The Harvest Has Ended – Now the Real Work Begins

It has become commonplace for winemakers to proclaim “the wine makes itself, all you need is good grapes”.  Another vigneron recently told me “I went into winemaking because it was easy, and I was not a smart student, even stupid people can do it.”  While there may be some romantic notions attached to the magic of fermentation, and a very certain truth to the idea that you cannot make good wine without good grapes, it does involve a great deal of thoughtful planning, a multitude of choices involving the processes of fermentation, and a significant investment in the proper tools of the trade.  The wine does not make itself.  This is especially true when making red wine from Pinot Noir grapes.

I have spent the greater part of the last two weeks visiting wineries in the Cote d’Or, as well as the Maconnais and Beaujolais regions, and I have a few points I would like to make about the simplicity of the idea that “wine makes itself”.   Most of the year, including the months when the vines are dormant, are spent preparing for the harvest.  There is one, primary goal in mind: to bring grapes to ripeness.  Lack of sunshine, hailstorms, rain, vinegar flies, and rot can all contribute to defeating this singular purpose.  In general, the work of nearly all the seasons is devoted to letting nature run its course, which is, of course, what makes each vintage intrinsically unique and different.

This year, the 2014 vintage in the Cote d’Or, finished with almost perfect weather from mid-August through the harvest.  Except for the hailstorms of Saturday, June 28th, and the consistently cold, rainy weather throughout July and the first dozen days of August, we might be talking of a truly great vintage.  It will definitely be a good to very good vintage, but now the real work of the winemaker begins: the elevage, or raising of the wine.  When raising animals, one talks of breeding and nurturing as elevage, and the same word is used for the aging and finishing of cheeses.  Nature may make the grapes, but it is the winemaker’s elevage that makes the wine.  And elevage defines a series of choices about one’s grapes and how they are treated, choices determined by the winery’s means, capital, equipment, markets, and reputation, as well as the terroirs or appellations that it produces, and the prices that they demand.

Fermentation is a tumultuous process that requires monitoring and control to be successful.  Uncontrolled fermentation can quickly generate too much heat, killing the yeasts that are the engine behind the process of transforming grape sugars into alcohol, making juice into wine’s first expression.  So one of the first controls that must be exercised in fermentation and elevage is temperature control.  Many smaller wineries still have concrete vats in their cellars, which do not heat easily and can help delay the onset of tumultuous fermentations.  Some concrete vats have radiators installed within to help regulate temperature.  Others using concrete or wooden vats depend on dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) added to the vats to cool warm must or juice that is fermenting too rapidly and in danger of becoming too hot.   I have also seen a lot of larger wooden vats with thermo-regulation radiators.  Other growers use stainless-steel, temperature-controlled vats.  And some have entire wineries that are not merely air-conditioned, but actually fully refrigerated, capable of being cooled to less than 5°C in a matter of hours.

A graphical representation of the progress of fermentation: the red line going up over time indicates the temperature of fermentation, the black line descending is the specific density of the fermenting juice, which diminishes as heavier sugar molecules are converted into alcohol.

A large part of what vessels one uses for fermentation depends on economics.  Smaller growers with less capital cannot afford stainless steel for everything.  Many family domaines remain content to use equipment that has been in place for generations.  Other well-capitalized producers can afford the most modern equipment, but prefer wooden vats for what they believe is a better result in their wines.  For most it is a matter of choices made within the parameters of economy, tradition, and science.  What follows are the profiles of several domains which I have visited recently, and how they approach the elevage of their Pinot Noir wines.

DOMAINE DE LA ROMANEE CONTI (Vosne-Romanee)

The prestige and history of this domaine have been thoroughly documented in other sources, but I was lucky enough to spend a morning with Aubert de Villaine, to learn more about what makes this domaine’s wines amongst the greatest ever produced.

Of course one begins with grapes from vineyards renowned for their wines since the 10th century.  But once the decision is made to pick the grapes, no expenses are spared to bring them into the winery in perfect condition.  The first triage, or selection of bunches, is made in the vineyards by the pickers, most of whom return to pick at DRC year after year.  The cadre of itinerant workers is over 100 strong, over 80 deployed in the vineyards to select and pick, and the rest in the cuverie performing another selection at the tables de triage.  The economic ability to hire this many experienced, returning workers allows DRC to pick their parcels quickly and without interruption.  The Grand Cru Romanee Conti was picked quickly on the morning of Sunday, September 19th in a matter of two hours, because of storms forecast for that afternoon.

The grapes at DRC are picked into the smallest picking baskets I have ever seen.  Only one layer of bunches goes into each basket, maybe eighteen to two dozen bunches of grapes, so that the grapes selected by the experienced pickers arrive at the winery in prisitine condition, to be sorted and inspected again at the tables de triage.  Given that the DRC wines are fermented mostly as whole clusters, this is an essential detail.

Small, shallow picking boxes used by Domaine de La Romanee Conti during harvest. Only 18 to 24 bunches of grapes per box maximum.  These from La Tache picked September 18th, 2014.

M. de Villaine reported to me that in 2014, depending on the parcel, up to 80% of whole clusters went into the large wooden fermentation vats.  After fermentation, the resulting young wines are drained off into stainless steel vats, and the marc, the grape bunches, still juice-laden, are put into the pneumatic press to gently extract the more structured and intense juice from the remains of the stems, seeds, and berries, in a process called decuvage.

Large wooden fermentation vats at DRC, with the very modern pneumatic press, on this morning extracting the best of DRC’s Grands Echezeaux 2014.

DRC assembles the press juice and free-run juice immediately into stainless-steel tank, where the combined young wines are allowed to settle out any gross lees before descending by gravity into the barrels in the cellar below.  The malolactic fermentation and aging take place in nearly all new oak barrels, custom-made by Francois Freres.

Barrels at DRC awaiting their new wines. Nearly 100% new oak, custom made by Francois Freres to DRC specifications. The trees and wood are selected by DRC years in advance, so that the wood is properly aged before being made into barriques.

This years crop at DRC is nearly twice as large as 2013’s yields.  Even this felicitous result for the 2014 vintage will do little to quench the desires of the world’s elite to own this wine.  What is a shame is that so many of these “collections” are repeatedly bought and sold as though they were hedge funds or works of art.  I, for one, wish that these collectors would drink more, rather than just collect for the sake of economic speculation or conspicuous ownership.  One can gaze at and appreciate art in a museum or private collection, but the pleasure, the “art” of wine is in its savoring, sip by precious sip.

DRC Grands Echezeaux press wine. Deep, intense cassis and blackberry flavors, bright, tight focused acids, dense pronounced tannis, firm but neither green nor astringent.

DOMAINE HENRI RICHARD (Gevrey-Chambertin)

By contrast, the family run Domaine Henri Richard is compact, even humble, a little more than four hectares under exploitation, two in villages Gevrey-Chambertin, one hectare in Grand Cru Charmes and Mazoyeres Chambertin, and additional holdings in the appellations of Marsannay and Coteaux Bourguignon.  This domaine, now run by the fourth generation of the family, Sarah Bastien, all of 30 years old, has been cultivating its vines biodynamically since 2000.  Certified Agriculture Biologique, Sarah and oenologist/chef de culture Guillaume Berthier are producing extraordinary wines of depth and refinement, although mostly for private clients and a few lucky importers.

The process here is reserved and economical.  Approximately 20 vendangeurs harvested the domaine’s vineyards over a one week period.  I was able to document much of their work in previous posts, as well as occasionally assist at the table de triage.  I was happy to be invited to their last day of decuvage, pressing the mostly whole cluster Mazoyeres-Chambertin Grand Cru, and celebrating with a traditional Burgundian lunch of Saucisson au Genes, sausage cooked in the marc of whole cluster Pinot Noir.

This domaine utilizes a collection of cement vats and small, new stainless steel cuves.  Temperature controls are a combination of morning harvests, the cool, thick, polished cement walls of the cuves de beton, and plenty of dry ice as the grapes go into vat.  As the pictures below demonstrate, these small, but passionate producers, do nearly everything by hand themselves.  The modern pressoir is pneumatic, the vats for debourbage after decuvage and pressing are epoxy-lined iron (settling the lees after draining the vats and for assembling the free-run with the pressed-juice), and new oak barrels have not been used since 2012!

The marc of the Domaine Henri Richard Mazoyeres-Chambertin, mostly whole clusters, ready for decuvage, pressing, and assemblage with the free run wine.

Sarah Bastien in the vat shoveling the marc into buckets, Guillaume Berthier feeds the pressoir. Last decuvage of the Domaine Henri Richard, Mazoyeres Chambertin Grand Cru.  The Mazoyeres is whole cluster, the Charmes only 30%.

Buckets of whole cluster fermented fruit go into the press. A tasting of the free-run and pressed juice was profound: the press wine was far more intense in deep, dark fruits, with powerful but resolved tannins to complement. And superb, velvety texture.

Let us not forget the small rituals that accompany the harvests and milestone moments of each vintage.  Harvesters are fed great meals for lunch and dinner each day, with mid-morning and mid-day casse-croutes snacks to keep them well-fueled for the hard work of the days’ harvest (which begins at 7am and ends at 7pm if not later!).

2014 Gevrey Chambertin villages after 24 hours of debourbage (settling of lees). Cinnamon, cardamom, licorice, and intense dark cassis fruits, wrapped in bright acidity and a suave silky texture.

Our end of decuvage lunch, Saucisson au Genes, sausage cooked in the vapors of Pinot Noir whole clusters after pressing. With Margaret’ Bastien’s (Sarah’s mother’s) superb roast potatoes.

DOMAINE BERTAGNA (Vougeot)

This beautiful and historic domaine, based in Vougeot, is owned by the Reh family, with Eva Reh firmly in charge of the estate.  The Reh family also owns the renowned Mosel-Saar-Ruwer estate Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, which is run by Eva’s sister, Annegret.  Domaine Bertagna is blessed with some of the finest 1ers and Grands Crus holdings in the Cote d’Or, from Chambertin, Clos Saint-Denis, Clos Vougeot, Corton-Lalieres, and Corton-Charlemagne, to parcels of 1ers Crus Nuits St. Georges Les Murgers, Vosne-Romanee Les Beaux Monts, Chambolle-Musigny Les Plantes, soon-to-be-planted Chambolle Les Amoureuses, and their renowned monopole Clos de La Perriere just across the path from the Chapter House of the Clos Vougeot itself.  The domaine is completed by villages parcels in Vougeot and Chambolle-Musigny, and some excellent parcels of Hautes Cotes de Nuits from the vineyard Les Dames Huguettes on the plateau above and within the commune of Nuits St. Georges.  Maitre de chais Denis Rozat supervises the day to day operations of the estate with Eva Reh.

Perhaps it is feminine determination and attention to detail, or perhaps the Kesselstatt experience of making white wines in stainless tanks, but Domaine Bertagna’ facility is a model of modernity.  Small stainless steel tanks line the neatly ordered cellar, with larger tanks for assemblage.

Bertagna’s battery of modern, temperature-regulated fermentation vats. Each vat corresponds to a specific parcel or appellation.

2014 brought superb fruit into the cellars, and after destemming 70% of the clusters, the grapes and clusters were cooled in their vats for a five to seven day cold maceration, to delicately extract the anthocyins and polyphenols of the skins.  Temperatures are allowed to rise slowly to begin fermentation, which proceeded quickly in 2014 due to very healthy indigenous yeasts brought in on the fruit.  As the alcoholic fermentation finishes, the tanks were raised in temperature to 32 to 35°C for a few days for further extraction of color and flavor.  The free run wine is racked off into stainless vats for a day or two of debourbage, before the wines descend into barrels in the cellar for malolactic and aging.

The marc is then pressed to extract the remaining wine, the smaller parcels pressed in a new vertical press, the larger parcels of Hautes Cotes de Nuits pressed in a modern pneumatic press.  Interestingly, the press wine is put into barrels separate from the free run cuvees, and assemblage of the press wine does not happen until after the malolactic fermentations are completed.  The addition of the press wine to the final assemblage is done by tastings and blendings to produce a final wine that is rich, structured, and powerful, yet refined, elegant, and smoothly textured.  Unused press wine is usually added to the Hautes Cotes de Nuits assemblage.

The vertical basket press in action. Denis Rozat and Eva Reh prefer the resulting press wine as it is finer and silkier in texture than the pneumatic press wine.

The finished “cake” or gateau of marc in the basket press. In a way, the operation of these presses mimics the old, wooden basket presses still found but rarely used.

 

Press wines from the day’s decuvage. At Bertagna, the assemblage of the press wine with the free run wine is done after both have completed malolactic, to control structure, tannins and astringency in the finished wine.

I was able to taste the free run and press wines from the Vougeot Le Village, Nuits 1er Cru Les Murgers, and the Vougeot 1er Cru Monopole Clos de La Perriere.  In general, the color of the press wines was lighter, and as expected, more cloudy.  The nose of the free run wines was fruitier, brighter, and juicy, while the smells of the press wines were somewhat  more brooding, with a spicy backbone of cinnamon and cardamom.  In the mouth both press and free run samples possessed bright, focused, tingling acidity (these were pre-malolactic after all), but the press wine had the structure, depth, and sheer power to complement the voluptuously textured, sumptuous fruit of the free run examples.  A very interesting tasting, which I look forward to following as the vintage develops in barrels.

DOMAINE TOLLOT-BEAUT (Chorey-les-Beaune)

I was unable to visit Nathalie and Jacques Tollot during decuvage, but from previous posts one can see a remarkable commitment to modernity as well as tradition.  This family estate goes from strength to strength each vintage, and 2014 saw the first use in Burgundy of an optical sorting table at the domaine.  After destemming, the berries proceed swiftly along a sorting table, where optical scanners detect any slight irregularities in berries, and puffs of air blow the irregular berries into a collection bin, where they are discarded with the stems.  This machine can sort two tons per hour, the equivalent of a  one hectare parcel of relatively high yield in Burgundy.

Optical scanner at Domaine Tollot-Beaut, the first to be used in the Cote d’Or. Jacques Tollot was quite happy with the results, as well as the speed.

I have been regularly visiting the Tollot family winery since 1988, over twenty five years.  Their swift embrace of innovations, while maintaining a true sense of family tradition, is evident in nearly all aspects of their winemaking.  From the new optical table de triage above, to the sophisticated and powerful heat-exchange cooling system below, to the change in bottle styles to accommodate a longer, more expensive cork to ensure a more secure closure for the aging of their wines, this family does it right.  Of course their size and annual turnover give them much greater flexibility than most smaller family domaines.

While these beautiful cement cuves scream family tradition, behind the walls of the cuves is a sophisticated heat exchange system for regulating the temperatures during fermentation. Here a newly harvested parcel, harvested on a very hot afternoon, is chilled down to allow a prefermentation cold maceration.

DOMAINE PIERRE DAMOY (Gevrey-Chambertin)

Blessed with amongst the largest holdings of Grands Crus in Gevrey-Chambertin, with lovely vineyards in Marsannay and a distinguished monopole, Clos du Tamisot, a Gevrey villages of 1ers Crus quality, Pierre Damoy is a wonderfully eclectic and opinionated grower.  The holdings of the domaine include over one third (5.36 hectares) of the totality of Chambertin Clos de Beze, and nearly half of Chapelle-Chambertin.  Since 1990, Pierre has returned his family patrimony to its rightful place amongst the finest names of the Cote d’Or.  With one foot firmly in the traditions of his forebearers (organic viticulture, late but lightning-quick harvesting, long macerations), the other is totally dedicated to the most modern of tools for the making of his wines.  He is also an amateur horticulturalist, with an extensive collection of plants from around the world, including tropical flowers, ferns, cacti, and fruit bearing trees, all surrounding a small fresh water fish pond with croaking frogs.

Previous posts and photos showed up to ten people at the table de triage, and once the grapes are into the cellar, the commitment to modern technology is nearly total.  The entire fermentation room is refrigerated, with individual, temperature-controlled regulation for most of the stainless steel vats.  During picking, the grapes and approximately 25 to 30% whole clusters went into their vats with the fermentation room at 5°C.  This was often a welcome respite from the heat of the harvest outside.  After a five to seven day prefermentation cold maceration, Pierre allows the temperature inside to rise, and the fermentations begin.

In 2014, the cuvaison was prolonged using the domaine’s abilities to control the temperature within the vats as well as the winery fermentation areas.  By the time of decuvage, the room was quite warm, as Pierre likes to let the vats reach 32°C for a few days of extra extraction.

Cellar worker Guillaume preparing to get into the vat to shovel the marc into buckets for the pressoir.

Using a hand shovel to scoop the marc into buckets. This was a parcel of Gevrey villages.

After pressing, the free run and pressed juices are assembled in stainless tanks for a debourbage (settling of the lees) that lasts from four to ten days, depending upon how quickly the juice becomes clear.  Pierre does not like to begin with cloudy juice in the barrels.

The modern pneumatic press at Domaine Pierre Damoy. Pierre presses lightly, the press is programmed for 1.25 to 1.4 bars of pressure.

When we talked about the barrels themselves, Pierre is clearly influenced by his horticultural studies, and his close personal attention to minute details.  Domaine Pierre Damoy uses only one forest for its barrels, Troncais, and while it is true that there are no Appellation d’Origine regulations for the forests used by barrel makers, Pierre avoids this potential pitfall by selecting his wood through a personal visit to the forest with his tonnelier Francois Freres, where he selects the actual trees that will be harvested, cut, dried for three to four years, and fashioned into barrels.  Pierre also prefers a very light toast to his barrels, complemented by steam seasoning to remove sappy or toasty elements.  For Domaine Pierre Damoy, the barrels are where the living wine breathes through the oak staves during malolactic and aging.  It is not a flavor additive.

The iconic workers’ hut in Chambertin Clos de Beze bearing the family domaine’s name.

THE WORK AHEAD

Elevage, the raising of the wine from its alcoholic fermentation in larger vats, through its malolactic fermentation and its aging in barrels, is a process that requires a multitude of choices at different stages, as the wine evolves.  From a decision about whole clusters versus destemming, to the length of time for cuvaison (a process that itself includes multiple decisions about the length of pre-fermentive cold maceration, temperature of fermentation, warm post-fermentation maceration, decuvage, and finally the treatment of the press wine) decisions are taken largely through tasting the wines as they begin their evolution into Burgundy.

It may often be said, and, during irregular visits, it can appear that the wines make themselves.  But over time, the wines evolve into something, an ideal perhaps, that the winemaker is searching for.  It is an expression of place, a personalized flavor, the saveur of another vintage telling its story, until finally the bottling is done and its proud owners reveal their hard work and individual efforts to a waiting and thirsty public.  This is why I love Burgundy: in no other wine region on earth are the expressions of singular varietals so idiomatic, so personal, so precise, and so delightful to drink.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES ! Burgundy Harvest Update – Sunday, 21 September, 2014

It is another glorious day in Burgundy’s Cote d’Or!  Yesterday’s clouds and foggy morning gave way to clearing blue skies by 2pm, which continue today with low humidity and lovely temperatures (midday: 17°C, 63°F).  A line of clouds should be rolling in from the northwest later today, but the forecast is for continued splendid weather through most of next week.  This continued Indian summer is making everyone smile.  (Yes, the French use the phrase too, eté indien)   Just for the sake of contrast, here is what the same view from above looked like yesterday morning, and indeed for much of rainy July and early August:

Meursault shrouded in fog Saturday morning, September 20th, 2014

Almost all of the white wine grapes are now in the producers’ cellars.  There are some parcels of Puligny and Meursault 1ers Crus whose ripening has been delayed by the hailstorm of June 28th, but plans are to pick those early next week.  The white grapes were nearly uniformly clean, ripe, and, except for some hail damage where shriveled berries quickly dried and fell off the vine, showing no signs of significant rot or botrytis.  For most growers the white grapes went straight to the pressoirs, there was little need for any triage.

Potential alcohol levels varied between 12.3° and 13.5°, and the fruit and juice that I have tasted has a wonderful sweetness, complemented by brilliant, tightly wound acidity.  These will be  classic white Burgundy wines, with chaptalisation rarely necessary, and if practiced, only to bring the wines up in alcohol a half to at most one degree.  Fermentations are proceeding very rapidly in the cellars, as a healthy crop also brought in healthy and copious yeast populations on the fruit.  The INAO has set the maximum yields for regional and villages white Burgundies at 60 hectoliters per hectare this year, and except for the hail-ravaged 1ers Crus in Meursault and Puligny, and some other plots of very old vines, this should be a fine vintage for quality wines with enough quantity to replenish stocks in the marketplace.

One of my neighbors in Puligny, Francois Carillon, reported that his alcoholic fermentations began almost immediately after debourbage (the settling of the juice’s gross lees), and took only a week to complete after the must was transferred to barrel.  His Bourgogne Blanc and Puligny villages yields were in the range of 50 hectoliters per hectare.  At Domaine Michel Niellon, Michel Coutoux was very happy with the quality and quantities of his Chassagnes from villages as well as 1ers and Grands Crus levels.  Potential alcohol at harvest was between 12.5° and 13.2°, and the vats were bubbling away when I visited Saturday morning the 20th September.

Fermentation getting underway in this vat of Chassagne villages.

Fermentation in full-tilt boogie in this vat of 1er Cru Vergers.

Most growers transfer their juice from vat into barrels when the fermentation begins, and that process is now underway in most white wine producing cellars throughout the Cote de Beaune.

This vat of Chassagne villages bubbling away happily.

Niellon Chevalier Montrachet continuing its fermentation in barrel.

Laurent Pillot finished his harvest  on Friday afternoon, bringing in the Aligote adjacent to his cuverie at the bottom of the village near the RN6/74 interchange.  He and his son were just finishing cleaning tanks after debourbage, and transferring the must to barrels for fermentation.

A very happy Laurent Pillot in his Chassagne winery.

Laurent’s son Adrien prepares the barrels to receive the must.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I mentioned earlier, the latest parcels to be picked seem to be those most impacted by the hailstorm at the end of June, as well as the higher slopes of Puligny, Blagny, and Meursault where cooler temperatures usually mean a later harvest.  More on these wines in a later post.

The Pinot Noir harvest is in full swing as I write this post, with most of the Cote de Beaune reds in the cellars, and in the Cote de Nuits, most grapes are being brought in under superb conditions.  Many of the producers of the Cote de Nuits’ illustrious Grands Crus will wait to bring in their fruit next week, under what is forecast as continued near-perfect weather.  As of yesterday, I saw some fruit remaining in Corton, the upper slopes of Aloxe-Corton and Ladoix Grands Crus parcels, and quite a few parcels waiting to be picked in Vosne, Morey, and Gevrey Grands Crus.  For the most part, the harvest of reds in Volnay, Pommard, and Beaune has finished, with spectacular fruit brought in, just not much of it.  The 1ers Crus and much of the villages parcels in these communes were severely impacted by the hailstorms, and yields will be down significantly.  Some growers report parcels that produced only 5 hl/h.  The quality is beautiful, but the quantities will be miserly.

Triage at Domaine Marquis d’Angerville sorting Volnay 1er Cru Champans

A lovely bin of Volnay 1er Cru Champans at d’Angerville. Yields are down >50%.

Guillaume d’Angerville estimates that in the last 5 years (2010 to 2014 vintages) he has produced the equivalent of only two average crops.  The quality of 2014 is superb, with little rot and very little damage from vinegar flies in the Cote de Beaune.  But there will be little wine to sell from the 2014 vintage.

Guillaume d’Angerville with a handful of beautiful Volnay. Excellent quality, just not much of it.

There has been widespread talk, and a bit of quiet fear, of a new pest that has arrived in the Pinot Noir vineyards of Burgundy.  I have heard a lot of discussion about drosophila suzukii, the invasive species of fruit fly that has been found in several vineyards.  The flies thrive in heat and humidity, particularly in places where the air is stagnant, without much wind.  The flies puncture the ripening fruit, introducing a vinegar yeast to the bunch, and can decimate surrounding vines quite rapidly, turning wine grapes to vinegar juice.

For many growers, 2014 marks the first year of this new pest, and I heard varying comments on its presence, effects, and vectors.  Everyone agrees that the issue is localized in small parcels this year, mainly in the Cote de Nuits, but reported to be quite problematic in the Cote Chalonaise as well.  Many maintain that heat, insufficient ventilation, and humidity are causes, and point to parcels where leaves were not pulled from the fruit before harvest, especially in the lower, frequently wetter areas.  Others claim to have no problems whatsoever, due to the sanitary conditions of their organic and sometimes biodynamic plots.  The highest estimates of the effects of the vinegar fly that I have heard are that 3 to 5% of the fruit was affected in the Cote de Nuits.  Pickers and sorters have been extremely vigilant this year, sniffing boxes and bunches for the telltale vinegar aromas, and even where the fruit arrives in beautiful condition, extra care and time are being taken on the tables de triage.

A bunch of Pinot Noir affected by drosophila suzukii vinegar fly.  This bunch smelled of cheap red wine vinegar

Richebourg getting special attention on the table de triage at Domaine Parent-Gros, Francois Parent was very cautious.

Extra personnel were added to the sorting table at Domaine Bertagna

Victoria Damoy (front left) supervises her triage table at Domaine Pierre Damoy

Most growers with whom I spoke did agree to one thing: that drosophila suzukii has indeed arrived in Burgundy, and that it will become another significant issue that will require vigilant attention in the vines for the coming years.

The next several days will complete the harvest in the Cote d’Or vineyards for 2014.  Growers will continue their work as the wines begin to take shape and reveal their personalities.  But confidence is high that a quality vintage is being produced in 2014.

Burgundy Harvest Updates – Saturday, September 20, 2014.

It is a foggy, misty, quite murky day in the Cote d’Or.  After two weeks of brilliant sunshine that has seen most of the whites safely into their wineries, Thursday evening brought thunderstorms that lasted several hours.  Lightning, thunder, and several significant downpours doused Puligny and Chassagne, but most of the fruit was already in.  Lesser amounts of rain fell in Volnay, Pommard, Beaune, and points north into the Cote de Nuits.

The rain continued off and on through most of yesterday, Friday 19 September throughout the Cote and was especially drenching between 10:30am and 3pm.  The gloomy weather continues today, and is forecast to remain until Monday, when we all hope the sun will return to ripen and dry the Cote de Nuits and the Grands Crus north of the A6 motorway, most of which have yet to be picked.

More to come tomorrow.

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Burgundy Harvest Updates – Wednesday, September 17, 2014

In over 25 years of visits to Burgundy, I cannot recall two more glorious days than Monday and Tuesday, September 15 & 16, 2014.  Absolutely perfect blue skies were complemented by hot but dry temperatures and minimal humidity.  Yesterday, Tuesday the 16th, was especially gorgeous, with temperatures close to 30°C (85°F).  Teams of pickers were out nearly everywhere, and the landscape from time to time looked like a swarm of ants with people, minivans, and even small busses converging on the slopes of the Cote d’Or.

The Cote de Beaune continued its frenzy of Chardonnay picking, and began the difficult task of sorting out its hail damaged reds in Volnay, Pommard, and Beaune.  The Cote de Nuits was really out in force for the first day yesterday, with fruit being harvested from Chenove down to Premeaux, mostly in the villages and 1ers Crus parcels.  I stopped to check in with many growers, occasionally helping at the sorting table, lugging or cleaning caisses, and taking pictures while getting a sense of the quality and quantities coming into local cellars.

The last week to ten days of warm, sunny, hot, and dry weather has had a dramatic effect on the grapes and potential yield of the 2014 harvest.  After the rains of July and the first two weeks of August, grapes were quite swollen and potentially diluted.  Even with hail damage, there appeared to be sufficient fruit in many but the most severely damaged vineyards to return a reasonable yield for 2014.  The hot and dry weather has significantly reduced the swollen grapes in size, and estimates vary as to the eventual rendement.  I have heard that the INAO has authorized crops of up to 60 hectoliters per hectare in villages appellations, and up to 50 hl/h in the 1ers and Grands Crus.  No grower with whom I have spoken has estimated anywhere close to these numbers, with most guessing at yields of around 40 to 45 hectoliters per hectare.  Of course in hail damaged vineyards, yields will be significantly less.  In reality it is too early to tell what yields will be, as that can only be done when the fruit has become wine.  But outside of Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, and the 1ers Crus of Puligny and Meursault, things do not look too bad, and the quality of fruit that I have seen and tasted is top notch.  It will be a very good to excellent vintage in 2014.

On the whole there are broad smiles nearly everywhere. The whites at the villages level are fairly abundant, with little if any rot, and any hail damaged fruit was so dried out that it fell off easily on the sorting tables.  The 1ers Crus whites in Chassagne are spectacular in quantity and quality.  While the hail storm of June 28th certainly limited the quantities harvested from the 1ers Crus in a swath from northern Puligny through northern Meursault, there is little rot to worry about, and the hail-damaged, dried berries were not a problem.  Some growers used their tables de triage, while a few others sent their fruit straight from the fields into the pressoirs, as they saw nothing but perfect fruit in the picking boxes.

Thierry & Pascale Matrot’s Puligny 1er Cru Combettes looking beautiful.  This from lower parcel as upper was replanted

Matrot Puligny 1er Cru Combettes had 50% hail damage, mostly already fallen off the vines. 20-25hl/h if they are lucky.

Adelle Matrot gets the Puligny Combettes  fruit into the vat…

While Elsa Matrot checks the potential alcohol – 12.9% !

Thierry & Pascale Matrot have reason to be proud!  Three beautiful daughters who make their lives easier – two in the vines and cellars, and one who is running Le Chevreuil, one of Meursault’s top restaurants (as well as the attached hotel).

Meanwhile in Chassagne-Montrachet, Philippe Duvernay of Domaine Coffinet Duvernay was positively elated at the quality of his Chassagne 1er Cru Fairendes, harvested with no rot or hail damage.  His fruit went straight from the picking boxes into the pressoir.

The quality of fruit bunches from Domaine Coffinet Duvernay Chassagne 1er Cru Fairendes was phenomenal. No hail, no rot.

My first stop in the Cote de Nuits was at Domaine Bertagna in Vougeot, a domaine with outstanding 1ers and Grands Crus holdings, where the four previous years have seen only miniscule harvests, amounting to the equivalent of two normal vintages since 2010.

Eva Reh had a delighted smile on her face, and cellar-master Denis Rozat was excited to be beginning another harvest.  Their joy will be mitigated by severe losses from hail in the Clos de Vougeot and their prized, adjacent monopole Clos de La Perriere, but the harvest is clean, beautiful, and very tasty.

Great to see Eva Reh of Domaine Bertagna smiling about the harvest! Son Philip assisting on the table de triage.

Domaine Bertagna cellar-master Denis Rozat extremely pleased with the quality of Nuits 1er Cru les Murgers.

Domaine Bertagna reds are all fermented in small stainless tanks. The Nuits 1er Cru Murgers goes into vat.

Beautiful Domaine Bertagna Nuits 1er Cru Les Murgers waits for the sorting table.

Fruit from Domaine Georges Roumier’s Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras was being sorted when I arrived there, and after the sorting, entire whole bunches were being sent to the vats.   There was a small amount of rot which was quickly excised, and great care was being taken to smell any bunches suspected of vinegar fly acetic development.

Delphine Roumier (middle right) leads the table de triage in ensuring perfection for the Chambolle 1er Cru Les Cras

These Roumier Chambolle Les Cras whole custers were beautiful.  I am not sure what percentage of the total will be whole cluster.

Pierre Damoy hastened his schedule by a day or two, and yesterday, Tuesday, September 16th, he began his harvest with Marsannay.  No problems with fruit here, and he expects to bring in his Grands Crus in comparable condition, with about 10% hail damage in his  Chambertin and Clos de Beze, less in the lower slopes of his Chapelle-Chambertin.

Victoria Damoy (on left with gloves) on the sorting table at Domaine Pierre Damoy, Marsannay harvest.

Beautiful destemmed fruit from Marsannay (Couchey) lieu-dit Bretigniere, one of two Damoy Marsannay parcels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After Sarah Bastien of Domaine Henri Richard finished her Gevrey villages aux Corvees, the team took a small break by harvesting her new Pinot Blanc from Brochon (destined for a new Cremant de Bourgogne Blanc de Blancs).  After lunch she began the reds again with the domaine’s Grands Cru Charmes-Chambertin.   Cellar-master Guillaume Berthier will use about 25% whole clusters in the Charmes-Chambertin, and up to 40-50% of whole clusters for the parcel of Charmes which will be labeled Mazoyeres-Chambertin.

A very warm day in Gevrey.  Sarah Bastien of Domaine Henri Richard (in hat, left), sorting whole clusters of Charmes-Chambertin.

Beautiful Charmes-Chambertin fruit from Domaine Henri Richard.  Many of these boxes went to the vats as whole clusters after the sorting table

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I arrived at Domaines Parent-Gros in Beaune, home of Domaine Anne-Francoise Gros and her husband Francois Parent of Domaine Francois Parent, I found that they had just begun harvesting their parcel of Richebourg Grand Cru.  The sorting table team was closely inspecting each bunch of grapes for any signs of rot or acetic odors.  The fruit was beautiful with a small amount of rot, a few vinegar bunches, and some dried out hail-damaged berries, but overall in great condition.  It tasted delicious.

Richeburg triage.  Caroline Parent-Gros, her brother Mathias, and her father Francois Parent were all smiles.

Richebourg Grand Cru after destemming, soon to go into vat. Great looking and great tasting!

Surgical precision on the table de triage for Domaine Parent Gros’ Richebourg Grand Cru. Mathias Parent-Gros supervising (far right).

As I write these notes on Wednesday midday September 17th, the mornings clouds have burned off and the sun is shining brilliantly again.  The clouds of this morning were probably a welcome sight to pickers and workers in the vineyards, after yesterday’s relentless sun and considerable heat.

The wind and clouds are moving from south to north again, and the radar shows some unsettled weather ahead, moving up from the Mediterranean.  It remains quite dry, but predictions are for possible storms tomorrow through the weekend.  Hopefully these will hold off a few days and the rest of the harvest will finish with a wonderful result for vintage 2014.

Looking southeast from the Chemin de Moines de St.Vivant on La Montagne in Vosne-Romanee towards Nuits St. Georges. Splendid weather still prevails.

 

Burgundy Harvest Updates – 2014

I am bouncing all over the Cote d’Or on my first experience of the harvest in Burgundy.  After thirty years of visits as a buyer and tourist, I am finally witnessing how some of the greatest wines on earth are made.  The harvesters are in the vineyards by 7am, work until noon, usually have a fine lunch and rest until 2pm, and are back in the vines (or in the winery) until 7pm.  It is a long day of hard and monotonous work, but feels immensely satisfying at the end of the day, when the juice is in the vats and the wine begins to make its personality (climat, vintage, quality & quantity) known.

I began this Saturday morning September 13th by assisting at the table de triage in Gevrey-Chambertin with Sarah Bastien & Guillaume Borot of Domaine Henri Richard.  My job: to pick out the stems, leaves, and other detritus that make their way past the destemmer.

Pick out any green, brown, or leafy bits. My job at the end of the sorting table, after destemming.

But many pictures and a full vat later, I took our dejeuner de vendangeurs complemented by jus des raisins de Gevrey villages aux Corvees (12.3° ) !  Of course wine was also served.

Harvest workers are fed well! Sarah Bastien of Domaine Henri Richard dishes up Choucroute a l’Alsacienne for the vendangeurs.

After , I made my way south to help lug caisses (the harvest grape boxes that contain about 25kg of grapes – around 20 bottles all finished) with Philippe Duvernay and his son Sebastien of Domaine Coffinet-Duvernay in Chassagne.  Heavy lifting, mostly in 1er Cru Fairendes, where the fruit was being brought in at 12.5 to 12.7° potential alcohol.

Lovely fruit from Coffinet-Duvernay’s Chassagne 1er Cru Fairendes. Old vines produce clusters with quite a few millerandes, highly concentrated in flavor.

Small caisses or boxes for the harvest. Each box has about 25 kg of grapes (about 55 lbs), which produces around 20 bottles of wine (750ml) per box.

Philippe Duvernay slowly presses whole cluster fruit for almost two hours, while others, like Niellon, use a screw device to break up the clusters a bit before slowly pressing the grapes.

The harvest in the Cote de Beaune is progressing nicely, while many in the Cote de Nuits remain on the sidelines as the marvelous weather brings the Pinots to superb, near perfect ripeness.  Crews were out in force in Savigny, Aloxe, and Ladoix, but Corton Charlemagne saw nary a vendangeur.

Harvest crews out in Ladoix 1er Cru. Hardly any teams were out in the Grands Crus of Corton or Charlemagne.

Next week will bring more harvest teams out in the Cote de Nuits, as the superb weather is forecast to change to cloudy and rainy by Thursday.  But the wonderful thing about weather forecasts here in France is that they are rarely accurate and often change twice a day.  Several important growers with whom I spoke this week were planning to hit the vines further north on Monday, September 15th.

I learned of a new pest in the vineyards this week, one rather specific to red wine grapes, and caused by the small fruit fly relative named drosophila suzukii, the vinegar fly.  The fly punctures the skins of ripening grapes, allowing botrytis acetic to take hold, decimating grape bunches and turning the sweet red juice into vinegar.  It can be prolific and exceptionally damaging in warm, humid conditions, which will be another factor in when the big red producers of the Cote de Nuits decide to begin their harvests.  With unsettled weather possibly returning on Thursday, it would not be surprising to see more vendangeurs in the Cote de Nuits early next week.

A Pinot Noir bunch affected by the drosophila suzukii vinegar fly. Botryitis takes hold producing a pronounced vinegar smell and taste. This can be ruinous to fermenting vats, and is far more dangerous, and luckily, far less frequent, than normal grey rot.

Stay tuned for more harvest reports from the 2014 vintage in the Cote d’Or….. and for immediate gratification as well as more pictures, follow me on Twitter at @amitiesjerome.

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Chasing the Sun: Chenove to Chorey in Vintage 2014

While the television coverage of President Francois Hollande’s dismissal of the French government and Prime Minister Valls scrambling to form another was non-stop speculation and spin, the main thing on people’s minds here in Burgundy is the weather.  The outgoing Economic Minister, Arnaud Montebourg, denounced austerity and conservatism, claimed modern Europe has been in economic crisis since 1929, quoted St. Augustine, and the French markets responded with the Bourse up nearly 3% in a couple days.  The French government may look to the left for a solution to stagnation and unemployment, but the farmers and growers of France’s most important agricultural export look to the skies.  Too bad all the hot air generated by the politicians, spin doctors, and talking heads can’t change the jet stream and bring us some true summer weather!

After a wonderfully sunny week, showers returned on Saturday evening August 23rd.  Sunday was a superb late summer day, with brilliant sunshine and magnificently warm but not too hot temperatures.  It was perfect for the international baseball tournament and country-western line dancing at the Journees Americain in Fenay, just east of Dijon, which I attended.  Unfortunately, by late evening thick clouds had moved in from the west, and the night brought rain.  Monday morning brought drear and drizzle, with weather more appropriate to late October than late August.  It is cool, damp, and grey here in the Cote d’Or.  Monday evening brought rain and Tuesday morning the fog and clouds covered the upper slopes of the Cote d’Or and and a steady rain drenched the region.  As I write the sky is clearing a bit, and the wind is picking up out of the west.  The forecast is for continued unsettled weather.

After writing about the prospects for the harvest in the southern part of the Cote d’Or, with another post devoted to the illustrious Grands Crus, it is time to consider the northern part of the region, the regional, village, and 1ers Crus north of the A6 motorway, from the suburbs of Dijon to the outskirts of Beaune.

CHENOVE, MARSANNAY, and COUCHEY

White, red, and rose wines are produced in the three villages entitled to the Appellation Marsannay Protegee.  These villages were mostly untouched by the hailstorms of June 28th, and show delightfully healthy bunches of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir fruit.  Well off the beaten path,  these villages do have some very fine parcels and terroir.  It is no accident that one of the climats of Chenove is called Clos du Roy, testament to the importance of this village during and after the reign of the powerful Valois Ducs de Bourgogne.  A little visited, but exceptionally preserved pressoir and winery dating from the 14th century are still present amongst the modern apartments of Dijon suburbanites.

The 14th Century pressoir of the Dukes of Burgundy in Chenove

A good vintage for these wonderful Mirabelle plums, on a path above Chenove

Some very fine looking Pinot Noir from older vines in Chenove

Lovely Chardonnay in Marsannay

A very fine result in Couchey

Much like the villages of St. Romain, St. Aubin, Monthelie, and Auxey-Duresses, Marsannay is going to have its day in the sun, particularly if the 2014 vintage finishes sunny and dry.  The prices are good, quantities from the three villages are ample, and more and more offerings by-the-glass are being seen in the hip wine bars of Beaune.  Negociants are swooping in to buy fruit, and producers from these villages are stepping up their quality as well.  Wines from Alex Gambel and Rene Bouvier are starting to have a cult following on the east coast of the USA, and the prix-qualite rapport is excellent.

FIXIN

Early in my career I was exposed to the wonderful wines of Fixin, representing the fine wines of Domaine Pierre Gelin.  Today the wines from the village of Fixin are emerging from relative obscurity, and the 1ers Crus are simply delicious in recent vintages.  Normally a bit more pointed in structure, with higher acids, and a bit more chalky tannins than the wines from its neighbor Gevrey-Chambertin, Fixin can show great depth and richness when yields and weather coincide correctly.  Modern winemaking techniques are bringing Fixin to a welcoming market, as the wines generally represent very fine value.

Fixin also has a beautiful Romanesque chapel, parts of which date from the 9th Century

Lovely, abundant fruit here at Fixin 1er Cru Les Hervelets

Very fine Chardonnay in Fixin 1er Cru Clos de La Perriere

Fixin 1er Cru Clos Napoleon. Leaves had been pulled and the crop thinned in preparation for the harvest

Should be an excellent yield in Fixin 1er Cru Clos Napoleon. These old vines show some variable veraison, and the crop was also being thinned out when I visited.

“Reveil de Napoleon” a bronze by the famous sculptor Rude, in the Parc Noisot in Fixin. Worth a detour. Dijon has a fine museum of Rude’s work, with copies from other monuments in France.

The wines of Fixin, particularly its 1ers Crus, are worth searching for.  They can be every bit as good as Gevrey-Chambertin, at half the price, though the vineyards are small, and quantities limited.

BROCHON and GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN

I was having a quiet Saturday afternoon at my Domaine Henri Richard gite in Gevrey on June 28th, when the skies suddenly darkened, the wind began to howl, and the rain began to pour in sheets.  What really got my attention was that a bit of this downpour was bouncing.  It was hailing.  Gevrey-Chambertin did not get too much hail that day, but curiosity forced me into my car and onto the Route de Grands Crus, where I then encountered another few waves of the storms that were moving in from the south.

There is some damage to the vineyards and fruit in Gevrey, but nothing compared to the devastation further south, which I have already reported in previous posts.  Gevrey growers tell me that 5 to 10% of their crop was lost to the hail, but at the moment, most expect a fairly normal, average-sized crop, because the vines were carrying a fairly copious fruit set, and the recent rains have swollen the grapes significantly.  The key to 2014 will be the weather between now and September 15th, when many growers forecast the harvest will begin.  A rigorous selection at harvest and again in the winery will be required to keep quality at the levels that recent prices command.

Beautiful fruit in Brochon, whose southern parcels are classified AOP Gevrey-Chambertin

Brochon also has a wonderful engineering curiosity, a 19th century wind-powered water pump

As in many areas that were hit quickly, hail damage in Gevrey was mostly on the southern sides of vines

Excellent results in the Gevrey village lieu-dit of Les Justices

Pierre Damoy’s Gevrey village Monopole Clos Tamisot with a fine set of fruit

Getting there, but a little behind the ripening curve in this Gevrey village plot

Beautiful ripening at veraison mid-August in Gevrey village Aux Corvees

Variations in ripening at Gevrey 1er Cru Champeaux

This will need sorting and a strict selection in 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques

Lovely fruit, also in Gevrey 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques

But a bit wet in Clos St. Jacques at the bottom of the slope with fewer stones

Lovely fruit in 1er Cru Clos des Varoilles

A bit of damage in 1er Cru Cherbaudes

 

Problems here in Gevrey 1er Cru Les Perriere, quite a bit of millerandage, but the adjacent vine at the top right of the photo looks fine.

Gevrey-Chambertin should deliver a fine quantity and quality of fruit in 2014 if the weather improves.  The next few weeks will determine the quality of the vintage, but there is plenty of fruit for producers to work with here.

MOREY ST. DENIS

I have always liked the wines of Morey.  To me they show an accentuated minerality, a flavor almost like the iron accents in blood, or the smell of mecurochrome that my mother would put on an abrasion when I skinned my knees or elbows.  I have been told that Morey has an inordinate amount of manganese in its soils, which might account for the high-toned, tart dark fruit flavors that I associate with Morey St. Denis.  Damage here was minimal, and the growers here should be happy if the clouds lift and the sun shines.

Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos des Ormes

An amazing vine with some lovely fruit: Morey villages lieu-dit Pierre Vivant

Chardonnay in the heights of Morey: 1er Cru Monts Luisants

Some lovely Pinot Noir in 1er Cru Monts Luisants as well

A good set here in Morey 1er Cru Les Ruchots

Morey villages lieu-dit en la Rue de Vergy above Clos de Tart: secondary crop above, culled fruit below. Experienced pickers only required!

CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY

As mentioned in a previous post, Musigny, at the knoll  of the hill just above Clos de Vougeot, was significantly impacted by hail.  Damage north of the village was quite limited except in the upper slopes near Bonnes Mares, but moving south towards 1ers Crus Les Amoureuses and Les Charmes more sustained damage appears.  I would estimate losses of 35% in some Chambolle vineyards.

A few millerandes, but a fine spread in Chambolle 1er Cru Les Sentiers

Lovely spacing in Chambolle 1er Cru Les Cras

A splendid vine in Chambolle 1er Cru Les Plantes

Domaine Bertagna’s new plantation at top right of photo, newly built terraces of Chambolle 1er Cru Les Amoureuses above Monopole Clos de La Perriere

A bit of hail damage, and not much fruit on this Chambolle 1er Cru Les Amoureuses vine

Chambolle-Musigny has always been a favorite village for me.  Its elegance and suave flavors remind me of a darker style of Volnay, more sultry, like Lauren Bacall compared to Catherine Denueve.  Good results can be expected here if the weather will cooperate, though hail damage in the southern parcels was significant, reducing the crop by 25 to 35%.

VOUGEOT and FLAGEY_ECHEZEAUX

Outside of their distinguished Grands Crus, there are not many parcels of vines in Vougeot or Flagey to talk about.  Vougeot has 3 hectares of vines classified as villages, and almost 12 hectares of 1ers Crus parcels to complement the 50 hectares of Clos de Vougeot.  The only non-Grand Cru property in Flagey-Echezeax is classified as Appellation Vosne-Romanee Protegee.  These parcels sustained some heavy damage from the hail, especially parcels higher on the slope, including the two Monopoles, Clos de La Perriere (Domaine Bertagna) and Clos Blanc de Vougeot (Boisset’s Domaine de la Vougeraie), where I estimate 40% of the crop was lost.  The Vougeot 1ers Crus Les Petits Vougeot and Les Cras were less affected, as were the small villages parcels.

Vougeot 1er Cru Monopole Clos de La Perriere showing damage & millerandage

VOSNE-ROMANEE

Unfortunately, Vosne-Romanee, the village where, according to Thomas Jefferson, “there are no ordinary wines”, was substantially impacted by the hail, and I have written of the damage to the Grands Crus in a previous post.  Yet other vines in Vosne-Romanee were also badly damaged, particularly northern, upper parcels of the 1ers Crus Les Suchots and Les Beaux Monts.  Again, fruit on the southern side of the vines was more damaged, but a fair bit of fine fruit clusters remain to be harvested.

Damaged clusters were removed in this parcel of Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Suchots

Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts south side of vine

Same parcel from the opposite, northern side with less damage

Further south, and down the slope adjacent to and below La Tache, things appear fairly good, with an abundant crop ripening nicely.

Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Malconsorts in fine form

A very fine result in Vosne 1er Cru Monopole Clos des Reas (Domaine Michel Gros)

Uneven ripening, millerandes, but no hail damage in Clos des Reas

Moving further south into Vosne-Romanee villages appellations, at the Nuits St. Georges border about 10 to 15% losses in vines seems to have been the average.  Again, the fruit clusters on the south sides of the rows of vines were most affected by the hail.

South side hail damage in Vosne-Romanee village parcel, here at Aux Reas

Much more attractive (and riper) fruit on the north side, again Aux Reas

Occasionally in the Cote d’Or one still comes across vineyards like the one pictured below, showing the effects of using herbicide treatments on several rows of vines.  While I recognize that Les Bourguignons are fiercely proud, independent people, with huge, compassionate hearts, I simply do not understand how one’s neighbors can tolerate the continued use of poison in these treasured vines.  This is an abominable cruelty to agriculture.

Herbicide poisons in use to kill grass, weeds, and who knows what (or who) else in these vines

NUITS ST. GEORGES and PREMEAUX-PRISSEY

The town of Nuits St. Georges and the village of Premeaux-Prissey, which is entitled to the appellation of Nuits St. Georges, constitute one of the largest vineyard appellations in the entire Cote d’Or, with over 178 hectares of villages and 147 hectares of 1ers Crus shared between them.  There are no Grands Crus in Nuits St. Georges, but there are a lot of excellent wines produced here.  As throughout most of the Cote, the finest terroirs are mid-slope, where they enjoy excellent exposure to the sun, great drainage, and a superb mixture of calcaire stones and rich, nutrient and mineral-laden soils.

Hail was not an insignificant factor in the Nuits St. Georges appellations, but I would estimate only spotty losses of 5 to 10%.  Where there was damage, it was again on the south side of vines, with the northern sides showing abundant and fine fruit clusters.  Millerandage seems to have been fairly significant, with quite a few older vines showing substantial shot berries in their bunches.

Uneven ripening and a few millerandes, here in Nuits villages Au Bas de Combe

Nuits 1er Cru Boudots, two vines with differing ripening schedules

A lovely vine with superb fruit in Nuits 1er Cru Les Damodes

A very fine crop in Nuits 1er Cru Les Murgers

Abundance in Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers

Lovely old vines fruit in Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Ronciere

Quite a bit of damage in 1er Cru Clos du Porrets St. Georges just south of Ronciere

 

Two closely intertwined vines showing millerandes, a bit of hail damage, and secondary growth (at the top right side of photo) in 1er Cru Les St. Georges

A much better set in this part of 1er Cru Les St. Georges, nearly uniform ripening

Some lovely white grapes in the upper parcel of Nuits Monopole 1er Cru Clos des Forets St. Georges (Domaine de L’Arlot).  Are these Chardonnay or their delightful Pinot Beurrot?

A fine result on the north side of 1er Cru Clos des Argillieres, a ways to go to ripen

Not so fine, with some damage, on this southern side of Clos des Argillieres

 

The marvelously tilted, roller coaster ride of Nuits 1er Cru Monopole Clos Arlot (Domaine de L’Arlot)

Nuits 1er Cru Monopole Clos de la Marechale (Domaine J-F Mugnier), beneath the rock piles from the quarry above

I could not get inside to view the vineyards in two of my favorite Nuits St Georges (Premeaux) 1ers Crus Monopoles, the Clos Arlot of Domaine de L’Arlot, and the Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Clos de la Marechale, which I have enjoyed since Faiveley controlled its production.  These adjacent sites in Premeaux-Prissey  express two different sides of Pinot Noir.  I always enjoy the rich dark red fruits and smooth, satisfyingly silky style of Clos de la Marechale, while the more brooding, mineral,  sauvage black fruits of Clos Arlot are fantastic with lamb or game.

COMBLANCHIEN and CORGOLOIN

Today the villages of Comblanchien and Corgoloin may be more well known for their marble stone, quarried from some of the Cote d’Or’s hardest limestone rock, but I predict that there will soon be some newly popular producers, lieux dits, and wines from these attractive vineyards around the major rock industry of Burgundy.

With prices for all Burgundy escalating, it may soon be impossible to offer a Cote de Nuits village wine by the glass in many top restaurants.  However, the Appellation Cote de Nuits-Villages Protegee wines from Comblanchien and Corgoloin can fill that void for high quality Pinot Noir at a reasonable tariff.  I, for one, am excited to see the appearance of a few lieux-dits names on the labels of some of these villages’ better producers.  Jean-Marc Millot’s Aux Fauques, from Comblanchien, and the Domaine d’Ardhuy’s Corgoloin Monopole Clos des Langres, are two examples of Cote de Nuits-Villages at its best.

An excellent crop in the Comblanchien Cote de Nuits-Villages site Aux Fauques

Old vines with fine fruit in Corgoloin Monopole Clos des Langres

A sad memorial at the church of Comblanchien: the war was nearly finished here when retreating Germans shot eight suspected collaborators and burned 52 houses in the village.

Last Thursday marked the 70th anniversary of one of many atrocities committed by German SS troops as they retreated from the Allies’ advance and inevitable liberation of France.  The memorial at Comblanchien marks that sad night.

Comblanchien and Corgoloin have a long history of viticulture as well.  The Clos des Langres of Corgoloin was planted in the 9th century by monks from the Abbey of Cluny, and remained the property of the Diocese and Bishops of Langres until appropriated by Revolutionary forces at the end of the 18th century.

While the Cotes de Nuits-Villages wines from these villages (as well as those from Fixin and Brochon with the same appellation) may be headed up in price with all the rest of Burgundy’s wines, they still represent an excellent value for the world’s most distinctive Pinot Noir.

ALOXE-CORTON

While this village’s wine production is dominated by its Grands Crus Corton and Corton Charlemagne, there are still nearly 90 hectares of villages appellation vines in Aloxe and 37 hectares of 1ers Crus spread between Aloxe and Ladoix.  Hail damage was minimal here, especially as many of the vines are in the lower slope areas of the Corton hill.

Aloxe Corton 1er Cru Les Fournieres

Millerandage in Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru

 

If the sun returns to Burgundy, Aloxe-Corton will be a good source of quality wines in 2014.  There are top producers such as Domaine Antonin Guyon, Domaine Tollot-Beaut, and Domaine Chandon de Briailles bringing very fine wines to market at reasonable prices compared to other villages across the Cote d’Or.  While some wines from the village have a reputation for lightness, these producers’ wines show medium depth of soft cherry fruit, bright acidity, tightly wound minerality, and smoky, bacon-fat aromas that I thoroughly enjoy.

PERNAND-VERGELESSES

For years this village has literally lived in the shadows of the hill of Corton’s illustrious Grands Crus, yet judging by the presence of white and red offerings in the wine bars of Beaune and the surrounding region, Pernand-Vergelesses is in for a time of renewed appreciation.  With one 1er Cru, Sous Fretille, virtually identical in geography and geology to Corton Charlemagne, and other vineyards being the first and the last to grab sun from the sky just adjacent to Savigny, I believe that Pernand-Vergelesses will soon be a brighter star in the Burgundy firmament.

Looking down from atop Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Sous Fretilles with the village below

Not without some damage in Pernand

Some lovely Pernand Chardonnay

Fine Pinot Noir in Pernand 1er Cru Ile de Vergelesses

As a salesperson I used to refer to Pernand-Vergelesses Blanc as “baby Corton-Chuck”.  The reds can also be delightful bargains, though it seems most of the Pernand offered today is white.  Look for the 1ers Crus of Ile de Vergelesses or Vergelesses, as well as the Sous Fretille.

SAVIGNY-LES-BEAUNE

It was only last year that Savigny was devasted by hail in July 2013, and the results are empty cellars for some producers from this lovely village.  One producer of Savigny-les-Beaune that I have known for over 25 years told me that they made no 1ers Crus in 2013.  If she is lucky, there will be a fine crop in 2014 to harvest.

Savigny sits in the mouth of a broad valley cut by the River Rhoin.  After the village, the valley opens to the east with some superb vineyards on both the northern and southern sides of the Rhoin.  The broad, open valley is perfectly exposed, and its 1ers Crus are the first and the last to receive the day’s sunshine.  The soils vary from quite stony to a mixture of clay and soil, argilo-calcaire, the essential terroir of great Burgundy wines.  Aux Guettes, Clous, Serpentieres, Gravains, Les Lavieres, Fournaux, Champs Chevrey, Narbantons and others all present excellent rapport prix-qualite.

Wonderful Savigny fruit from village lieu-dit Les Goudelettes

Savigny 1er Cru Vergelesses, above the Pernand 1er Cru Ile de Vergelesses

Lovely fruit set in Savigny 1er Cru Les Lavieres

Should be a very fine result in Savigny 1er Cru Clos des Guettes

The beautiful Chateau of Chandon de Briailles, with gardens by Lenotre, who also designed the gardens of Versailles

Adjacent to the Chateau, Savigny’s lavoir, or communal wash house, with the Rhoin River flowing through.

 

 

 

 

 

Hail damage and millerandage were fairly slight in 2014 in Savigny-les-Beaune.  Yet still, the average for winemakers there is to have made approximately two normal vintages in quantity over the last four years.  Understandably prices will rise, as the lack of wine throughout Burgundy is exerting enormous pressures on price.  But those growers who exercise restraint will find themselves with increasing market share.  The wines of Savigny-les-Beaune still represent value for this buyer’s money.

CHOREY-LES-BEAUNE

This village on the outskirts of Beaune has always been an excellent source for Cote de Beaune-Villages and the village appellation of Chorey-les-Beaune.  Most growers there are producing quality wines at very moderate prices, often not much more than Bourgogne Rouge.  Most of its 154 hectares sit on the eastern side of the former Route Nationale 74, which has been the traditional separation of wheat from chaff in Burgundy.  However, these wines are generally charming: full of Burgundy Pinot Noir flavors and delightfully easy to drink.  My current house quaffing wine is Chorey-les-Beaune from the friendly cousins at Domaine Tollot Beaut.  Delicious!

Fine stuff in Chorey-les-Beaune lieu dit Les Beaumonts

This photo was taken at 8:22pm on August 18th, 2014. Chorey-les-Beaune is still bathed in sunlight just before sunset. Looking closely, one can see the hot air balloon to the south above the village: a magnificent way to survey the vineyards if the wind is from the south.

This post and previous missives have covered the prospects for the 2014 harvest in the Cote d’Or in some detail, village by village, lieu-dit to Grands Crus from Santenay to the suburbs of Dijon.  If the sun continues to shine, the Cote d’Or should enjoy a fine harvest in 2014.  Some villages, notably northern Meursault, Volnay, Pommard, and Beaune, have been devastated by the hailstorms of June 28th, and will suffer greatly from a lack of wine at a period of worldwide increases in demand for wines of authenticity and terroir.  And there is no vineyard area on earth that more fully embodies the concept of terroir than the Cote d’Or.

I still believe that Matt Kramer said it best: ” Memorable wine is as much a map as a taste. It is why wine lovers in general, and Burgundy lovers more than anyone else, spend so much pleasurable effort exploring the distinctions between one vineyard and another. This is why a thirty-one mile strip of land, the Cote d’Or, has captivated wine drinkers for a millenium. Through its wines, one has the sensation of having found a terrestial crossroads, a place where man and plant and planet meet“.  (Emphasis mine, Matt Kramer, Making Sense of Burgundy, 1990).

What the weather brings in the next couple of weeks will only add to the complexity of understanding this incredible place.  I am happy if you enjoy my humble contributions, while I live my dreams in France.

Chambertin to Charlemagne – Patience & Anticipation in the Northern Grands Crus

The week beginning Sunday, August 17th has been a succession of splendid, sunny days, with cool, brisk evenings and nights.  Temperatures in Beaune have ranged from unseasonably cool nights of 8 to 10 degrees Celsius (46 to 50° F) to pleasantly warm and sunny days of 21 to 25° C (70 to 77° F).  The last week has been dry and brilliantly sunny, with many of the local tourists sporting some sunburn as they go about their daily interests (including this writer).  But it is unusually cool here in Burgundy this summer so far, after a rainy July and wet, cool, damp beginning of August, and a few hoteliers have reported to me a drop in reservations to finish the summer vacation holidays.

The return of drying and moderate weather after the changeable rainy conditions of July and the first two weeks of August has brought a few sighs of relief from local growers, and allowed those on their summer holidays to relax even further.  The vineyards are drying out, the vines are receiving their final trimming, some growers are pulling leaves and dropping fruit to control yields and enhance quality, and the many preparations for a busy harvest season are underway.  Local predictions are for the vendange to begin sometime around September 10th to15th.

I have spent the last several days visiting the vineyards between Chenove, the northernmost of the Cote de Nuits villages on the outskirts of Dijon, and Savigny and Chorey-les-Beaune, where the A6 AutoRoute cuts through the vines, whisking travelers between Paris and points south this summer season.  Resolute patience has given way to a quiet optimism here in the Cote d’Or, in spite of the setbacks and damage inflicted in several appellations in the area by the hailstorms of June 28th.

Damage from that storm north of Beaune was a bit more widespread than I had initially observed.  There is spotty damage to grape bunches on the southern sides of many vine rows in almost all the villages between Savigny-les-Beaune and Gevrey-Chambertin, showing the swift moving nature of the storms.  Most of the damage was confined to the south facing sides of the vines planted east-west, and varies from minimal (5 to 10%) in most villages, to fairly significant (35 to 50%) in the areas surrounding the Chapter House and historic pressoir of the Clos de Vougeot, and the upper and middle slopes of the Grands Crus of Richebourg, Romanee-Conti, Romanee St. Vivant, Grands Echezeaux, Echezeaux, and Musigny.  From Bonnes Mares into the four Clos of Morey, and finally the cluster of Grands Crus of Chambertin, damage lessens again to between 5 and 10% of grape bunches.  Some of these Grands Crus sites showed evidence of significant efforts mid-veraison to remove damaged bunches, a costly and time-consuming attention to detail during the August vacation period that can be financed only by the high prices that these wines can and will continue to command.

On the whole, ripeness is proceeding nicely, with veraison fairly advanced in most places, although somewhat variable with  millerandage (shot berries) in many bunches, and some vines with one or two green bunches complementing the red in the Pinot Noir.  There is very little appearance of a “second crop” that occasionally appears in the higher foliage of the vines in sunnier vintages.  In speaking with a few vignerons this past week, I was told that the variations in veraison color within and between bunches was a good thing.  Slight variations in ripeness tend to boost acidity levels in the resulting juice, making for fresher, livelier wines overall.

This report will concentrate on the most illustrious of those vineyards north of the A6 highway, the Grands Crus sites north of Beaune which have established and maintained the glorious reputation of Burgundy for over 1,500 years.  I have written about hail damage and the Grands Crus of Montrachet in a previous post (see Race to Ripeness – Santenay to Beaune, last revised Aug. 16, 2014), so here I will report on the historic sites between Gevrey-Chambertin and Pernand-Vergelesses, from Chambertin to Corton-Charlemagne.  Regional, villages and 1ers Crus appellations from the villages between Chenove and Chorey-les-Beaune will be discussed in a later post to follow.

CHAMBERTIN GRANDS CRUS

One of the oldest extant records of a single vineyard site refers to the donation in 640 AD of vineyards to the Abbey of Beze by Duke Amalgaire of the Kingdom of Burgondes, who had previously endowed the Abbey itself.  Interestingly, and perhaps denoting a historic recognition of superior quality, Clos de Beze can also be called Chambertin under today’s Appellation d’Origine Protegee regulations, but not vice-versa.  Most producers elect to bottle under both names if they are lucky enough to possess vines in both appellations.

The ancient Chateau de Gevrey-Chambertin, built in the 12th century by monks of the Abbey of Cluny as a press house and winery, now owned by an entrepreneur from Macao, China

Most of Chambertin and its adjacent Grands Crus remained in the hands of the monks of the Abbeys at Langres and Cluny until the French Revolution confiscated the church’s property and sold it to benefit the new French republic, dedicated to liberte, egalite et fraternite.  In 1790, the 28 hectares of vineyards comprising Chambertin and Clos de Beze were sold to a gentleman named Claude Jobert.  They remained in that family’s hands for years, but with the newly revolutionary Napoleonic rules of inheritance, the property has since been fragmented over generations into over 60 parcels, each jealously guarded by its proprietors and farmed by individual growers as they see fit.  Now there are over 40 producers of wines from these two Grands Crus alone.

Looking uphill from the bottom of Clos de Beze into adjacent Chambertin itself, from the Route de Grands Crus. These two Grands Crus extend uphill to just beneath the forest.

Some lovely fruit in Clos de Beze, very little damage, a little millerandage

Variable versaison in Clos de Beze – should make for fresher acidity and livelier wine

Not much fruit in this parcel of Clos de Beze below the forest, but beautiful bunches of grapes!

Beautiful fruit in Chambertin

The other Chambertin Grands Crus, Ruchottes, Mazis, Chapelle, Griottes, Latricieres, Charmes, and Mazoyeres (itself a lieu-dit within Charmes) surround the noble growths of Chambertin and Clos de Bezes.  Whether adjacent or just below, (but never above, as for the most part the upper Chambertin Grands Crus extend to the forest), these vineyards produce some of the most sublime wines on the planet.  The finest examples of Grands Crus Gevrey-Chambertin are rich and dense but never heavy – supple, lively, fresh, complex and succulent in smells and flavors of raspberry, black currant, and pomegranate fruits, with discreet but never overbearing notes of cinnamon, licorice, oriental spice, and moist forest floor, complemented by a suave texture of elegance and velvety suppleness, and a profound tannic structure that finishes with a cinnamon/cocoa-dust dryness, never hard nor bitter.

Beautiful fruit in Ruchottes-Chambertin

A bit of millerandage in Ruchottes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good enough to eat yet? Chapelle-Chambertin

Some hail damage in Latricieres

Good stuff in Mazoyeres-Chambertin

Make my day in old vines Mazis-Chambertin!

To be sure Chambertin Grands Crus have been renowned through the centuries for the wonderful wines produced there.  Its wines may indeed have been among the first ever counterfeited: after Napoleon’s retreat from the Russian front, the market is said to have been flooded with his favorite wine: Chambertin.

THE MANY SPLENDORED CLOS OF MOREY

Of the five Grands Crus in the village of Morey St. Denis, four are named Clos, implying a walled garden vineyard of historically unique importance.  All possess medieval historical origins, with over 900 years of viticulture, mostly by monks and nuns, the most well-educated people of their era.  Like most other church and aristocratic property, these were also confiscated by the new republican government after the French Revolution, and sold at auction for the benefit of its citizens.

Only one, Clos de la Roche, refers to its geological rather than historical features (it was near the site of a medieval quarry for limestone marble).  Clos de la Roche is the largest Grand Cru in Morey, at nearly 17 hectares, with over 30 different producers working its vines.

Very nice fruit set in Clos de la Roche

Beautiful & perfectly spaced bunches in Clos de La Roche

The still-producing quarry in Morey St.Denis from which Clos de la Roche derives its name

The historic origins of the other Clos in Morey date from the 11th to 14th centuries, with both monks and nuns making their contribution to the development of some of Burgundy’s most prestigious vineyard sites.

Morey Grands Crus show very little hail damage, with some marvelous fruit ripening nicely over the last week.  Some growers have practiced a vendange verte, thinning the crop by cutting off excess bunches to (theoretically) increase the concentration and ripening prospects of the grapes that remain.

Clos St. Denis with a nice set, although very uneven veraison

Tightly packed bunches showing some hail damage in Clos St. Denis

The Chapel of Notre Dame of Nuits St. Georges, whose newcomer monks controlled Clos St. Denis,, and whose graveyard bears the remains of some of Burgundy’s most illustrious families.

Roses are often planted at the ends of rows of vines. They provide a lovely aesthetic, but they are also early indicators of vine diseases or infestations which could affect the vineyards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clos de Tart has a unique history, as it was one of the few medieval vineyard sites under the control of women.  From the 12th century it was the property of the nuns of the Notre Dame de Tart.  In 1791 it was confiscated and sold to benefit the new republic, but to this day it remains a monopole vineyard with only one single owner of its 7.5 hectares.

Crop thinning and a beautiful spread of fruit in Clos de Tart

More bunches for the birds! Clos de Tart evidently wants to make a statement in 2014

Clos des Lambrays does not have a name to reflect its monastic connections, but they do exist.  The Lambrays were a noble family from the upper Saone river valley (northeast of the abbey town of Beze).  The property was leased in the mid-14th century by the abbey of Citeaux, who had been cultivating Clos de Vougeot for 200 years already.  Their expertise undoubtedly paid off over the centuries, until the property was nationalized after the Revolution.  Today Clos des Lambrays is just under 8 hectares, with only three producers accounting for its wines.

A beautiful sloping vineyard site, stretching from mid-slope nearly to the forest

A bit of hail damage to complement the millerandes at Clos des Lambrays

Some nice fruit in this parcel of Clos des Lambrays

The main Grands Crus vineyards of Morey St. Denis sustained fairly minimal damage from the storms of June 28th.  These should be a fine, but very limited, source of very fine wines at the Grands Crus level if the weather holds from now until the coming harvest.

BONNES MARES & MUSIGNY

Just south of Morey is the village of some of my favorite Cote de Nuits wines, Chambolle-Musigny.  Bookended by two excellent Grands Crus, Bonnes Mares in the north with a small parcel in Morey, and Musigny south of the quiet, nearly hidden village, for me Chambolle is the Cote de Nuits’ stylistic equivalent of Volnay.  The wines possess an elegance and silky texture, combined with a depth and powerful, nearly coffee-like torrefaction which I find most expressive in Musigny itself.  This is not to diminish the efforts of Bonnes Mares’ excellent producers, and the fact is that I have only drunk either no more than a dozen times during my lifetime so far.

The first Burgundy that truly turned my head, literally blew me away, was a Bonnes Mares from Domaine Georges Roumier that I enjoyed with friends one Thanksgiving dinner as a graduate student.  Its impact on all of us was profound, and we all regretted that I could afford only one bottle for that memorable celebration.  Unfortunately I do not remember the vintage, but I do remember that it cost me less than $30.  Bonnes Mares is all silk and refinement, the epitome of that French saying “L’Enfant Jesus en culottes de velour”, meaning “Baby Jesus in velvet pants”.  The fruit is juicy and unctuous, usually more sweet red than tart black fruit flavors, with an impeccable balance and long, satisfyingly exuberant finish that literally leaves one happily speechless.

A lovely set in the Morey parcel of Bonnes Mares

Veraison is a bit uneven, but a decent result in middle Bonnes Mares

Some pretty fruit in the Comte de Vogue holdings of Bonnes Mares

The southern parcels of Bonnes Mares show approximately 5% to 10% damaged clusters, while in the northern, Morey parcels, merely 5% or so of the bunches were affected.  Further south into Musigny and upper Vougeot the damage was much more significant and visible.  This swath of vineyards south into the illustrious Grands Crus of Vosne-Romanee were hit pretty hard by two waves of hail the early evening of June 28th.  This author was driving south from Bonnes Mares to Clos de Vougeot on the road above Domaine Bertagna’s Monopole Clos de La Perriere when I was assaulted by sheets of hailstones, from cherry to golf ball sized iceballs.  I remember it every day that I drive, as the dings and dents in my car are quite evident of the storm’s fury, which lasted merely minutes.

Hail damage and millerandage in Musigny vineyards

Old vines showing significant hail damage in Musigny parcel

 

 

Open and exposed to the elements on a knoll above its neighbors, Musigny sustained quite a bit more damage than Clos de Vougeot, which is lower on the slope, and protected by stone walls two meters high in most places.  I estimate losses of 25 to 35% in Musigny.

CLOS de VOUGEOT

The memorable storms which swept northward from the Cote de Beaune that evening brought less damage than they left in the Cote de Beaune, but significant damage to some of the most storied and illustrious Grands Crus of Burgundy.  Perhaps no other site enjoys greater fame or recognition than the Cote de Nuits’  largest  Grand Cru, Clos de Vougeot.  Since the 12th century the monks of Citeaux had built this beautiful property, endowing it with a magnificent winery, a superb set of walls delimiting its boundaries, even mapping and naming its specific, unique plots within the walls.  Today, the 50 hectares of Clos de Vougeot are farmed by over 80 different proprietors.  It would be a tough afternoon’s work to taste through each bottling, but I know of no amateur de Bourgogne who would refuse an invitation to such a glorious tasting.

Burgundy’s most well known vineyard site, Clos de Vougeot, also serves as headquarters of the Confrerie de Chevaliers du Tastevin

Variable ripeness, millerandage, and hail damage in upper Clos de Vougeot

Better looking fruit mid-slope toward the RN74 in Clos de Vougeot, north side of the vineyard

Variable veraison, millerandage, but copious undamaged fruit near the bottom slopes of Clos de Vougeot adjacent to the RN 74

While the upper reaches of Clos de Vougeot were pelted by hail and sustained significant damage, one of the strengths of the size of Clos de Vougeot, recognized by the monks themselves, is that the variety of plots offer greater possibility for producing a fine wine than if the plots had been vinified separately.  Barring any unfortunate events until harvest, there will be a healthy amount of Clos de Vougeot for sale from the 2014 vintage.  Because of the fragmentation of plots through inheritance, one may not be able to buy from one’s favorite producer, but there will be a healthy vintage here, especially from those lower plots closer to the former Route Nationale 74.

ECHEZEAUX & GRANDS ECHEZEAUX

Considerable damage was inflicted in the lower slopes of Echezeaux and upper Grands Echezeaux during the late June hailstorms.  Unprotected by walls like neighboring Clos de Vougeot, the hail and winds struck with full force.  20 to 30% of the crop was lost in 2014.

Good bunches, partially damaged bnches; a critical sorting will be needed here in Echezeaux

Some good bunches, some damaged. Echezeaux will require experienced pickers at harvest

 

 

 

Grands Echezeaux with a decent set, but the good, the bad, and the ugly all visible here

Looking better on the lower slopes of Grands Echezeaux, just a bit of millerandage

I remember early in my wine career, a prominent Vosne-Romanee grower told me that Echezeaux was a monk’s wine, a wine for contemplation and reflection, if not prayer.  I often remember that conversation when I am drinking great Pinot Noir.  Will it thrill or pacify me?  Or both?  It will be a difficult harvest in Flagey-Echezeaux this year, requiring precise selection and sorting, and a monastic discipline that will eventually command higher prices.

THE NOBLE GRANDS CRUS of VOSNE ROMANEE

Heading south from Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux into the commune of Vosne-Romanee, one dips into the slight geological depression of 1er Cru Les Suchots before coming face to face with what are arguably the greatest, and indisputably the most expensive, of Burgundy’s Grands Crus.  Thomas Jefferson took over as Ambassador to France from Benjamin Franklin in 1785, and his four years of service saw him visit many of Europe’s most prominent wine regions, including Burgundy.  He is reported to have remarked “there are no ordinary wines in Vosne”, but he was merely stating what had been obvious for at least 500 years.

In spite of names that allude to Roman origins, it was the monks of the Abbey de St. Vivant from Vergy in the Hautes Cotes de Nuits that first colonized these vineyards in the  9th century.  With plenty of aristocratic patronage and sales to the kings and princes of France and Europe, the wines of Richebourg, Romanee St. Vivant, La Romanee, Romanee-Conti, La Tache, and more recently, La Grande Rue have come to define the finest expressions in the world from the Pinot Noir grape.  There are, simply, no finer red wines in the world, in this writer’s opinion.

Unfortunately, these cherished sites were not spared by the waves of hail that fell on the evening of June 28th.  Mid to upper-slope vineyards saw significant damage.  Upper Richebourg and La Tache appear to have losses of nearly 40%, while further down the slopes, damage in Romanee St. Vivant and Romanee-Conti appears less widespread, which I would estimate at 20 to 25%.

Millerandage and hail damage at Richebourg upper parcels

Not a lot of fruit to harvest in this part of Richebourg

Some good bunches, but most have some hail affected berries: Richebourg

Some very fine old vines fruit, just not much of it

Romanee St. Vivant upper parcels with substantial hail damage

Not a pretty site in Romanee St. Vivant, very variable fruit conditions on the same vine

A fine looking set lower down in Romanee St. Vivant, a younger vine

This neighboring vine was a bit less prolific, but not badly damaged, also Romanee St.V

Fine fruit in La Grande Rue

Promising results in La Tache

A little bit uneven in ripeness, but should be fine: La Tache upper parcel

La Tache upper parcel: not everything is perfect, a fair amount of hail damage here

One of my favorite places. La Tache just outside the village of Vosne-Romanee

 

Since the recent vine extortion episode DRC has installed a sign asking visitors not to walk in the vineyard of Romanee-Conti. I respect their concerns. This picture is from the road, beautiful fruit like this was seen in most of this hallowed site.  I have tasted this wine only twice in my life.

A bit of millerandage in Romanee Conti, but for the most part excellent, prime fruit

This is probably as close as I will get to tasting this wine again in my lifetime: Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Romanee-Conti. Absolutely beautiful fruit.

The Grands Crus of Vosne-Romanee are indeed “no ordinary wines”, as Thomas Jefferson observed just before the French Revolution changed the face of viticulture in Burgundy.  But I for one am happy that in the 200 years since, most of these vineyard sites have remained in the hands of only a few families.   Their prescient guardianship of this patrimony is a passion that goes well beyond the luxury-brand mentality expressed by too many of their wealthy consumers.  I commend the proprietors of these unique vineyard sites for their efforts to continue and improve upon this heritage.  And a special mention must be achnowledged as well: Aubert de Villaine deserves thanks not only for his efforts for the wines of DRC, but for his forthright support of the cultural patrimony of Burgundy as well.  His tireless efforts for the campaign to have Burgundy climats preserved in the inventory of UNESCO’s world heritage sites, his support for the renovations of the ruins of the Abbey of St. Vivant near Vergy, and his energetic enthusiasm for the Festival de Musique et Vin a Clos Vougeot are an incredible generosity for which I, for one, am extremely grateful.

The vibrant town of Nuits St. Georges unfortunately has no designated  Grands Crus in its extensive vignobles.  But unlike many villages, which were eager to add the names of their most famous crus to enhance the reputation of their village’s wines, Nuits St. Georges can content itself with having donated its name to the entire region: Cote de Nuits.  We move south to the final Grands Crus before the A6 motorway divides north from south, in a manner that 2,000 years of winemaking history could not.

CORTON and CORTON CHARLEMAGNE

There are tales that Charlemagne’s wife asked him to plant white grapes in his vineyards so that he could continue to drink with gusto without staining his white beard with red wines.  At that time water was hardly a safe beverage to drink.  A story, perhaps mere legend, perhaps true, but not as documented as his gift, in 775, of a hillside between Pernand and Aloxe to the monks of the Abbey of Saulieu.  It would be 25 more years before he would be crowned with papal authority as the first Holy Roman Emperor, sanctifying the medieval symbiosis between church and state throughout Europe.

After a century of battles over the division of Charlemagne’s Empire, in 936, Otton the first, also known as Otton le Grand, was crowned King of the Franks for the portion of the empire that then included Burgundy.  It is his name that gives us Corton, and later becomes joined with Charlemagne’s in the largest of the white wine Grands Crus of the Cote d’Or, Corton Charlemagne.  If ever there were wines of kings, and kings of wines, it is here on the hillsides below the forests of the mountain of Corton.

The hillside of Corton and some of the Grands Crus vineyards of Corton and Corton Charlemagne, as viewed from the road between Savigny and Chorey-les-Beaune

A similar view from early spring, nearly 10 years earlier

Proceeding from the northeast in Ladoix-Serrigny, and stretching nearly 270° around the oblong circle of the hill, to the village of Pernand-Vergelesses, the Grands Crus appellations of Corton, Corton-Charlemagne, and Charlemagne are spread over more than 150 hectares divided among three villages, Ladoix-Serrigny, Aloxe-Corton, and Pernand-Vergelesses.  Charlemagne is rarely seen in use as an appellation in its own right, and Corton has numerous lieux-dits permitted to be added to the singular Grand Cru classification of Corton (Mourottes, Lolieres, Rognets, Vergennes, Renardes, Clos du Roi, Bressandes, Marechaudes, Perrieres, Greves, Vigne au Saint, and Chaumes – just to name an even dozen).

There was a bit of noticeable hail damage evident as I surveyed this spectacular real estate.  I would say that losses here are no more than 8 to 15%, all around the hillside.

Corton Charlemagne Lolieres, from the Ladoix side of the hill

Corton Les Lolieres, again from the Ladoix side of the hill

Not everything is beautiful, damaged bunches near Corton Lolieres

Serious rainfall just north of Beaune, here near the bottom of Corton Les Renardes

From an old colleague and friend, a producer of superb wines from these villages just north of Beaune, and through a source at the University of Dijon, I was able to obtain some excellent meteorological data showing the dramatic differences in the amounts of rainfall this spring, versus after the hailstorm, in July and the first weeks of August.  From April through June a gauge near Aloxe-Corton recorded 105mm of rain, a little over 4 inches in three months of spring.  In July alone, the same gauge recorded 135mm, nearly 5.5 inches versus 4 inches in the previous 3 months.  Through August 16th, the gauge measured nearly 40mm, 1.5 inches, with no significant rainfall recorded since that date.  It has been wet in the Cote d’Or, but the improvements of the last week have brought a bit of optimism to the region.  It is still unseasonably cool, even cold at night, but it is drying out the vineyards and there have been no signs of pourriture (rot) to threaten a healthy crop. 

Wonderful fruit from these parcels in the slopes of Corton Clos du Roi

Fine old vines fruit from Corton Le Charlemagne parcel above Aloxe-Corton

A fine vintage for Les Escargots de Bourgogne!  Here at the bottom of Le Charlemagne

Just round the corner in En Charlemagne a bit of unpleasantness in Pernand

Another ugly bunch-ling, this also from the En Charlemagne on the Pernand side

 

Looking toward the village of Pernand from En Charlemagne, with the Chapel of Notre Dame de Bonne Esperance (Our Lady of Good Hope) atop the Pernand 1er Cru Sous Fretille

Corton and Corton Charlemagne have mostly escaped the devastation of their neighbors further south in the Cote de Beaune, just across the motorway.  If the good weather holds, this should mean Grands Crus red and white wines in good quantity as well as quality. 

A VOIR, avec BONNE ESPERANCE

This post has discussed the ripening of fruit and the prospects for the 2014 vintage in the glorious Grands Crus of the Cote d’Or north of the A6 Motorway from Aloxe-Corton to Gevrey-Chambertin.  I discussed the state of the Montrachet Grands Crus in a previous post (see Race to Ripeness – Santenay to Beaune, revised August 16, 2014) and I will discuss the prospects for the regional, villages, and 1ers Crus villages from Chenove to Chorey-les-Beaune in a subsequent post to follow in the coming days.

So far the forces of nature have dealt the growers of the Cote d’Or a difficult hand to play.  A marvelous spring and beginning of summer, with a swift flowering and copious set of fruit, was followed by a devastating hailstorm affecting vineyards throughout the Cote d’Or, but especially devastating in northern Puligny, Meursault, Volnay, Pommard, and Beaune.  The storm also left significant, but less catastrophic damage in Vosne-Romanee, Flagey-Echezeaux, and Vougeot.

The hailstorm of June 28th was followed by nearly six weeks of mostly rainy, cool weather, which water-logged the vineyards and delayed the ripening process, which had been proceeding to a harvest that might have been as early as the first week of September.  Since Sunday, August 16th, Burgundy has enjoyed a solid week of sunshine, with cooler than normal temperatures, drying out the vineyards and lifting the spirits of most producers.  The harvest should commence between the 10th and 15th of September, depending upon exposure and the location of vineyards on the slopes.

Now approximately three weeks from harvest, Burgundians do what all people dependent upon agricultural forms of life must do: it waits.  Today, Sunday, August 24th, is brilliantly clear and sunny, following yesterday’s overcast skies and threatening rain, which  did result in some scattered evening showers.  But the forecast for next week is mostly for continued sunshine and moderate temperatures.  If we can reach harvest without further damaging meteorological incidents, 2014 could bring some fine results.  It will do little to alleviate the pressure on pricing due to increasing world demand and previous, less than generous vintages, but it will provide this piece of paradise on Earth a continued raison d’etre.  We’ll see, and we will continue to hope for the best.