2017 Red Burgundy Report
Quite frankly, 2017 is the most complex, the most variable, red wine vintage that I’ve ever tasted.* I believe that this is largely down to the volumes – i.e. the yields – at harvest time. Some volumes were ridiculously high, others merely high, whilst the best producers –… Read More
Auxey-Duresses: Village Profile
When it comes to white wine recommendations and the common old question of ‘what’s a better value alternative to Puligny or Meursault?‘ my toes curl and my teeth grind when people, with an assured air of superior knowledge, authoritatively boom – ‘Oh you should look at St.Aubin!‘ Save for a… Read More
too many grapes? – sunday’s walk between morey and gevrey…
The 2018 vintage: It’s certainly starting to look like some dropping of fruit will be required in places. I counted some vines with 16 bunches – that’s almost as much as the worst I saw in 2017 – 18 – and I’m sure I could have found vines with more… Read More
DIAM and the eventual triumph of empiricism…
A discussion of why I believe DIAM to be my closure of choice for white burgundy. For a number of years I’ve recommended here in Burgundy Report that you either drink your white burgundy young – let’s say within 3-5 years of release – or that you buy… Read More
gilles bouton’s 2006 blagny sous le puits
Much of red Blagny has been replanted with chardonnay and in so doing becomes either Puligny or Meursault 1er cru – in the case of this wine a Puligny 1er – a wine that can sell at nearly twice the price of the red, not to mention be cropped… Read More
Beaune 1er Clos de l’Ecu, Monopole – A Vineyard Profile
Foreground is the Clos de l’Ecu, below on the left is Cent Vignes, on the right is Bressandes… The monopoly of the Clos de l’Ecu was bought by Domaine Faiveley in 2003 from the heirs to what was left of Maison Jaboulet-Vercherre – the vines previously having been… Read More
A Vintage Viewpoint…(2016, 2015, 2014)
2016 In one whole year, only 8 hours determined 90% of the commentary about the vintage and 75% of the vintage yields. The night of the 26-27 April delivered temperatures of between -3°C and -5°C. Not only was this not forecast, it was colder than 99% of the winter… Read More
home domaine harvest day 1 – 22-sept-2016
Not really representative, but good to see how great some gamay fruit can be… The home team’s first grapes of this 2016 vintage arrived in the dark close to 9pm yesterday evening – all the way from Morgon – so a good 1 and a half hour’s drive… Read More
Burgundy’s merchant class – facing up to a changing market
Versus a generation ago – let us say 30 years – the market dynamics of traders who buy and sell wine have been far from static. The traditional Beaune-based merchants, or the ‘Maisons’ remain the focus of commentators but they have much more competition today, and at all levels… Read More