Burgundian producers face bleak future if bad weather prevails
A Burgundy wine expert has warned that some producers in the French region face a bleak future if there are any adverse weather conditions in the next two months leading up to harvest.
“If hail were to strike late and ravage this year’s harvest, the future of some domains could be in very real danger,” said Flint Wine's Burgundy specialist Jason Haynes, writing in Harpers.
So far, producers have not had much reason to be overly concerned, with Burgundian vineyards benefiting from some welcome rain in the past week. Less welcome was the storms which brought hail with them, though any damage caused was not on any catastrophic level.
Haynes described the weather as "terrific" and went on to say: “A quick and even flowering took place in perfect conditions and vigneroons have enjoyed a relatively relaxed growing season every since,” he said. This is in marked contrast to the trials and tribulations of 2016, which saw many growers losing up to 75% - 100% of their crops due to devastating frosts, on top of a string of small vintages.
But with two months to go until harvest, and picking dates scheduled for early September, wine producers in the regions are hoping that the weather will hold out.
However, In Burgundy, there is much variations from village to village – last year, while Chassasgne was devastated by frost, many of Meursault’s vineyards escaped scot free. Haynes added that on a positive note, the quality of the wines looks to be excellent.
“Less powerful than 2015, but riper than 2014, 2016’s reds have a lovely streak of freshness running through the middle,” he said.
And a shortage of white wines means that there is a good opportunity for lesser known appellations to fill the gap. It will also enable some older vintages to take centre stage, he said, pointing to some of the 2015’s wines which he said are now looking ”lively, fresh, full of personality, and ruially very stable.” 2011 is another vintage which has the chance to put itself forward.
“Six years on the 2011 wines are gaiing weight and expressing their true chareacter and red fruit intensity and we are still just beginning to show their true colours.
“There is already a shortage of certain white appellations in the market and the lack of 2016 is only going to compound that issue,” he added. Core wines such as village Chassagne and St Aubin 1er Cru wil be “like gold dust” next year, and sommeliers will need to look to alternative appellations such as Auxey Duresses and Saint-Romain to plug the gaps.
Low yields caused some real problems many Cote de Nuit appellations, which were down by up to 50%, according to Haynes. “There just weren’t that many bunches on the vines and consequently many domaines harvested in record times.”
As for price, the market is still “lagging behind” so there are plenty of bargains to be had, though there were some increases last year, a reflection of the size of the 2016 vintage, as much as the quality of the 2015 vintage. Haynes believes that the lack of supply of 2016 will result in the top wines being snapped up en primeur in January, and taken off the market for ever.