An Outstanding Vintage
Without doubt the wines of the 2020 harvest in Burgundy are very good indeed, in some cases even outstanding, for both white and red. A week-long visit in mid-November confirmed what we had started to hear, across the region from Chablis to the Mâconnais – there are some terrific wines. Yields were variable across the region with some coming close to ‘average’, whilst others were down to less than 20 hl/ha. As a region that continues to impress and with demand increasingly outweighing supply now is the time to buy, especially as there will be very little 2021 available next year due to a torrid season.
THE BIG PICTURE
For many growers it proved to be the earliest harvest on record, even earlier than in 2003, another vintage dominated by hot weather, though there the comparison ends for these two vintages – in 2020 the nights were cooler allowing fresher fruit character to be preserved. The lack of rainfall and heat seem by all accounts to have stopped the vines, as they sought to preserve water, halting the rise in sugars, keeping alcohol levels down, and crucially, the diminution of the acids in the grape. It is this that has made the vintage so unique. Vintage comparisons from growers were rare this year, like 2014 or 2017 said some... but with more weight.
THE WINES
The wines this year have something of Jekyll and Hyde about them – the reds are intensely coloured with a nose of rich black fruit. However, on the palate there is a freshness and energy that surprises with zip and life supporting all that fruit. The tannins are fine and well rounded but present and, amongst our growers certainly, well integrated. It is this combination of fruit, acidity and tannins that will allow the wines to age well, for many years in some cases, but the ripeness suggests they should give pleasure throughout their evolution. The whites too show similar character, but they are fresher on the nose exhibiting some delicate floral notes amongst the orchard fruit but carry the same warmth of the season and freshness onto the palate.
THE CONDITIONS
The winter of 2019 was quite damp which proved crucial in allowing the vines to cope in the dry, hot conditions that were to follow in the summer. The new year started mild, even warm, so the vines leapt into action. This paved the way for the rest of the season, which was earlier, drier and warmer than average. Flowering took place in near ideal conditions particularly for the Pinot Noir. June was a little more variable with some wind which reduced any disease pressure. July and early August were hot and dry with a few heat spikes but the growers we spoke to all said it was the lack of water rather than the heat which shaped the vintage. This lack of water gave very concentrated berries with thick, ripe skins but very little juice, reducing the yields for some by up to 50%.