On a recent visit to Burgundy with our buying team, it was fantastic to catch up with our longstanding friends – the vignerons whose carefully crafted creations provide so much delight. It also afforded a fascinating early insight into how the 2017 season has begun, whilst allowing us to take a cheeky sneak peek at the 2016s. It was immediately apparent that the quality of the 2016s is extremely high.
The wines from this vintage feel more classic in stature when compared to their 2015 counterparts. They are cooler and fresher in profile than the 2015s; they have precision, clarity and definition in spades. There is also an astounding level of concentration to match, partly aided by the natural thinning of the crop by hail – a positive side effect to what is otherwise a nightmare for producers. The end result is wines of great tension and ageing potential. The only issue is quantity. Whilst some areas went largely unscathed, Chambolle Musigny in particular was hit quite hard with Christophe Roumier reporting up to a 75% reduction in his Village wine. With some wines yet to finish malo', it is too early to draw many more conclusions but it is safe to say that the glimpse I had of 2016 was very promising indeed.
An Audience with Brian Sieve of Domaine de Montille
One of the highlights of the trip was spending time with Brian Sieve, head winemaker at Domaine de Montille. We tasted across a range of 2015s and were treated to a few older vintages too. Although I was already impressed with his 2015 whites, particularly the Corton Charlemagne, my respect for the Chardonnays of this Domaine has reached a new peak. These are amongst some of the finest white 2015s I have tasted. They exude so much charm, impeccable balance in their taught, racy structure and most strikingly, a deep rooted sense of place. During this tasting it was the Caillerets which was the star of the show. An exclamation of ‘My goodness’ reached my notepad in some attempt to summarise my feelings.
A lot of people are looking to Burgundy for investment. It makes sense, one of the greatest wine producing regions in the world, limited by the small size of its vineyards and further limited by acts of Mother Nature. The pressure on supply and demand means that prices only seem to go one way at the moment. Although the above often holds true and in Domaine de Montille, we have one of the top names in the Cote de Beaune, I am purely offering this from an enthusiast’s standpoint. I do expect most prices to go up after yet another difficult flowering season affected by frost, however this should be viewed more as an excellent investment into your future enjoyment. They really are spectacular and showing even better now they have had a bit of time in bottle. Tasting notes from my recent sojourn are below.
Aschwin Vachher-Gnanathurai
Head of Private Clients