Red Burgundy
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Vintages: |
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| 1982 - | An enormous vintage, resulting in many dilute wines, which haven't aged well. Not a vintage to look out for. |
| 1983 - | A vintage I emphatically do look out for - but only in the Côte de Beaune. There were all sorts of problems in the Côte de Nuits, including rot and hail. There probably are some good bottles about, but I'm not sure it's worth the risk. On the Côte de Beaune, however, there was a healthy crop of ripe, thick-skinned grapes. The wines have weight, structure, fruit and great charm. |
| 1984 - | Not popular, but reputable domaines made good wines. |
| 1985 - | Very popular, producing delicious wines the length of Burgundy. |
| 1986 - | Uneven. Avoid the Côte de Beaune, where even reputable domaines made some peculiar tasting wines. Better on the Côte de Nuits. |
| 1987 - | Perfectly satisfactory, although commentators have been rude about it - and conveniently well priced. |
| 1988 - | This was a very slow maturing vintage, but just about all wines have now come round. |
| 1989 - | Exceptionally hot, ripe vintage. The wines are maturing faster than both the 88s and the 90s. |
| 1990 - | Brilliant, a great year. Another hot, ripe vintage, but with better structure than the 89s (viz. not only fruit and tannin, but also acidity). |
| 1991 - | Good - all the wines I have tasted from this vintage have been fine. |
| 1992 - | Lighter - a bit like 1987: early maturing but perfectly satisfactory. |
| 1993 - | Terrific. The more I taste, the more I like this vintage. Lovely fruit supported by a firmness that gives the wines a wonderful texture. |
| 1994 - | Be careful with this vintage: many one-dimensional, dilute wines were made, especially among the more lowly appellations on the Côte de Nuits. As always, there are exceptions. Better on the Côte de Beaune, with Savigny-les-Beaune doing particularly well. |
| 1995 - | An excellent vintage. The tannins are beginning to soften, and the wines are turning out fine. |
| 1996 - | My first impression was that this is a great vintage, for both reds and whites, which both display exceptional balance, with really beautiful, clearly defined fruit. My view hasn't changed, but some reds are going through a closed stage and need keeping before they open up again. |
| 1997 - | Patchy. The best are brilliant, but the weather was hot at harvest time, causing problems in some growers' cellars. The whites seem to me to be uniformly delicious - a vintage for drinkers rather than commentators, who have criticised it for lack of acidity, structure, etc. |
| 1998 - | The weather during the growing season was challenging, but the wines from the growers we deal with have turned out surprisingly well. |
| 1999 - | Outstanding vintage. Despite a very large harvest, the wines are delicious across the board. |
| 2000 - | A perfectly good, but early maturing vintage. |
| 2001 - | The weather was very difficult. There was rain at harvest time, and there was rot, which attacks the colouring matter in wines, resulting in some very light colours indeed in some cases. As a generalisation, the further south you go in the Côte d'Or (and beyond) the more tricky the vintage. Uneven for whites. |
| 2002 - | Lovely vintage (for both reds and whites) - exceptional ripeness with good balance. |
| 2003 - | Many growers seemed worried about this vintage on my visit to France in 2004 - there was talk of baked flavours, of raisins and prunes in the wines, and anxiety over volatile acidity. Personally, I was impressed by the wines, which seemed to me to have not only excellent colour, but good, ripe structure as well. |
| 2004 - | Mixed vintage - with some rather weedy examples about, but also some really excellent wines were made, with impressive colour and vivid, fresh flavours. |
| 2005 - | Great vintage: benign weather conditions allowed a crop of healthy, perfectly ripe gapes to be harvested; both reds and whites are showing wonderful balance. |
| 2006 - | Very attractive vintage of early-maturing wines. Most wines up to and including village level are drinking very well now, and some Premier Crus as well. Low tannins, lighter colour than 2005 (not surprisingly!), but lovely fresh fruit. Similar in character to 2000, but better quality. |
| 2007 - | Difficult year, with a damp summer causing a lot of rot. Small quantities of very early-maturing wines, earlier than 2006. As always, it depends on the grower - for example, the Domaine Gachot-Monot used tables de trie for the first time, and has made some very appetising wines. |
| 2008 - | Very promising - good colour, and lovely flavour in the wines I have tasted, combined with a firmness that bodes well for the future. |
| 2009 - | Of course it is too early to say, but the growing season, and harvest, went swimmingly, and there are a lot of rather excited Burgundians about, some saying that it's better than 2005. |
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BOURGOGNE Pinot Noir 2007 Domaine Gachot-Monot |
 | £9.20 | ||
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BOURGOGNE Pinot Noir 2009 Domaine Denis Pommier |
 | £9.95 | ||
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CLOS TOULMIN Pinot Noir 2006 AC Bourgogne Ordinaire |
 | £11.50 | ||
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AUXEY-DURESSES 2003 Domaine Christophe Mary |
 | £11.85 | ||
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BOURGOGNE ÉPINEUIL 2009 Domaine Leger |
 | £11.95 | ||
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BOURGOGNE HAUTES-CÔTES-DE-NUITS "Les Renardes" 2008 |
 | £12.50 | ||
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CÔTE DE NUITS VILLAGES 2007 Domaine Gachot-Monot |
 | £12.95 | ||
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AUXEY-DURESSES 2004 Domaine Jean-Pierre Diconne |
 | £12.95 | ||
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MARANGES 2006 Domaine Claude Nouveau |
 | £14.45 | ||
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CÔTE DE NUITS VILLAGES "Les Chaillots" 2007 Domaine Gachot-Monot |
 | £14.85 | ||
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CÔTE DE NUITS VILLAGES "Les Chaillots" 2001 Domaine Gachot-Monot |
 | £14.85 | ||
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SANTENAY "Les Charmes Dessus" 2005 Domaine Claude Nouveau |
 |  £14.95 | ||
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SAINT ROMAIN "Sous le Château" 2006 Domaine Pascal Prunier |
 | £14.95 | ||
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BOURGOGNE HAUTES CÔTES DE NUITS "Clos des Dames Huguettes" 2007 |
 |  £15.50 | ||
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MARANGES 1er Cru La Fussière 2008 Domaine Claude Nouveau |
 |  £16.50 | ||
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SANTENAY 1er Cru Grand Clos Rousseau 2007 Domaine Claude Nouveau |
 | £16.85 | ||
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MONTHÉLIE 2006 Domaine Pascal Prunier |
 | £16.95 | ||
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MONTHÉLIE 1er Cru "Sur la Velle" 2005 Domaine Bruno Fèvre |
 | £18.45 | ||
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SAVIGNY LES BEAUNE 1er Cru Les Hauts Jarrons 2009 |
 | £18.50 | ||
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GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN 2007 Domaine Alain Voegeli |
 | £19.50 | ||
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VOLNAY 1er Cru Les Mitans 2005 Domaine Bruno Fèvre |
 | £22.50 | ||
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NUITS SAINT GEORGESÂ 2009 Domaine Philippe Gavignet |
 |  £23.50 | ||
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NUITS SAINT GEORGES "Aux Crots" 2006 Domaine Gachot-Monot |
 | £26.00 | ||
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NUITS SAINT GEORGES 1er Cru "Les Poulettes" 2006 Domaine Gachot-Monot |
 | £29.95 | ||
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CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY 2007 Juliette Chenu |
 | £27.50 | ||
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CLOS DE VOUGEOT 2000 Domaine Jean Raphet |
 | £46.95 | ||
