![\"Roche](\"https:\/\/blog-2207a.kxcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Roche-de-solutre.jpg\")
\nOur visits to Burgundy in the Autumn each year are planned to coincide with the moment the vignerons have finally \u2018got away\u2019 all the wines from the recent harvest, and they’ve had a moment to recover from the strains and stresses of vintage, an all-consuming and monumentally physical time.<\/p>\n
The trick is to try and not get too caught up in talking about this most recent crop, fascinated as we are in it \u2013 because our focus must be the previous year\u2019s vintage – this year we wanted to study 2020. However, rarely has the current harvest been more relevant or more pertinent to our assessment of the previous year, than when we discussed 2021 and its meagre crop. So depressingly small \u2013 after a series of below average sized harvests – 2021\u2019s scarcity has forced many growers to limit what they will be releasing this \u2018primeur season\u2019 of 2020s. Many have a reached a point, with so little stock, and the prospect of almost nothing next year \u2013 that in some cases we will be heavily rationed on release of the 2020s. The producers hope to eke out the 2020 and 2021 wines together over the next two years, to avoid ever quite running dry. For some domaines this means we will simply be unable to offer anything at this stage. Very sad times.<\/p>\n
When we did get back on topic, what we discovered is that overall, the wines from 2020 are very good. It was warm, and it was dry \u2013 but as widely discussed \u2013 good winemakers have found and captured great balance in the wines. Drought rather than heat dominated the grapes final physiology. Each berry was concentrated rather than over-ripe. This means sugars and acidities are concentrated in equal measures. Intense, sometimes ripe, sometimes deeply flavoured \u2013 but also with great freshness and poise.<\/p>\n
Success was achieved in various ways \u2013 and some would argue that the vines themselves are getting used to these hotter vintages \u2013 evolving over time to be more resilient to the ongoing high temperatures. Of course, vignerons had to make crucial decisions throughout the season to get the best out of the vines too. Not least, with harvest dates. The whole season started early with a warm spring followed by a warm early summer; the vines’ growing-cycle got off to a flying start. \u2018Warm early summer\u2019 turned into almost drought like conditions with so little rain falling that some vineyards suffered from hydric stress. There were fewer heat spikes than in some years and less sustained high temperatures to overly ripen the fruit, but there was simply not enough water. For many this was their earliest harvest on record \u2013 with lots being done and dusted before the end of August.<\/p>\n
There were some particularly memorable visits that really stood out on our run through the more southerly zones of Burgundy, from Pommard down to Pouilly. So, without giving a stop-by-stop account of every visit – there were some fascinating insights you can see below that we picked up along the way.<\/p>\n
Throughout the region we kept being reminded how Chardonnay had fared better with \u2018la s\u00e9cheresse\u2019 than the fickle fiend that is Pinot Noir. Jean-Francois Germain told us that the good volume of White wine he brought in was a \u2018nice surprise\u2019 \u2013 as he expected there to be similar losses to the 50% reduction he had with his reds. In describing the vintage, he felt it was an interesting cross between 2019’s inviting weight and richness and the poise of 2011.<\/p>\n
![\"Jean](\"https:\/\/blog-2207a.kxcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Jean-Francois-Henri-Germain-1.jpg\")
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Nico Rossignol gave us a fascinating tasting (as described by Angus in an earlier blog<\/a>). The wines in his cellar all had immense charm \u2013 but were certainly on the darker end of the fruit spectrum. Gorgeous, indulgent and richly weighted, yet kept taut with super energy. For Nico, despite the early season, he was uncomfortable harvesting too soon. He felt his grapes needed more time on the vine to reach full phenolic ripeness in the skins. His harvest started on the 26th of August, when some neighbours were almost finished. For him these are serious wines with a serious future. Far superior to the 2018s \u2013 and with greater potential to age than the 2019s. For some these may feel big at the outset \u2013 but they are certainly loaded with everything they need for superb, long-term wines.<\/p>\n Guillaume Boillot gave us another spellbinding run through his wines. Here they started the harvest with their reds on the 19th of August before doing the whites and finishing it all on the 30th. The whites have an incredible freshness that usurps the 2019s in terms of energy and drive. Guillaume’s reds \u2013 which improve every time we visit – are a triumph in 2020. Bright and pert with tremendous depth too.<\/p>\n Paul Zinetti welcomed us into the domaine’s charming little barrel cellar to taste his new releases. His 2020s were another real highlight of our time here, once again confirming his position as one of the region’s great talents, as well as one of Pommard\u2019s coolest cats. His vineyards suffered quite severe hydric stress in some plots, and lots of bunches of grapes were lost. This issue, combined with the drought means his production was cut right back to about 24 HL\/HA this year. We also tasted his 2017, 18 & 19 from bottle \u2013 all reminders of the class of this historic domaine.<\/p>\n Our annual trip to see the charming Jo\u00ebl R\u00e9my was a brilliant insight as to how well the C\u00f4te de Beaune has fared in 2020. This estate has been on a real roll for several years now, but their 2020s reach new heights. Joel\u2019s Pommard Vignots is the best ever. Suave, joyful and charming, it delivers huge bang for buck. A real stand out and well worth having a case of this in your cellar.<\/p>\n Based in Chassagne, wonderkid Adrien Pillot and his father Laurent, make some of the most delicious and dependable wines in the region, year after year. This is another estate in whose long history harvest has never before been completed within August, another new record chalked up by 2020. After a spectacular dinner with them at the mesmerising Le Soufflot, we went back to the family house, and they sweetly opened a bottle of 1976 Gevrey Chambertin \u2013 made by Fernand Pillot at the estate. My birth year is not famously a great vintage in these parts (or any really!) but the wine was fresh as a daisy and a delight to drink. Balanced deep and shiny bright. The family expertise in a hot dry vintage goes back more than forty years \u2013 so I look forward to seeing how their current releases will age \u2013 it all augurs well!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In the M\u00e2connais we had a series of super tastings \u2013 this is a sector less damaged by the shortfall of 2020 \u2013 Chardonnay here is deliciously showy \u2013 but again has that super cut and bounce you need and want when the flavours are so beautifully intense. Above all there is incredible diversity between sites here. A thrill to explore every wine and see how potent the influence of terroir really is. Julien Barraud<\/strong> and Frantz Chagnoleau<\/strong> have both made impeccable sets in 2020, with each vineyard expressing deeply individual traits and expression<\/p>\n Left to right: Frantz Chagnoleau, Julien Barraud<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Visiting our friends in the C\u00f4te Chalonnaise was full of mixed emotions \u2013 this sector of Burgundy has had the cruellest of luck at the hands of Mother Nature in recent years, with vintage after vintage hampered by various different weather events. 2020 should have given some hope and some reason for optimism, not great \u2013 but fairly solid quantities of white and great quality in both colours. We tasted a beautiful range of wines at every stop \u2013 With Domaine<\/strong> Francois Raquillet<\/strong>, Marie Jacqueson<\/strong>, and Domaine Francois Lumpp<\/strong> all making superb wines this year. (Read more here<\/a> about our other Chalonnaise producers Domaine Ninot and Domaine Dureuil-Janthial.) However, it is here more than anywhere where the tiny harvest of 2021 is having the most impact. They simply don\u2019t have the reserves in the cellar after the recent dismal run of paltry crops. Here there will be cautious releases to try and keep themselves in business over the next 2 years.<\/p>\n Clockwise from top left: Anne-Francois Lumpp, The old Dureuil-Janthial Cellar, Francois Raquillet and vineyards of Rully.<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Nicolas](\"https:\/\/blog-2207a.kxcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Nicolas-rossignol-and-his-dog.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\nDomaine Henri Boillot<\/h3>\n
![\"Guillaume](\"https:\/\/blog-2207a.kxcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Guillaume-Boillot-.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\nDomaine Comte Armand<\/h3>\n
![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/blog-2207a.kxcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Paul-Zinetti.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nDomaine R\u00e9my & Fils<\/h3>\n
![\"Remy](\"https:\/\/blog-2207a.kxcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Remy-Joel.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n\n\nDomaine Fernand & Laurent Pillot<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![\"Pillot](\"https:\/\/blog-2207a.kxcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Pillot-father-and-son.jpg\")
<\/h2>\nM\u00e2connais<\/h2>\n
![\"Frantz](\"https:\/\/blog-2207a.kxcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/frank-Chagnoleau-julien-barraud.jpg\")
C\u00f4te Chalonnaise<\/h2>\n
![\"Lumpp](\"https:\/\/blog-2207a.kxcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Lumpp-raquillet.jpg\")
<\/div>\n\n\n
![\"Register](\"https:\/\/blog-2207a.kxcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/REGISTER-INTEREST.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n