The 2018s tasted and reflected upon in November 2019

I am just back from Burgundy, having tasted many more offerings from the acclaimed 2018 vintage.

Let me be very clear: While there are brilliant 2018s, this is an uneven vintage at best, and at times it can be a very bumpy ride. 2018 could be either joy or a momentary downfall for some famous estates!

I don’t want my top Burgundies to be borderline overripe, and sadly this is the case for some of the wines made by otherwise prominent producers in the 2018 vintage. The 2003 vintage never really appealed to me, and while 2018 can have some unfortunate similarities, it can also have some charm that is worth pursuing.

I like many of the 2018s tasted on this and previous trips, and I will focus in this article on the positive highlights.

The usual bla-bla: What we can say – and not say

It is clear that evaluating and rating wines is a difficult business in a vintage like 2018, comprising as it does many styles and qualitative outcomes.

Sadly, the 2018 vintage has produced a significant number of overly intense, hot, dense and extracted wines that currently are problematic if one prefers energetic, balanced and vivacious Burgundies. Perhaps the elevage will help bring these wines back into focus, but somehow I doubt it.


You need to login as a Premium subscriber to read the rest of this article. If you are not a Premium subscriber, use the subscribe function and sign-up.