Burgundy 2020: The Early Birds
After three weeks of tastings at fifty domanies across Burgundy, we are delighted to discover a 2020 vintage of records and surprises. Most
wine-growers had never known such early picking dates – the very first
pre-harvests beginning on the 17th August - whilst for the majority
of Domaines it was certainly the first time a vintage had started and ended in
August. Even in the coolest, most northerly parts of the Côte de Nuits such as
Marsannay, harvest was done and dusted by the 10th of September. One
of the driest years on record had also produced one of the smallest for reds.
Flowering was largely successful but berries were small. Summer
conditions were characterised by drought rather than heat, and this
concentrated both sugars and acidities in the Pinot Noirs, resulting in reds of
higher than average alcohols (broadly between 13.5% – 14.5%) and high acidities. When 2019 offered record-breaking
analyses, no one would have guessed that just one year later growers would once again proclaim
that new boundaries had been broken in terms of the balance between alcohols
and pHs.
The most unexpected part of our November tastings in
Burgundy was the freshness of the wines. Above all other emotions, we
returned to the UK with a great sense of optimism for the wines of Burgundy; in
this new era of global warming, it is clearly still possible to produce high
quality, nuanced, terroir-driven Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that has been
harvested in August. Although
Pinot Noir suffered most from the drought, and it is here where alcohols are at
their highest and where quality was sometimes heterogenous, there is no doubting
many exceptional red Burgundies have been made; some domaines, such as Méo-Camuzet, Marquis d’Angerville, Domaine des Lambrays and Château de
Marsannay have arguably produced their best ever vintages. The wines are
fuller-bodied than usual and generally verge more towards riper, darker fruit
profiles, yet they also possess high levels of natural acidity and a sense of
luminescence. They will need more time
in barrel and bottle than their more immediately charming 2019 predecessors.
Perhaps surprisingly, the picture is even more encouraging
for white wines. Flowering was successful and Chardonnay suffered less than
Pinot Noir from the Summer drought. A normal sized crop coupled with the
benefit of experience that producers have gained from other precocious
vintages, has resulted in consistently brilliant wines of staggering freshness
and allure. As such, 2020 must surely deserve its place among the great
white vintages of the past two decades. Less extreme heat and bigger yields
have meant fresher wines than the concentrated 2019s. The 2020s
betray the sunshine of the vintage in their yellow fruit profiles, whilst
offering the searing energy of cooler years. Many growers likened the
wines to a balance of 2017 and 2014 (with more tension than the former and
riper fruit than the latter.) They are fresh, fragrant and immediately
charming, but offer the dry extract and intensity to suggest very good ageing
potential.
To view the full vintage report click here.
Giles Burke-Gaffney
Justerini & Brooks, December 2021