I have now updated the vintage charts for red and white Burgundy. There are a few changes in the ratings, with 2010 being upgraded a notch – and some other older vintages are also adjusted slightly.
The 2012 vintage is included for the reds – based on the wines I tasted in March 2013. It looks like a outstanding or perhaps even Extraordinary vintage for the reds in Cote de Nuits. Even the few red Cote de Beaune wines I have tasted from the 2012 vintage are showing a lovely potential.… Read the full article →
On my March trip to Burgundy I had the opportunity to taste quite a few wines from the 2012 vintage – and here are my first impressions of the 2012 vintage.
A word of warning – it’s still very early to evaluate the quality and characteristics of the 2012 vintage – and my sample of 2012s is still quite limited – so this is only initial impressions of the vintage.
… Read the full article →
This week I attended the Trilogie en Cote de Nuits in Vosne Romanee where I had the opportunity to taste a great lineup of red 2011s from Vosne, Flagey and Vougeot.
Trilogie en Cote de Nuits is held every second year as a “local” version of the Grand Jours de Bourgogne – and the Vosne tasting this year included more than 100 wines, from someq of the best producers in the area.
For me it’s impossible to taste 100 wines in one session – or even in one day.… Read the full article →
The 2010 vintage is truly exceptional and in my view the best vintage in recent decades in Burgundy. The reds are extraordinary and the whites are at least outstanding and close to a extraordinary rating.
Some experts have however mentioned a somewhat higher variance in quality in the 2010s compared to the outstanding 2009 vintage. Others have claimed that the wines from 2010 are shutting down allready – thus not showing the fruity side.
This could be the case – but as allways the truth is in the bottle and the glass – so lets find out!… Read the full article →
The 2011s are now getting bottled and most of the wine journalists have now published tasting notes on the 2011 vintage.
I was very positive about the 2011 vintage after my first tasting of the vintage in May 2012, and I remain very positive – but will reserve an upgrade until I have tasted more 2011s from bottle. With the succes of the 2011 vintage we now have theee very fine vintages in a row. But how does these vintages compare quality wise for the red burgundies.… Read the full article →
The 2010 vintage is perhaps the best vintage I have tasted from Burgundy. Tasted from cask the 2010 vintage had a fantastic minerality and a very elegant and refined acidity. A unique quality is the clear expression of the terroir – these wines are so elegant and transparently reflects every stone in the terroir.
The qualities are equally impressive now that the wines have been bottled. Most 2010s still show great transparency, lovely intense pure pinot flavors and a fantastic expression of terroir.… Read the full article →
The expectations for the 2011 vintage were mixed after quite unusual weather conditions. The late vinter was quite mild, and bud break came very early due to very hot weather in April. The summer was quite cold, but the heat came just when it was needed in the middle of August. Harvest was very early, as predicted by the early bud break, and began late August and was finished by mid September.
… Read the full article →
I have decided to upgrade the 2009 vintage, after tasting some really impressive 09 wines at the Grand Jours de Bourgogne. The 2009 reds are outstanding, but it’s a rather hot and quite heavy vintage. The best producers have a good freshness and minerality in the wines, while other wines are lacking freshness.
The conditions favour the best and most mineralic terroirs, as these wines have the structure to focus the quite dense fruit found in the 2009s. The best wines will be extraordinary, while the lesser terroirs will lack the freshness, as there is no minerality to compensate for the low acidity.… Read the full article →
The 2005 vintage is most likely the best vintage in decades. This vintage has it all, wonderful ripe pinot fruit, good structure, a lot of power, good acidity. My first impression was – this is too powerful for Burgundy! But recent tastings show more terroir and classical Burgundy style – still powerful and big but very well balanced.
In vertical tastings the 2005 stand out as quite a lot better than 2002 and 1999, thus making it the best vintage in recent time by quite a margin.… Read the full article →
The 2007 is presently a mixed picture. Some wines have a fine balance, others is lacking acidity, fresh and vibrant fruit. Some 2007s are very good, but still they don’t have the potential of the good 2009s, nor do they have the weight of 2002 and 2005.
It’s not the time for a final call on 2007 reds, but at the moment they are slighly disappointing – but still very good.… Read the full article →
The 2008 vintage have a very fine minerality, but the acidity and tannins in some wines are a little bit on the rough side. I really like the classic style of the red 2008, but perhaps they lack the ultimate finesse and certainly lack the concentration of the very best vintages. … Read the full article →
