of blind tasting by 8 top worldwide wine buyers and journalists Neal Martin and Dr Neil Beckett.

-          250 wines tasted in 29 flights

-          1ers and Grand Crus from the Cotes d’Or’s main wine producing villages and for the first time St Aubin and Chablis

-          Discussion was entered into after each flight pre and post disclosure and at the termination of the tasting

 THE RESULTS

Chablis 2011 proved to be ultra mineral ( a good thing ) , but the palate puckering style made it  difficult to see into some of the wines. Consequently top names such as Dauvissat were very closed and backward. Others with a richer style were considerably more open, the Grand Crus of William Fevre and Moreau-Naudet.  The overall range of Jean-Marc Brocard received the best reviews being taught ,focused and with exquisite balance.

For a debut at this tasting the St Aubins’ in these two flights were of a consistent high quality. The energy , minerality and complexity amongst the best was impressive. The top Domaines , such as Lamy , Ch de Puligny and Marc Colin are taking this appellation into new heights of quality.

Of the five flights of 1er Cru Meursault , Genevrieres proved to be the most consistent and with real outstanding performers headed by Domaines des Comtes Lafon - a brilliant example - “ wild flowers , limestone teasing complexity “  Dominic’s Perrieres and Charmes were also top notch .Other over achievers were Michel Bouzereau , Ch de Puligny and Bernard Boisson Vadot .

The 2011 vintage in Chassagne crystallised the difference in style and quality between the higher and lower 1er Crus .Outstandly good examples came from Grandes Ruchottes , La Romanee and Caillerets on the upper slopes exploited by Paul Pillot , Bernard Moreau and several Moreys.The middle and lower 1er crus were as to be expected richer with more density but very fine Vide Bourse of Marc Colin and Chenevottes from Jean Noel Gagnard showed what can be achieved showing energy and minerality.

Amongst the five flights of 1er Cru Puligny’s there were few disappointments and many superb wines which showed the outstandingly high quality of the 2011 vintage in this village . Great wines across the board from the high flying Domaines headed by Sauzet , Leflaive and Bachelet Monnot . It would be tricky to choose the outstanding vineyards of the vintage, but Folatieres and Pucelles are my pick.

The Corton Charlemagnes were split into three flights East ,West and Ladoix. No particular advantage was perceivable . The West flight was headed by Remi Rollin’s dynamic , brooding  age-worthy example , the East by Patrick Javillier’s delicious roasted nut and butter example and Ladoix exquisitely balanced wines of Franck Follin-Arbelet and Oliver Leflaive .

The Grand Crus centred on Montrachet were tasted in four Flights. The wine of the whole tasting was the Le Montrachet Comtes Lafon , breathtaking intensity power and balance, closely followed by an ethereal Montrachet from Marquis de Laguiche . Other outstanding wines were the Batard and Chevaliers of Domaine Laflaive and the cool restrained ageworthy Batards’ of Sauzet and Bachelet Monnot .

The 2011 White Burgundies were a pleasant surprise in many ways . There were few if any corked bottles , which shows growers are taking quality control of corks more seriously . There was no sign of any premature oxidation , perhaps a combination of fine acidity and lessons learned both in vineyard and cellar . Overall I would be confident and more than happy to have these wines in my cellar and be in no rush to pull the corks . The 2011s from these top Domaines will provide great pleasure and in many cases exceptional quality drinking .

Burgundy by Village Tasting

On Monday evening the doors of the Caledonian Club were opened with a typically ebullient Scottish welcome for Justerini & Brooks’ ‘Red Burgundy by Village’ tasting. More than 150 guests, some old friends, au fait with the riches of our Burgundy portfolio, some uninitiated, joined us to taste over 60 wines arranged by commune.

It was wonderful to see so many enthusiasts enjoying the superb wines on display. Giles, our Buying Director, had carefully selected a range of wines to show off the breadth and depth of our offering. Despite Burgundy being flavour of the month, a label it has proudly worn for several years now, we were still able to showcase a multitude of gems from our stocks. Many samples hailed from 2007 and 2008 – harvests that were not without complication. However, these unsung vintages ably display the skill of our winemakers and the strides that Burgundy as a region has made in the past decade or two. They are also years that are rather flattering to drink right now! In some cases, discerning collectors had already relieved us of our 2007 and 2008 examples, so 2009, 2010 and 2011 stepped into the breach. The 2009s and 2010s are still displaying their youthful, fruit characters and are clearly class acts. The 2011s showed brilliant purity and silky textures and promise to be very fine drinkers in years to come.

In the Cote de Beaune, there was a fascinating match-up between Volnay and Pommard. Volnay, so often held aloft as being more charming and less bucolic than its neighbour, certainly had its work cut out. The Pommards from de Montille, in particular the Rugiens 2008, dispelled the theory that all Pommard is rustic and requires decades of cellaring. This was without doubt one of the stars of the tasting and narrowly eclipsed the also excellent 2008 Volnay Mitans and the 2009 Volnay Taillepieds from the same producer.

Nuits St Georges from Etienne Grivot, Robert Chevillon and Henri Gouges all shone. This commune is so much more than a poor neighbour of Vosne Romanee. They may be without Grand Crus (for the time being), but Vaucrains, Cailles, Pruliers and Les St Georges are all serious contenders. For those who find some of the prices in the Cote de Nuits a little scary, there is still plenty of value to be had in this village.

Alas, so many Vosne wines sell out en primeur, but we were still able to open examples from Francois Lamarche, Etienne Grivot and Bruno Clair. The Lamarche Malconsorts and the Grivot Suchots  are fabulous 1er crus that deserve to be in the most discerning of cellars. Bruno Clair’s excellent Champs Perdrix is a little beauty. With two barrels of Petit Monts in the blend, this is a very fine Vosne and excellent value.

The star of the Chambolle commune was Joseph Drouhin’s 1er cru Baudes 2008: feminine, ethereal, elegant Chambolle just as Bacchus intended it to be. Our new boy, Perrot Minot shone very brightly on the Morey St Denis table. Their 2010s are sumptuous and stylish and, although the prices are a bit eye watering, they are worth every penny!

As one would expect, the Gevrey Chambertin table was a swamped for most of the evening (hardly surprising when you have names such as Denis Mortet, Bruno Clair, Louis Remy, Drouhin Laroze and Joseph Drouhin exhibiting). There were two mini flights of the Grand Crus, Latricieres Chambertin and Chambertin and Chambertin Clos de Beze – the perfect way to finish a tasting! In truth, impressive as the Grand Crus were, most deserve much more time. The 2007 Latricieres from Louis Remy was delicious and approachable, but perhaps the picks of the commune were the excellent 2008Bruno Clair Cazetiers and the magnificent 2008 Mortet Gevrey 1er cru. Denis’ son Arnaud really has emerged as one of the most talented young winemakers in Burgundy; it’s well worth picking up some of his 2008s while you still can!

Many thanks to the Caledonian Club for being so hospitable and to everyone who attended and helped to make it such a wonderful event.

Burgundy 2012 Vintage Report - "Less is more"

2012 was a challenging vintage in Burgundy that has produced brilliant wines. Mother Nature threw everything at the growers: poor flowering (though this was to be a blessing in quality terms), mildew, hail (twice) and sunburn. Vitally the one thing that did not present a problem in 2012 was rot. Frank Follin is by no means alone when he says that “the grapes in 2012 were the most beautiful I have ever seen.” The red wines are intense, suave, fresh and ripe. They have the concentration of 2010 but show a little more accessibility and roundness. They will, therefore, show extremely well young, whilst also offering great ageing potential – such is their super balance. The whites are hugely concentrated but in many cases this does not seem to have resulted in too much heaviness or lack of balance, certainly as far as the wines from vineyards grown on poor, stony soils are concerned. It is specifically from these vineyards where wines should have a good long life ahead of them.

Qualitatively this seems to be a very homogenous vintage for red wine, whether its Bourgogne, Chorey Les Beaune or Chambertin. It is difficult to generalise in this vintage, there are so many brilliant examples of elegant Pinot Noir from all over the Cote, though it does seem that Chambolle-Musigny has produced its best wine for several years. That said Arnaud Mortet of Gevrey-Chambertin has produced his greatest work yet, too. Furthermore there are many outstanding Nuits and Vosnes, though be warned Nuits St Georges in particular has suffered particularly low yields. For whites, as mentioned earlier, the most outstanding wines come from the stonier vineyards in Chassagne, Puligny and Meursault. The likes of Grande Montagne, Caillerets, Garenne, Folatieres,Tillets, Perrieres (Puligny and Meursault), Luraule and Clos des Grands Charrons are all well worth seeking out.

Arnaud Mortet

This exceptional quality has come at a price: There is very little wine. The crop ranges from 20 to 90% down on 2011. Gerard Boudot of Etienne Sauzet has been making wine since 1974 and has never known such a small vintage, his Folatieres is just one example - he made 2 barrels instead of the usual 10. Don’t be surprised to see offers of 6 packs, 3 packs and even individual bottles during the 2012 releases in January. 2013 is also terribly small, and with 2011 and 2010 being short crops, too, Burgundy has effectively produced the equivalent of two decent sized vintages in 4 years. Cellars up and down the Cote d’Or look empty. Add this to furious, ever-increasing demand and we have quite a shortage on our hands and producers will inevitably have to put prices up.

Drouhin Laroze: Recognition at last!

Drouhin-Laroze

As prices for a small selection of Burgundian wine producers continue to fly into the stratosphere, those of us who love Burgundy are learning that there is more to life than Rousseau. A lot more...

At Justerinis we have long sought to find our own path and follow producers who we believe in; we are so pleased when these producers start to get the recognition they deserve. We have recently seen demand for and prices of Bruno Clair jump significantly as the world wakes up to the brilliance of this great domaine and are now seeing signs of the same for Drouhin-Laroze. The key thing these two domaines have in common is great holdings. In the case of Drouhin Laroze nice chunks of Bonnes Mares, Clos de Beze and Clos Vougeot. There are plenty of producers who sadly don’t make good use of their land and others who excel with comparatively minor sites; but in the end Burgundy is all about terroir and the magic happens when the right sites get into the right hands. This is what has happened at Drouhin-Laroze.

We have long believed in this domaine but things have really started to step up since 2001. Clive Coates suggests that before 2001 the winemaking was a little too prominent at the expense of terroir, which is a fair comment, however he is now getting more positive ever year describing them as “fresher, more individual, more stylish” and awarding some very high scores in his 3 year retrospective tastings. Jasper Morris also seems to be a fan and comments that Philippe Drouhin is “a rare Gevrey producer who succeeds with wines from Chambolle, most triumphantly with his excellent Bonnes Mares.” Burghound is on board too heaping big scores on these wines in recent vintages and on some older examples (Clos de Beze 1978, Bonnes Mares 1964 and Bonnes Mares 1966). It seems that, as is often the case, terroir reasserts itself given enough time.

The highlights of the Drouhin-Laroze holdings are as follows…

Bonnes Mares (1.49 Hectares):

In Bonnes Mares they have various plots clustered around the centre of the vineyard, all on the terres blanches as opposed to the terres rouges. Bonnes Mares is split by a diagonal path which neatly separates the two different soil types. Wines from the terres blanches tend to be more mineral and spicy with firmer tannins whereas those from the terres rouges are typically more muscular and rich but with slightly softer, rounder tannins. Coates describes wines from the terres blanches as more civilised (which is a rather nice way of putting it) and according to Christopher Roumier they are “more spiritual”. It is common to vinify parcels from each soil type separately and blend, such is the difference.

Chambertin Clos de Beze (1.39 Hectares):

Drouhin-Laroze has one large parcel which runs the full height of the vineyard next to Pierre Damoy and a couple of smaller blocks down at the bottom. Their Beze is very fine and elegant; ethereal. Very much a Beze rather than the typically weightier Chambertin.

Clos Vougeot (1.03 Hectares):

Château de Clos de Vougeot

All of Philippe Drouhin’s Clos Vougeot is situated at the top of the vineyard, up near Grands-Echezeaux. There is great variation in Clos Vougeot and the top is widely held to yield finer wines than lower down the slope. Like so much of this terroir dogma, when you stand in the vineyard this makes perfect sense. The top part of Clos Vougeot is in the sweet spot of the slope. Drouhin-Laroze’s Vougeot is powerful and dense but there is a real brightness to the fruit and vibrancy which marks it out. There is no sense of heaviness at all, it is a chiselled Vougeot with great line and drive.

We massively believe in this estate and as the enthusiasm of the critics continues to increase, these wines are starting to look seriously under-priced.

White Burgfest 2010 - a blind tasting of the Top 1ers and Grand Crus

I felt honoured and excited to join the White Burgfest tasting 2010 earlier this Spring. The event offered a rare chance to blind taste all of the top 1ers and Grand Crus white burgundies, from one vintage, over two and a half days. There was a crack tasting team of 10 people, made up of the UK’s top Burgundy buyers, aficionados and journalists. We tasted 162 wines, all from the famed 2010 vintage, in flights grouped by commune and then by vineyard or terroir.

Overall 2010 proved itself to be an excellent vintage. There will always be disappointments and variability in a one-off tasting of this magnitude, but by and large the standard was high. The brilliant quality of the tasting’s best wines in mind match anything we have seen from recent white Burgundy vintages. At time of release the vintage was famed for its mix of ripeness and racy intensity. Whilst acidities were high, they were nothing like as searing as in 2007, some wines performed better the longer they were open and will certainly benefit from being decanted but that said the tasting was far from tough-going. There was more evidence of botrytis and overripe fruit in the wines than I remembered from my barrel tastings, but in many cases this lack of “typicity” as some would call it did not bother me at all, where the wine was properly in balance. In fact I found this fruit exuberance extremely seductive.

My overall impressions were as follows:

There were 5 flights of Meursault, a big commune and therefore variable, but there were lots of very good wines, Roulot Michel Bouzereau, Boisson Vadot and Ente all shone, but pick of the bunch, and arguably producer of the tasting was Domaine des Comtes Lafon, his Montrachet was the top wine of the entire tasting and his Meursault Perrieres was the highest placed non Grand Cru. More generally, Genevrieres and Perrieres were a cut above the other vineyards

There was a big difference between the quality of the high, stony Chassagne vineyards where there were some excellent wines and the slightly more cumbersome, lower clay-dominated ones. This was the first year that the group had tasted St Aubin, the flight highlighted what outstanding value for money this less coveted area can offer and in general it was a more exciting line up than at least 3 of the 5 Chassagne flights.

In Puligny-Montrachet Pucelles, Caillerets and Combettes excelled, as should be expected, but there were also some good perfomances from Perrieres and Referts. Bachelet-Monnot, Jacques Carillon, Sauzet, Michel Bouzereau, Ente and most surprisingly of all, Vincent Girardin, were the best producers in my view. In fact Vincent Girardin performed consistently well throughout the tasting.

Next up were 22 Corton Charlemagnes, overall rather disappointing. However there was one wine more interesting than the rest, by a country mile, that of Domaine Rollin. It was so complete and harmonious, brimming with ripe fruit, mineral complexity and requisite freshness, a class act indeed – Remi and Simon, please take a bow!

The rest of the Grands Crus offered much more of what was hoped for, largely exhibiting that extra step of depth, intensity and refinement. Unsurprisingly the most exciting wines of all came from Le Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet. Lafon, Laguiche and Jadot's Chevalier Demoiselles were the best wines we tasted.

Marquis d'Angerville 2011 and 2003

A recent tasting at the Goring in London of Marquis d'Angerville's wines was a fascinating affair.  Centre stage were the 2011s, which tasted every bit as good as they did in November 2012.  A seamless poise and sensuality are the hallmarks of the best red Burgundy 2011s and those of d'Angerville are brimming with both.  However it was not only the vintage that was talking, each wine had its own personality, which is always reassuring in any Burgundy tasting.  Under the stewardship of Guillaume d'Angerville the wines have a level of finesse they did not before, whilst losing none of their character. In fact if anything this character has been enhanced, quite some a achievement.  Perhaps the two biggest beneficiaries over the last 8 years have been the Fremiets and the Champans, both of which have gained in stature and intensity.  Apart from completing the full move to Biodynamics, Guillaume was at pains to point out that there have been no wholesale changes at the Domaine, only several minor "tweaks."

The most exciting bit of the day for me was tasting the 2003s over lunch en magnum, the first vintage Guillaume took the reins of the estate, as it had been several years since i had last tried them.  The line up comprised of Champans, which was the most opulent and hedonistic of the three, Taillepieds and Clos des Ducs.  The last two surprised emormously as they had largely shrugged off the dominating mark of the famous heatwave vintage and offered a savoury, beguiling complexity aligned to a noticeable mineral edge that gave an impression of freshness. The Clos des Ducs, no doubt thanks to the wealth of underground springs in the vineyard, seemed the least 2003 like of them all. Layered and structured, typically brooding, this still has many years to go before being ready.  On the day the Taillepieds was my favourite, still on the young side, but it opened up more and more with every sip, exhibiting a stature and stony minerality aligned to dark sweet fruit.

It just goes to show how strong terroir handled well can shine through with bottle age, no matter how hard a vintage tries to assert its authority.  

Burgundy 2011 - Buyer's trip in images

Burgundy 2011 Vintage Report

"Summer in Spring and Spring in Summer"  was how almost every grower I spoke to described the 2011 vintage during my two week tasting marathon in Burgundy earlier this month.  Flowering was early and pointed towards a mid August harvest. A rainy summer started off cold and heated up considerably from mid August onwards, the mercury reaching 38 degrees at one stage.  These mixed conditions did their best to slow down ripening, but nonetheless the majority of growers had started picking by the end of August as many felt the vine had already completed its cycle and had ripened grapes to their maximum.  Waiting any longer was a question of either benefiting from September's cool north wind and increasing grape concentration or allowing grapes to lose freshness and precision, depending on who you talk to.  Patrick Javillier started on the 23rd August, the earliest of his 38 vintages, yet produced grapes of good sugar levels, with 12.5 degrees of potential alcohol, and excellent fruit ripeness. An extraordinary feat.  Thanks to disease pressure, poor flowering in some sectors and heterogenous ripening, the crop is a small one, though on average slightly bigger than 2010.  Over three vintages, 10,11 and 12, vignerons calculate they have lost a whole year's crop. Fortunately, though, it sounds as if the vast majority of growers are sufficiently concerned about not alienating the loyal customers actually drinking their wines to limit any price increases to a minimum.  Lets hope this holds true.  

If the conditions sound rather similar to 2007, that is where the comparison ends.  The 2011 whites are fruitier and more generous and whilst very fresh, are not as searingly acidic. The white wines are along the lines of 2002 perhaps with a drop of 2001.  They are open, transparent, crisp but very seductive.  They will drink extremely well from the off.  The 2011 reds are fresher than their 2007 counterparts, they have more density and precision too.  The Cote de Nuits & Cote de Beaune seems equally good and I did not notice in my notes any obvious trends within specific communes, save that I tasted many great Batards (J-N Gagnard's among the finest they have produced of recent years) and some quite brilliant Clos de Vougeots.  Across the board the reds seem to me to be like a rather successful blend of the Cote de Nuits 2000 and 2001 vintages, as ripe as the former but more concentrated, with the freshness of the latter.   Prior to summer the reds were aromatic and pretty but perhaps just lacking a little substance, however they have gained enormously during elevage and now display a level of concentration I did not think they had, whilst retaining their ripe, perfumed fruit and suave, soft tannins.  They too will drink young thanks to their fruitiness and velvet textures but many of the Premiers and Grands Crus have the depth to suggest ageing potential of 10-15 years.

Apart from fruitiness, the other thing that both reds and whites have in common, and what makes this vintage most brilliant of all, is such a clear cut difference in character between each wine.  Burgundy's great strength, its mix of terroirs and the nuances they lend to each wine, sings loud and clear in 2011. One of the reasons for this would almost certainly be that this is a refreshingly low alcohol vintage, most growers naturally reaching a maximum of 12.5 to 13 degrees.

So many of these 2011s totally seduced me -there will be a lot of pleasure to be gained from drinking them- that it is hard to pick out favourites.  Particular tastings that stick in my mind, however, were at Paul Pillot; Bachelet-Monnot; Sauzet; Marquis d'Angerville, Frank Follin (who seems to be on something of a hot streak at the moment); Chevillon; Barthod; Mugnier; Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair; Etienne Grivot; Arnaud Mortet and Bruno Clair.

Pinpointing particularly successful areas is even more difficult however at a glance I would say that in addition to the great Batards and Clos de Vougeots i have already mentioned, i would add the Volnay commune in general; the higher stonier vineyards of Puligny & Chassagne and then take your pick from any of the mid to high slope Premiers or Grands Crus vineyards in the Cote de Nuits.

I look forward to our January offer & tasting with immense anticipation.

Coming over the next week will be a report on this summer's Burgfest: An update on 2009 Burgundy in bottle.

Bruno Clair on 2012 Burgundy - Aout Fait le Mout?

If this addage rings true then 2012 has the potential to be an excellent vintage in parts of Burgundy, despite bad weather from flowering through to August. The weather turned for the better from August onwards, perhaps getting a little too good in the third week with a mini heat wave, and lasted right the way through to the end of September.  There was mildew early in the season and flowering and fruit set were poor, which means 2012 is a tiny crop.  Hail in localised parts of the Cote exacerbated the naturally small quantities.  However, rather like in 2010, it looks as if the small crop has helped ripen grapes and produce good quality.  

Bruno Clair, one of Burgundy's most skilled and experienced viticulturists, shares the following thoughts on 2012:

The good weather has not left us alone (only one passage of rain 26/09). Also quality is with some return. In addition to the efforts of vines, that of us vignerons has made this prize well deserved.  

Yields are small, Dominode has produced 18hl/ha and Clos St Jacques 22 hl/ha.  In terms of the quality of the reds there are several certainties.  The sugar content is excellent as well as the malic acid tartaric report/ratio acid. These parameters ensure us of a beautiful balance.

The indigenous yeasts behaved well. No fermentation problems and tanks which go up quietly to 32° - 34° (excellent for the extraction of the colour and the fixing of the tannins). The berries, this year, contain more pulp than of juice. It is necessary to go back to the year 1971 to find similar concentration. To summarize, the colour and the tannins are very present and I think that the wines will be well constructed with the supplement of plenty of fat. I am as extremely satisfied with the qualitative results as much as I am to see the end of the season, it has been a complex one!

latest on 2012 harvest from Burgundy

News in from Morey St Denis, Cecile Tremblay, from her brand new cellars, reports the following on Burgundy 2012:

" The 2012s are in Cuve.  I finished harvest yesterday (having started the 20th September) The grapes looked sumptuous as the came.  At the moment I feel delighted with this vintage (a vintage that looked so complicated in Spring and early summer.) "

more from the Cote de Nuits next week

Perrot Minot - an exciting find in Burgundy

I am delighted and excited to finally be working with Christophe Perrot Minot. It is a Domaine I have been keeping an eye on for some time now with ever increasing interest but I was simply bowled over when tasting the final 2010 blends in Burgundy this Spring. After practising the profession of wine broker for seven years, Christophe Perrot-Minot took over his parent’s estate in 1993. As well as providing renewed vigour and a perfectionist’s approach to the winemaking, Christophe also succeeded in expanding the Domaine substantially by buying out the famous Pernin-Rossin estate in Vosne-Romanée, starting with the 2000 vintage. It took Christophe a while to find his way but in the last 5 years he seems to have settled on a style and really perfected it. The wines are ripe have a modern polish without losing their purity and combine intensity with elegance. They are far removed from the more structured Pinots of the Domaine’s early days. It seems that Burghound agrees, giving Perrot Minot some rave reviews over the last two vintages.

The greatness of a Domaine should always be judged on the quality of their wines in more “challenging” vintages. 2011 was not easy but any top Burgundian Domaine worth its salt should have made really seductive, attractive wines with enough structure to allow them to age well. I tasted Perrot Minot’s 2011s alongside the 2010s and was hugely impressed, they will no doubt rate as some of the vintage’s top wines. I can’t wait to get my hands on them!

A little overview of how Christophe goes about his work:
The viticulture is respectful to nature and terroir - no chemical fertiliser or herbicides are used. Low yields and Christophe’s eye for detail are fundamental to the great quality of the wines, in addition to the Domaine’s impressive army of old vines ranging from 40 to 100 years old. Everything is hand-picked, vine leaves and canopies are thinned during the season and sorting / grapes selections are rigorous. The grapes are, for the most part, de- stalked and after fermentation are aged in a maximum of 30-40% new oak. The wines are incredibly ripe, refined and concentrated, yet despite their almost modern intensity and polish they allow the nuances and character of terroir to come through strongly. A stellar Domaine.

A Marquis d'Angerville Masterclass

On Tuesday this week Guillaume d'Angerville came to London to present to journalists 16 of his wines at the Connaught Hotel. The tasting was kick-started by the thrilling 2010s. They were nothing short of magnificent even at villages level. 2010 is an excellent vintage and the Marquis d'Angerville wines are up there with the year's very best examples. The Domaine is steeped in history and has made great wines over decades but it is clear to me that, since taking over the reins in 2003, Guillaume is taking the Domaine to another level. This is not being done through wholesale changes, it largely respects the work of his father Jacques - hard vineyard work, minimal intervention in the cellar, a maximum of 20% new oak. The biggest change is the full conversion to biodynamic viticulture and this, together with Guillaume and his team's extreme rigour and attention to detail, are lifting quality through the roof.

Together with the 2010s, we were treated to a vertical of Clos des Ducs, one of the Cote de Beaune's great vineyards. 2008, 2007, 2002, 1999, 1998 and 1990.

Great wine or great winemaking rarely produces something flashy or immediate, to me it seems to be more about wines that are complex, develop in the glass and that show traits which can be attributed to terroir and vintage. There was no question that each of these 16 wines had its own and very clear cut personality - for me this is truely the magic of wine and the magic of Burgundy. My brief thoughts on the various vintages below, anyone still cellaring 1999s take note: Whilst this may be a vintage that closed down for far longer than anyone expected there are signs that, judging by Clos des Ducs at least, patience will reward you heavily.

2008 - Fresh, red fruited, so alive and uplifting, drinkable now and certainly less of the tannic structure than expected but with plenty left in the tank to age very well.

2007 - tender, fruity, sweet as a nut and absolutely perfect for drinking now over the next 5 years

2002 - closed, tightly wound and a little wild initially. After several hours this settled in the glass and some very clear crisp but ripe red fruit aromas and flavours surfaced, eventually this proved to be a beauty.

1999 - even more closed than the 2002, initially this was not my favourite wine of the line up but after 4 hours it opened up into the best wine of the flight, for me, by a distance. deep dark ripe so intense and complex. Stunning!

1998 - a little wild but none of the hard edges I was expecting, in fact this was the biggest surprise of the tasting, not the ugly duckling vintage many said it was, lively crisp characterful, intense but moreish

1990 - still a baby, the most powerful and intense wine of the lot, had not even awoken by the time the 1999 had come round.

Un Mot: Burgundy 2010 (part two)

The questioning continues...

Un Mot: Burgundy 2010 (part one)

In which we ask some of Burgundy's greatest wine makers the impossible question, namely, can you sum up your 2010s with a single word? Part two to follow...

Burgundy 2008 - Burgfest (cont): Clos Vougeot and Gevrey Chambertin

CLOS VOUGEOT

Two full flights of Clos Vougeot were tasted, 17 wines in total. What we saw was a little inconsistent with many falling short of their Grand Cru status. The easy winner on the day was the stellar Anne Gros example - masculine, broad shouldered packed with blueberry and bramble, real Grand Cru depth of fruit, densely textured with outstanding length and complexity . Other good Clos Vougeots were also from members of the Gros family, Micheal and Bernard and negocient Jadot.

GEVREY CHAMBERTIN

To cover the Premieres and Grand Crus of Gevrey ten flights were tasted. In no other village is the interpretation of the same terroirs so diverse. The modernist black coloured, high extract styles were still represented but with fewer extreme examples than in previous years. On the other hand, whole bunch ( with stalks ) fermentation is becoming widespread, throwing in another dimension for the tasting team to take into account.

The lower lying 1er Crus were covered in two flights. They as a group were not as exiting as those from further up the slopes but did include some outstandingly good wines. Amongst them were Corbeaux, Denis Bachelet; fresh, elegant yet with explosive sweet fruit tannins. Cherbaudes, Louis Boillot; refined, beautifully defined dark berry fruits yet powerful long finish. Clos du Fonteny, Bruno Clair; sweet spice and herbs, exquisitely poised with big structure and a great future ahead.

Two flights from the higher 1er crus showed off the qualities of the vintage to a consistently higher degree. The Clos St. Jacques' of Rousseau and Clair have sensual qualities yet density of fruit and supreme complex tannins. The Cazetier, Faiveley; restrained, elegant and all on pleasure and the Arnaud Mortet, Champeaux; bursting with blackberry and sloe. It packs quite a punch.

The next flight included Charmes, Mazoyeres, Chapelle, Griotte, Mazis and Ruchottes. Non of them hit the heights of the previous flight of the ariere Cote (Cazetiers + Clos St Jacques) with the best just falling short. Unsuprisingly the Charmes of Rousseau and Denis Bachelet were outstandingly good, taut, mineral with great purity and length of flavour. Also noteworthy was the Ruchottes of Christophe Roumier; silky textured with exquisite 'petit fruits 'that evolved beautifully on the palate.

The Latricieres flight was impressive, the ripeness of the vintage combining admirably with the mineral edgy style of the appellation. Drouhin Laroze has made a wonderfully seductive example, sweet fruits , mineral complexity - pure pleasure. Another fine wine from Faiveley endorsed the revival of this Domaine, dark berry fruits and fine tannins ensuring elegance.

A flight of 6 Clos de Beze and 8 Chambertin followed. The overall quality was brilliant, many receiving 92+ scores from me. The complexity of ripe fruits , intensity of flavours and exquisit fine firm tannins, when combined, make for superb Grand Crus. If anything the flight of Beze had the edge, showing rich textures and sweeter plush fruits compared with the more structured drier Chambertins. The most striking example being the fabulous Beze of Rousseau which received my top mark overshadowing the more tannic solid Chambertin. Indeed the Beze flight included excellent examples from Perot Minot, Bruno Clair, Faiveley, and Drouhin Laroze.

Burgundy 2010 - Small is Beautiful

Burgundy may still be thick with fog, but there is something crystal clear here - 2010 is an excellent vintage.

I write this with one more tasting to go early tomorrow (friday) morning having spent two weeks here seeing circa 45 Domaines and tasting over 200 wines. Thats alot, but the fatigue is not too bad, in fact I even feel a gentle spring in the step. These have simply been easy, joyous wines to taste, red and white, which is amazing considering their concentration and racy acidities.

It largely all began with frost (for some) and uneven flowering (for all.) The resulting crop was to be one of the smallest on record for many, equalling that of 2003. A good thing, too, in the end, as the small crop ripened brilliantly despite the gloomy summer. Harvest was a good three weeks later than in 2009, fine but cool weather permitted growers the patience to wait for the perfect picking date. That said, towards the end of the harvest, some Chardonnay growers had to hurry as a dry electric storm suddenly accelerating ripening rapidly. The Reds are concentrated, they exhibit great freshness and high acidities, which you barely notice so smothered are they in pure ripe fruit. The tannins are present and fortifying but are so smooth that they do not jar. These are seamless, almost weightless wines of sheer brilliance and balance. The vintage might not have the out and out concentration of 2005, but they should be long-lived nonetheless and despite being the polar opposite of the lovely 2009, it is every bit its equal (and, for some, better!) Cote d'or whites are concentrated, very concentrated. Their acidities are as racy as those of 2007 but with a great deal more richness and depth. In both colours 2010 should go down as an absolute classic.

Such was the consistency accross the region's (top) growers it is very hard to pick out highlights. Those that immediately come to mind are Cecile Tremblay, Marquis d'Angerville, Follin-Arbelet, Chevillon, Sauzet, Bachelet Monnot, Liger Belair, Grivot, Bruno Clair, Rousseau, Roumier, Mugnier and not least Denis Mortet - young Arnaud Mortet has made a magnificent range that firmly puts him in the top tier of Burgundy producers.

For Reds, there seems to be no particular pattern save that I tasted many excellent wines from Clos de Vougeot. There were many excellent whites, too, but Corton Charlemagnes really stood out for their brilliance and consistency.

Keep an eye on the blog over the coming month for the growers views on the vintage in "un mot," a video to be posted here soon.

Burgfest 2008 Vintage: Beaune, Volnay & Pommard

In a secluded location in Beaune over the late August bank holiday the most recently bottled vintage of Pinot Noir was put under the microscope. The UK's top Burgundy buyers plus specialist Burgundy wine writers and publishers Clive Coates and Neil Beckett made up a select team of nine tasters. A high sense of high anticipation proceeded the blind tasting of the 2008 vintage (bottled some 6-10 months earlier), with a line up including over 300 Premiere and Grand Cru Pinot Noirs from the Cote d'Or's top Domaines and Negociants.

Read More ...

Burgundy 2011 - The view from the vines at Domaine Grivot

The photos below were taken by Hubert Grivot on the 7th June in balmy 25C weather and blue skies. If you haven't yet heard, things are galloping along at pace down on the Cote d'Or, with many growers reporting a whole months advance in the usual cycle of their vines. Yet, despite the precocious nature of the vintage thus far, vine and berry development is reported to be healthy and harmonious.

The last couple of days have been cooler, no bad thing, with temperatures hovering around 17C. Growers are hoping this might slow things down a little...

Thanks to Mathilde Grivot for sending these photos through and keeping us up to date with life as a winemaker in Vosne Romanee.