This January, the JamesSuckling.com team converged on a wet and wintry Burgundy to taste more than 300 wines from a selection of the larger producers, and it proved to be a very comprehensive look at the region. While the persistent rain filled swollen rivers and soaked the feet of Paris, we buckled down and busied ourselves with tastings of mostly 2015 and 2016 vintages — and both of which have much to offer.
James spent some time at Olivier Leflaive in Beaune, tasting various vintages at their wine cellars.
The clichéd pilgrimage to the Côte d’Or is akin to a mission of vinous worship, tasting from barrel in exclusive cellars and visiting domaines that only grant access to a select few. It is an experience that the top critics, importers, trade and customers are used to enjoying in Burgundy, but nevertheless it’s still a rarified thrill that most people will never experience.
New markets have opened their eyes (and wallets) to Burgundy, and adulation for the top producers has reached pop-star level — all of which fuels an insatiable global thirst for the top wines. Combined with a run of half a dozen vintages with much lower than average yields, this has seen prices climb at an alarming rate. The best wines from the most revered domains are nowadays impossible to find, impossible to afford or both. In many cases, the wines are as inaccessible as the domains themselves. It’s almost not worth tasting them anymore as they are all pre-sold to a select group of people around the world.
With this in mind, James’ brief for our tasting work in Burgundy this year was to cover wines that are more accessible and more widely available, focusing on those producers with broader presence in a greater number of markets. Some people call them the “grand maisons.” And so, we visited, tasted and rated wines of producers that are heavily invested in regional level wines right up to grand cru level. This includes: Louis Latour, Louis Jadot, Domaine Faiveley, Joseph Drouhin, Jean-Claude Boisset, Domaine Chanson, Champy, Albert Bichot, Lucien Le Moine, Olivier Leflaive, Bouchard Pere et Fils and Remoissenet.
Contributing Editor Nick Stock (middle) and Events and Tasting Coordinator Tony Desallangre (left) at the cellar of Lucien Le Moine with owner Mounir Saouma (right).
The tip of the Burgundian pyramid is razor sharp with tiny amounts of grand cru wines from the greatest producers who work the most sought after climats (in other words, specific terroirs) in the best locations. But the tip of the pyramid is supported by a substantial base and this is where larger producers like the ones listed above balance the ledger. “It is actually really valuable to find the best quality wines from the top to the bottom of the appellation, and this is where our tasting is focused,” James explains.
With a finite amount of land, rising prices and growing demand, the larger, well-established producers we tasted have made significant inroads towards increasing the quality of all they make. However, perhaps the biggest rise in quality (and therefore, value) can be seen in the satellite areas such as Marsannay, Santenay, Monthelie, Fixin, Rully, Pouilly-Vinzelles and Ladoix. These value wines are the ones we really set out to identify. And from the tasting notes below, you’ll see that quality is good in both whites and reds. More importantly, these are the wines you can go out and buy today and tomorrow.
Veronique Drouhin-Boss of Joseph Drouhin organized a serious line up for JamesSuckling.com team to taste.
We found 2016 to be a very successful vintage in the Côtes Chalonnais, which is located south of the Côte-d’Or core area of Burgundy. As the Côtes Chalonnais suffered much less from spring frost in comparison to the Côte-d’Or, the leading producers have both quality and quantity. However, this is not the only vintage that has benefited from nature’s generosity. As Jérôme Flous, winemaker at Domaine Faiveley recalls, “the Côtes Chalonnaise has really benefited from climate change. There used to be several vintages per decade with green flavors and acidity, but today, that’s not a problem.” With the additional and increased ambition to this, winemakers gain a recipe for excitement in appellations like Rully and Mercurey.
I’ve collated an overview of the three most recent vintages below, and there’s a lot to like and look forward to. The 2015s are ripe and rich underlying the sunny nature of the vintage, but you should also turn your attention to the excellent 2016 wines for now. As James himself has said, “The 2016 vintage has such a great identity so, if you want a lesson in Burgundy with strong typicity, try the 2016s.”
Summary of Vintages
Burgundy 2015
The 2015 reds are exceptionally up and down on the price scale. From north to south, the wines are impressive and packed with concentrated pinot noir fruit. You can buy 2015 reds without a worry and stack the cellar high. They have the structure, concentration and ripeness to age extremely well, and the best reds actually need time to absorb the puppy fat, revealing more typicity and character. Lower down the scale, you’ll find wines that are plain fun to drink, as they offer more fleshy texture and depth of flavor than you’d ordinarily expect to find at Villages or regional level. On the whole, 2015 whites are a little too ripe and broad for my taste; with a few exceptions: often only for the top 1er & Grand Cru level wines. However, even these are best drunk young and as fresh as possible. Thibault Gagey of Louis Jadot explains that, the strategy for harnessing as much freshness and tension in their 2015 whites was to block malolactic. “We don’t like heaviness!” he says.
Burgundy 2016
A year of transparency and typicity, 2016 is a great vintage to taste young. There are plenty of good qualities to be found in both reds and whites. Fresh and focused, the wines are approachable and energetic. Quantity is down in many areas of the Côte, but high quality and concentration are the trade-offs. “We lost 50% in Chambolle-Musigny,” says Veronique Drouhin, explaining that Maison Joseph Drouhin experienced severely reduced yields mainly due to frost. So, whilst some wines are in scarce supply, you can still buy with confidence and expect quality from top to bottom of the price scale. They’re very drinkable wines with plenty of cellaring potential if you have room to stack the right wines away. Bright and balanced acidity is a clear feature that underwrites the attractiveness of both whites and reds.
Burgundy 2017
Consider 2017 as a return to “full production” after a run of lower yielding vintages. In many cases, you’ll notice steep increases in pricing. It will be interesting to see whether prices will stabilize or soften, and how the market absorbs greater quantities of wine at prices that are unlikely to go backwards. Only a few 2017s were tasted by us as it is still too early to taste these. Hence, we certainly did not taste enough to make a call on quality on the overall 2017 vintage. On paper, it’s a big vintage, but history tells us that healthy yields can also deliver high quality here in Burgundy. — Nick Stock, Contributing Editor
