We began our annual trip to taste the 2017 Burgundy with some excitement and a little anticipation of what we had heard on the grapevine. Would the whites be as good as we had heard? How would the vintage suit our winemakers; especially the reds… Many questions and more followed as the vintage revealed itself. We met with over 25 producers during our four days of tastings, sampling over 300 wines it certainly wasn’t the extreme of a Tale of Two Cities; however, the reds and whites do have their own story to tell.
The whites for me score 9 out of 10: wonderfully fresh and aromatic, in my opinion the best white vintage since 2014. They are less opulent and fruity than 2015 and are crisper and fresher than the 2016s with impressive grace, energy and tension. It is very much a style that is in tune with my palate and allows the wines to show the individuality they gain from their ‘terroir’ and the winemaker’s signature style. It was hard to pick some of the best as many are really good. It then, of course, came down to price and whether we could get an allocation.
For this vintage the reds are more variable, on balance an 8/8.5 out of 10. Where the winemaker has been careful in the yields (getting them under control) the good warm and dry weather gifted fruit that reached full maturity and well balanced juice; both rich in sugar and flavour. These successful wines offer beautiful ripe fruit, fine tannins, harmonious with well-balanced acidity, expressing their terrior with originality, flare and plenty of finesse. Less powerful and dense than the 2015s or 2016s; however the 2017s are of a graceful, luscious style, very approachable for the short to mid-term drinking and will give plenty of pleasure for years to come.
As you all know, it’s vital for us as merchants to go and taste in the cellar from the barrel. What we love is ‘Cellar Talk’ that develops as everyone gets more comfortable…. With well documented frost disasters throughout Burgundy over the last eight years, everyone was on high alert. Frost warnings were indeed issued in late April 2017 (almost a year exactly to 2016 frost disasters) and everyone jumped into action. Depending upon your vineyard size and location many winemakers recalled how they were much better prepared this year, some with enormous candles at the ready, straw bales, burners and anything else that would protect the vines from the merciless touch of Jack Frost. In Puligny-Montrachet they had a whip round for a helicopter to fly over the vines and circulate the frozen air to raise the temperature. However, restrictions on early morning flying times means that you could be too late… Many of our winemakers successfully averted the frost and though weary, retired to their beds victorious, ready to save another day. Volumes in most cases in the Cotes de Nuits and Cotes de Beaune are back to normal levels. Unfortunately, Chablis was hit again by frost in the northern part affecting some of the best Premier and Grand Cru vineyards. In the Chalonnais and Maconnais, volumes were also reduced by the long, hot, dry summer.
As one may expect, one of the popular topics towards the end of each tasting did begin with a B and we had already covered Burgundy extensively. We will not mention the B word, other than to say, we will continue to do business with our friends in Europe; with one eye on pricing and exchange rates…
It’s a good time to visit new producers and where the opportunity presents, introduce you to some we have been following in recent years. We have two new producers this year, firstly Jean-Louis Chavy based in Puligny-Montrachet who produces some of the best value Puligny-Montrachet, and his wines come highly recommended. Second, the renowned Anne-Francoise Gros (A-F Gros) with just 10 hectares largely around Vosne-Romanée who has kindly managed to find us a small allocation. We have tasted her wines on several occasions and have always been greatly impressed. We also welcome back Vincent Girardin for a couple of entry level white burgundies that enticed us on our tasting tour and certainly warrant a second look.
Overall 2017 is without doubt a good vintage: one of grace, a classic burgundy vintage, the highlight being some outstanding whites and some red producers whose signature style is enhanced by the vintage. Our offering is not our largest; however, we have, I feel chosen wisely comparing the vintage to others available on the market. If you would like to try them for yourself our Burgundy En Primeur 2017 tasting will take place on Monday 21st January from 10am to 6pm. There are some fabulous wines and we will be happy to talk you through them and select according to your style and palate. For investment there are some good options, please note that many wines are sold under allocation, if you are interested best to shout now as some are only available in small quantities.
