2008 Burgundy part 2: Beaune & Chalonnaise

Many are picked, but few are chosen

The north wind may have saved Burgundy in 2008 but it damn near put the mockers on our tasting. The dreadful weather a week or so ago (see, you`d forgotten already) affected our growers, too. And since they don`t all live in zone 2, they were too busy digging themselves out to buy milk to worry about attempting to deliver our samples to Dijon for our tasting scheduled for the 3rd February. So in the interests of having a decent line-up and keeping growers alive for the 2010 vintage, we have postponed for a week. We`ll see you now on the 10th.

Last week we warned you about the nay-sayers - those who understand Burgundy so little that they think there are vintages when you can buy without thought. Nothing could be further from the truth. One of the things that makes Burgundy so frustrating and fascinating is the perils of Pinot. With such a capricious grape grown at the edge of viability, there is everything to play for and not everyone succeeds. The best of them do an enormous amount in the vineyard, prior to a final inspection on a sorting table at the cellar door (Kellen Lignier told us that she even had all surviving bunches sniffed as a last check for rot). The very low yields allowed what was left to ripen in time.

Without all this work and rejecting of fruit throughout the growing season we wouldn`t have some of the excellent wines we have been tasting since November. And the same care is taken in regard to the selection they do to provide samples for our tasting next month. /CW

Wednesday 10 February
Burgundy tasting 12-8pm, £25 per person inc VAT

Offered subject to remaining unsold for shipment winter 2010/11

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin

Christian Moreau

Domaine des Lambrays

Lucie & Auguste Lignier