Three white wines that show why Burgundies are still so sought after
Bad weather and disease have tested the French producers’ mettle in recent years
The past few years have tested the resilience of Burgundy wine growers, with nature wreaking havoc in the vineyards. Frost, hail and disease have led to a string of tiny harvests. Demand for Burgundy wines is insatiable and prices have skyrocketed.
Of the 2014 vintage, which brought some relief to Burgundy growers, Master of Wine Clive Coates writes, “So we have had a harvest which has been one of the healthiest of recent years, and while short in quantity from Santenay down to Meursault, elsewhere volumes are quite correct, if not reasonably plentiful.”
The white wines offer an approachable, forward and ripe drinking style.
As for the 2013 vintage, Bill Nanson’s website, Burgundy Report, describes a freak hailstorm on July 23 that year, which obliterated vines from the “northern border of Meursault to part-way across the hill of Corton”, as “A dagger in the heart of Côte de Beaune”. Yields were low with an uneven spectrum of quality. Decanter magazine describes the Côte de Beaune 2013 whites as “leaner than in an outstanding vintage but mostly fresh and even mineral. Later-picked wines that are rather fat and may not age particularly well but will still find favour with wine lovers who enjoy a fuller style of Burgundy”.
The Côte de Beaune, on the southern part of the Côte-d’Or, is home to some of the most expensive white wine in the world. The best-known communes are those of Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet. The latter two are like fraternal twins, with each possessing a unique personality. Master of Wine Jasper Morris describes Chassagne’s style as “minerally yet succulent, often floral with hints of hazelnuts”. It frequently offers a more forward style and relative value. On the other hand, Morris writes that wines from Puligny-Montrachet portray “a floral elegance alongside a stylish, steely concentration”.
