Burgundy .. 2017 and a look at 2018

The 2017s are now getting bottled in many estates, and its time to give a status, before the 2018s are ready to taste and evaluate.

I have tasted quite a few 2017s over the past year – and some more in the last week – 11th to 15th of February. This has really confirmed the quality and pleasure found in this vintage.

The 2017s and some 2018s

This week gave a look at the 2017s from Chantereves (now bottled), Domaine Denis Bachelet, Domaine Grivot, Domaine Henri Gouges, Domaine Hubert Lamy, Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet, Domaine Tessier and Domaine Harbour.

Furthermore some 2017s and 2018s from Marthe Henry Boillot. Philippe Pacalet and Domaine Jerome Galeyrand .. completing the picture of a lovely week.

The 2017s … red and white

The picture of the 2017 vintage is confirmed – lovely and pretty wines – wines to enjoy and appreciate. As I have mentioned before the yields sometimes are on the high side, but from good producers the wines in most cases show very well – as always .. concentration is not everything. The reds are lovely – and although they rarely match 2015 power and 2016 intensity and quality – they do provide plenty of pleasure and enjoyment.

While the reds are very pretty wines – the whites are in my view even better – with a lovely complexity and purity – and still with a very charming fruit and intensity. More charming than the 2014s in some cases … but perhaps a bit less powerful .. time will show. But no doubt – the 2017 whites hold a very high quality indeed.

The red and the white 2017s comes highly recommended by me – pleasure before power!

The 2018s – a view

I have tasted quite a lot of 2018s already, and to be honest one could in many cases be optimistic, but in other cases confusion and different problems appear.

It is apparent that 2018s was a hot year, and while it appear that it has been possibly to control the heat for some producers, it has been very difficult for others with stopped/interrupted fermentation and high alcohol level.

It is therefore a both confusing and difficult year to taste at this stage – and I do “fear” the 2018 vintage in the end will be a both mixed and complex year to understand and evaluate.

To claim that 2018 is like 1947 at this stage is in my view premature ….

Let the 2018s develop in cask, and then focus on the delightful 2017s … they certainly deserve it.