2019 Burgundy ––––––––––––––––––––
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2019 BURGUNDY –––––––––––––––––––– EN PRIMEUR OFFER JANUARY 2021 2019 Burgundy tasting – London Lockdown – Davy’s Boardroom, December 2020 2019 BURGUNDY ‘ON A HOT STREAK…’ The team and I have been tasting in Burgundy for a number of years now and nothing compares to tasting from barrel with the producers. However, we took the difficult decision, as we did too with both Bordeaux and Rhone earlier in the year, to abandon our plans of tasting visits during the pandemic. Fortunately, the wine producing regions of France have adapted quickly to the circumstances 2020 has dealt us and barrel samples by express courier are now the norm – allowing the fine wine team to take part in socially distanced tastings at HQ in Greenwich, including zoom sessions with the winemakers. Not quite the same as being there, but close enough. We held our tastings over November and December and I’m pleased to report on a vintage that asks not why you should buy it, but rather, what reason have you not to? It’s a year that’s difficult to compare to any other, especially as climate change becomes ever more apparent and a constant in the conversation surrounding recent vintages, not just in France but all over the world. Growers are moving away from picking based on potential alcohol levels and instead to levels of acidity. Despite the heat that scorched many vines during the summer, there is an intense freshness to the wines. Brothers Xavier and Arnaud Desfontaine at Chateau de Chamilly report ‘grapes that were close to perfection. On the first day of the harvest a sorting table had been set up, however it was quickly decided that this would not be necessary due to the impeccable quality of the grapes’. Drouhin Laroze in Gevrey- Chambertin state simply that 2019 is ‘a great vintage’. While we may be waiting a few more weeks before we see the scores from the critics, we have some early insight from the Wine Advocate’s Burgundy correspondent William Kelley, who says ‘the red wines are simply brilliant… I’m being impressed by how chiselled many 2019 whites are’, and from Jancis Robinson MW who adds ‘there are lots of delicious wines from cooler appellations within Burgundy, including the Hautes Côtes… it certainly affords canny buyers many opportunities to find sophisticated wines with less sophisticated appellations and prices. [Despite the heat] the absolute miracle was how many completely delicious 2019s have been made’. Production is down by between 25% and 50% in some appellations, but prices for the most part have been held at 2018 levels, in recognition of unpredictable economic conditions. How such a warm and dry vintage has produced wines with such energy and balance is a question many of our growers can’t answer with complete certainty, however, what is certain is that 2019 is a superb vintage and one to fill your boots with. Ben Grosvenor Head of Retail & Private Clients FOR ORDERS OR ENQUIRIES PLEASE CALL 020 8858 9147 OR EMAIL [email protected] Prices shown are in bond [ib] and exclude UK Duty and VAT. 2 BURGUNDY REPORT 2019 DAVY’S FINE WINE 2019: A SNAPSHOT A dry winter in December 2018 and January 2019 put early stress on the vines. April rains and frost were followed by damp conditions during flowering in June, affecting the eventual size of the crop. A long dry and hot summer followed, giving ripeness to the grapes that had survived, though these dry conditions created more pressure for the vines, while increasing concentration in the grapes. Concentration of acids in the grapes adds freshness and balance to wines with relatively high alcohol levels. Quantity is down by an average of 25%. Prices held or just above 2018 levels. Ripe powerful reds with intense freshness – easy to taste, even at this early stage. Joyful whites with full flavour yet finely tuned balance – think 2017 turned up. THE GROWING SEASON Rolling on from a very hot and dry summer in 2018, followed by below average rainfall in the winter, underground water reserves were depleted when 2019 came around. A warmer than normal January through to March meant that it was up to April to save the day with 84mm of rain. It was also during April that frost struck on the 4th and 5th, affecting mainly Chardonnay which had seen bud burst a few days earlier – it was particularly bad on the slopes of Saint Aubin and Chassagne- Montrachet, which saw some vineyards lose up to 75% of the eventual crop. June saw a higher than average rainfall, which meant some flowering was later than normal causing some millerandage and coulure, where there is poor or no fertilisation producing small or no grapes in the bunches. Similar to the previous year, the summer was hot with temperatures peaking at 42’c, but there were fewer days with temperatures above 35’c and cooler nights, giving some reason to the retained levels of acidity in the grapes. 83mm of rain during July relieved some of the stress to the vines during a very dry August and September. One trend to note is that many growers are now turning away from trimming and removing leaves on the vine- historically done to help air circulation, avoid rot and gain maturity to the grapes – the leaves are now kept to protect the grapes from sunburn and put the brakes on ripening. FOR ORDERS OR ENQUIRIES PLEASE CALL 020 8858 9147 OR EMAIL [email protected] Prices shown are in bond [ib] and exclude UK Duty and VAT. 3 SUMMARY Quantities are lower, particularly with many of the 1er and Grand Cru sites and the smart money might use the opportunity of a wonderful year to buy outside of regularly favoured vineyards and even producers. Neal Martin flags Saint-Romain, of which we have a brilliant offering from Domaine Prunier-Bonheur and he notes Beaune as ‘the most underrated commune in the Côte d’Or’ – I agree and would be delighted to show you the exciting and energetic wines from Domaine Tollot-Beaut, which we’re proud to have followed for a few years now. The reds are excellent and that freshness which we hear a lot about is evident and as a result, the slightly elevated alcohol levels are not out of balance. These are classic Burgundy, which show the terroir beautifully – whether this is your first vintage buying Burgundy en primeur or your twentieth, you’ll be pleased you did. Many will drink well within a couple of years of bottling, but the tannins and acidity should see the best age comfortably for the medium term. The whites are captivating, perhaps more heterogenous. I can see elements of 2017 in the precision and acidity of the wines, but the ripeness of the fruit is so far removed from 2017 that drawing comparisons is not helpful. Most wines have got the balance just right and from Bourgogne Blanc to the famed slopes of Montrachet and Corton the fruit is glorious. There’s great value to be had in 2019 whites, well demonstrated by the Côte Chalonnaise, which Neal Martin calls ‘a treasure trove of value… just wrap your palate around say, a Rully or some of those lovely Bouzerons to see what I mean’. Chamilly’s Bouzeron, new to us for 2019, is an Aligoté many of the team here will be adding to their cellars, along with Domaine Borgeot’s Rully Chaponniere. Chablis is fascinating this year and we’re pleased to add Domaine Roy to the 2019 offer – at entry level this is a must for spring and summer 2022 drinking. There is of course value to be found in reds too, with villages-level Beaune and Aloxe-Corton offering oodles of sophistication, while Nuits-Saint-Georges and Gevrey-Chambertin really shine in 2019. At the top, the Chambertin Grand Crus are simply majestic. Please take your time and have a look through all our growers. Our team are here to help guide you and would be only too happy to talk through what you are looking for and what might suit your cellar. Happy hunting! FOR ORDERS OR ENQUIRIES PLEASE CALL 020 8858 9147 OR EMAIL [email protected] Prices shown are in bond [ib] and exclude UK Duty and VAT. 4 CONTENTS CHABLIS Domaine Samuel Billaud, Chablis Domaine William Fevre, Chablis Domaine Roy, Chablis CÔTE DE NUITS Domaine Drouhin-Laroze, Gevrey-Chambertin Domaine Heresztyn-Mazzini, Gevrey-Chambertin Domaine Marc Roy, Gevrey-Chambertin Domaine Rossignol Trapet, Gevrey-Chambertin Domaine Tortochot, Gevrey-Chambertin Domaine Confuron-Gindre, Vosne-Romanée Domaine Jacques Cacheux et Fils, Vosne-Romanée Domaine Lécheneaut, Nuits-Saint-Georges Domaine Bertrand Ambroise, Nuits-Saint-Georges CÔTE DE BEAUNE Domaine Tollot-Beaut, Chorey-Lès-Beaune Bouchard Père et Fils, Beaune Domaine Joseph Voillot, Volnay Domaine Michelot, Meursault Domaine Pascal Prunier-Bonheur, Meursault Domaine Jean-Louis Chavy, Puligny-Montrachet Domaine Jean Pascal, Puligny-Montrachet Domaine Paul Pillot, Chassagne-Montrachet Domaine Borgeot, Remigny Domaine Bachelet-Monnot, Maranges CÔTES CHALONNAISE Chateau de Chamilly, Chamilly FOR ORDERS OR ENQUIRIES PLEASE CALL 020 8858 9147 OR EMAIL [email protected] Prices shown are in bond [ib] and exclude UK Duty and VAT. 5 CHABLIS FOR ORDERS OR ENQUIRIES PLEASE CALL 020 8858 9147 OR EMAIL [email protected] Prices shown are in bond [ib] and exclude UK Duty and VAT. 6 DOMAINE SAMUEL BILLAUD, CHABLIS The 2019 vintage from the internationally renowned Samuel Billaud. Highly esteemed, Samuel is one of a kind, as Neal Martin rightly points out: ‘We should see him right at the top of Chablis producers alongside the likes of Raveneau and Vincent Dauvissat’.