2016 Burgundy: Côte de Beaune en primeur

6 Feb 2018

Gains and losses - fabulous wines in small quantities

The Cote de Beaune was, as recent history tells us is inevitable, worse hit by the weather than the north in 2016. But the winegrowers here have built-in resilience and have developed strength of character as well as leveraging their skills, hard work and their terroirs. And the little they have been able to produce has surpassed my expectations. As across Burgundy in 2016 these wines emphasise terroir differences, both between village and vineyard. And there is a producer style for everyone in this offer.

Meursault
For Ballot-Millot it was a mixed picture of losses. Meursault Narvaux was almost unaffected but they lost 80% of their village wine. Charles Ballot found that vineyards worst affected by frost ripened very quickly as the vines had almost no work to do to mature the grapes. This was arguably the best 8.15am tasting I've ever done. The wines were singing with mineral inflections and fresh, complex fruit. The Tessier wines weren't too shabby either. They all shared this driven couple's energy and some were truly saline. Their village wine was worst affected by the frost with a yield of 10 hl/ha but their wines are fabulous.

St-Aubin
At Marc Colin there are some changes, both due to frost and to renaming some wines. Overall they lost between 60-70% of their normal crop, especially in Chassagne, and most of the village wine is in the Bourgogne Chardonnay. For Damien his 2016s are like 2014 with more fruit and they are certainly vivid and packed with energy and remain great value. Do you like Cotat? Then the Burgundy for you is Hubert Lamy. These densely planted vineyards provide intense and very mineral wines that age beautifully and develop wonderfully.

Chassagne-Montrachet
Alex and Benoit Moreau made very little wine in 2016, but what they did make is splendid and very well worth hunting down. It is a while since we had the opportunity to offer Michel Niellon's wines but they are old school magisterial, tight as anything, but within the clenched fist there is a core of citrus, stone fruit, tension and saline minerality. Any of these is a must have. Serious white wines. Finally Thierry at Paul Pillot lost 70% of crop but has absolutely captured the terroir differences with mineral and classic wines. /CW

View the wines listed so far

Offered subject to remaining unsold; for shipment 2018/19