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Burgundy Vintage Chart
Vintage Weather / Style Summary Red Score (/100) White Score (/100) 2023 Warm, generous yields; ripe, approachable, classic balance emerging 92 93 2022 Hot, dry but well-managed; powerful yet fresh, excellent depth 93 94 2021 Cool, difficult, frost-hit; light and elegant, high-acid, perfumed reds 97 90 2020 Warm, low yields; concentrated, structured, ageworthy 94 97 2019 Ideal balance of ripeness & freshness; elegant and long-lived 97 94 2018 Hot, sunny; rich, plush, open-knit 93 92 2017 Clean, fresh, consistent; classic medium-bodied style 96 93 2016 Frost reduced yields; intense, precise, superb terroir expression 96 90 2015 Warm, dry; powerful, ripe, structured 96 93 2014 Cooler, fresh; energetic, transparent, excellent whites…
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Domaine Pierre Guillemot 2022
Vincent, 8th generation winemaker at Pierre Guillemot pouring his 2022 Corton Le Rognet in the photo. 1898 was the Domaine’s first vintage. Today brother Vincent and Philippe Guillemot are in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Domaine. Viticulture and winemaking Since 2015 their vineyards have been biodynamic, the brothers spend a lot of their time in the vineyard (Vincent arrived at the cellar at 5:30pm for the tasting after working in the vineyard the entire day). Respecting the nature and biodiversity in their vineyard is one of the few philosophies they focus on. Old school winemaking in the cellar with a touch of rusticity. Their wines are fermented in…
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Domaine Guffens-Heynen and Maison Verget
Belgium husband and wife duo Jean-Marie Guffens and Maine Heynen started Domaine Guffens-Heynen in the early 80s when they bought their first plot in Pierreclos, in the Mâconnais. Later in the early 90s, they ventured into the Cote d’Or and Chablis through purchased grapes via their negociant arm, Maison Verget. At Maison Verget in Sologny, winemaker Julien Desplans opened a selection of bottles from all their estates, from dry Barsac from Chateau Closiot to Marsanne / Roussanne blend from Chateau des Tourettes in the Southern Rhone, and of course Verget and Guffens-Heynen. Maison Verget makes around 22 cuvees, on average 55hl/ha yield, an average of 200,000 bottles every year. Whereas…
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Domaine Bizot 2021 & 2022
The popularity of Domaine Bizot have in the last few years risen significantly, along with their prices predictably. A bottle of Vosne Romanee village that I paid €75 would now set you back €3,500 a bottle (as of writing this article). While the estate have been slowly growing in size (see below vineyard addition), the demand is many multiples of the supply. A mere 7,000 bottles were produced in their entire production of 2021. Viticulture and Winemaking All their vineyards are organically farmed, including their recent addition of Corton Charlemagne in 2022 (affermage). While their parcels are small, they still do rigorous pruning every year. Around 5-6 “buds” for Pinot…
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Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé 2001
2001 is such a lovely vintage to drink now, all the de Vogue are drinking now beautifully except the Musigny, which is still too young! The declassified Musigny Blanc is opulent and somewhat lactic and a touch cheesy. Lots of retained freshness for a 20 year old white! All of the de Vogue 01s have a delineated red cherry and airy spice backbone, and it’s especially transparent in the Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru (young vines in Musigny). Needless to say I have a soft spot for their Amoureuses! Tasting Notes De Vogue Bourgogne Blanc 2001 The 2001 de Vogue declassified Musigny Blanc is opulent and somewhat lactic and a touch…
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2019 Burgundy Vintage Report
Due to the various travel restrictions within France and the UK caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, I did not visit Burgundy this year to taste the 2019 from barrel. Fortunately, a few merchants in the UK got producers to send their bottles of 2019 to London, and the merchants (as well as with the help of 67 Pall Mall) rebottled the 2019 wines into smaller sample bottles and sent them directly to us. I was lucky enough to taste more than 130 samples at home in December and form an initial view of 2019 Burgundy Vintage. Whites Many 2019 whites are concentrated yet high in alcohol and acidity. One can…
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Premox Issue – Domaine Hubert Lamy Saint Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly 2010
After reading and hearing mixed reviews on the 2010 Hubert Lamy Saint Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly, I decided to test all 12 bottles from the case with Coravin. I purchased this case last year from a UK wine merchant, it has always been stored in a temperature and humidity controlled warehouse since arrival in 2011 (10-12 degrees, c. 80% humidity). I took delivery from the warehouse yesterday (i.e. provenance in theory is great). Test date: 29th July 2020 A 15ml sample was taken out from each bottle with Coravin and all tested straight out from the case at c. 15 degrees (59 Fahrenheit). Results 3 out of 12 bottles…
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Domaine Dujac 2018
Domaine Dujac managed to retain freshness superbly in this warm vintage, most wines were at a modest 13.5% alcohol, with a couple of cuvees close to 14% alcohol (Malconsorts). Grape pickings started on the 25/26th from Puligny Montrachet, then pickers went straight to Cote de Nuits afterwards. Most cuvees had maximum wholecluster this vintage, 90% stems. The reds are rich and fragrant, especially the wines from Gevrey Chambertin (see my 2018 vintage report). I was also pleasantly surprised by their Chardonnay this year, the whites are more aromatic than the 2017. Domaine Dujac owns 17.3ha of vineyard in total. Biodynamic approaches but not certified. Tasting Notes Morey Saint Denis Blanc…
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2018 Burgundy Vintage Report
After tasting more than 50 producers and close to 800 wines in Burgundy and at En Premier week in London, it is evident that 2018 is a variable vintage for the reds, and one should not jump into buying before prior tasting or research. Vintage 2018 was a warm and dry vintage, many vines suffered hydraulic stress. Since the 2018 summer was very hot (we had the warmest summer in the UK since 1976!), the harvest date played a huge role in making good wines – Producers who starting harvesting their Pinot Noir in Cote de Nuits in the first week of September generally managed to produce wines with less…
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Domaine Joseph Colin 2018
2018 is Joseph Colin’s second vintage and he is honestly in a league of his own in Saint Aubin. Incredible purity and tension in all his whites. A producer to look out for in the coming En Premier campaign. Joseph Colin owns 6 hectare of vineyards in total, 21 whites and 1 red wine. Winemaking Style Joseph focuses on picking date, he started harvest on the 28th of August and picked grapes for the whole month depending on the ripeness and acidity. Aged in 500L oak for 12 months. No batonnage. In 2018, Joseph did not filter his wines for the first time. Less than 20mg/L of sulphur added. Most…
