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Vintage Report: Burgundy 2010 -

Vintage Report: Burgundy 2010 - "Small is Beautiful"

Thursday 10th November 2011
by Giles Burke-Gaffney

Burgundy may still be thick with fog, but there is something crystal clear here - 2010 is an excellent vintage.

I write this with one more tasting to go early tomorrow (friday) morning having spent two weeks here seeing circa 45 Domaines and tasting over 200 wines. Thats alot, but the fatigue is not too bad, in fact I even feel a gentle spring in the step. These have simply been easy, joyous wines to taste, red and white, which is amazing considering their concentration and racy acidities.

It largely all began with frost (for some) and uneven flowering (for all.) The resulting crop was to be one of the smallest on record for many, equalling that of 2003. A good thing, too, in the end, as the small crop ripened brilliantly despite the gloomy summer. Harvest was a good three weeks later than in 2009, fine but cool weather permitted growers the patience to wait for the perfect picking date. That said, towards the end of the harvest, some Chardonnay growers had to hurry as a dry electric storm suddenly accelerating ripening rapidly. 
Red Burgfest 2008: An update on Clos Vougeot and Gevrey Chambertin

Red Burgfest 2008: An update on Clos Vougeot and Gevrey Chambertin

Wednesday 30th November 2011
by Hew Blair

Clos Vougeot

Two full flights of Clos Vougeot were tasted, 17 wines in total. What we saw was a little inconsistent with many falling short of their Grand Cru status. The easy winner on the day was the stellar Anne Gros example - masculine, broad shouldered packed with blueberry and bramble, real Grand Cru depth of fruit, densely textured with outstanding length and complexity . Other good Clos Vougeots were also from members of the Gros family, Micheal and Bernard and negocient Jadot.

Gevrey Chambertin: To cover the Premieres and Grand Crus of Gevrey ten flights were tasted. In no other village is the interpretation of the same terroirs so diverse. The modernist black coloured, high extract styles were still represented but with fewer extreme examples than in previous years. On the other hand, whole bunch ( with stalks ) fermentation is becoming widespread, throwing in another dimension for the tasting team to take into account.