Burgundy 2021
~ 2021 Vintage report ~
by Nicola Arcedeckne-Butler MW
'The Expression of Terroir – it’s what Burgundy is all about.’ Pierre Boillot
It’s hard to write anything about 2021 which doesn’t place excessive focus on the disastrous weather events of the growing season, yet these are what define the vintage, both good and bad. If we needed a year to remind us that wine is an agricultural product, hostage to the vagaries of the weather, 2021 obliged in spades. Blighted by frost and then rain, with its concomitant terrible twins of mildew and oidium, many growers had to work hard to preserve what little fruit remained, but their persistence paid off, with fine, if cool, weather coming in during September to rescue the vintage. The resulting wines hark back to a previous era, one of fresh fruit and modest alcohol levels, a style we have all but forgotten in the increasingly warm vintages of the 21st Century.
The Growing Season
A mild, wet winter encouraged the vines to bud early; a cold spell in mid-March put the brakes on somewhat but the last week of the month saw positively summery temperatures which encouraged the Chardonnay vines to put out their f irst leaves. A polar airmass descended southwards across Europe during the first week of April, bringing with it arctic temperatures, and on the night of 7th April 2022 Burgundy’s growers, already anticipating a hard frost, were horrified to be greeted by snow when they went to light their candles. Temperatures were to drop as low as -7 and -9 C in some vineyards, which, on top of the wet snow, was fatal for the young Chardonnay shoots. Being a later budder, Pinot Noir vines escaped relatively unscathed from the frost, and Chardonnay took the brunt of it. In the immediate aftermath, the vines stopped growing altogether and remained all but static for two to three weeks, delaying budbreak until later in April. The weather remained cool and changeable throughout May and June, but a spell of warmer weather after the rain meant that the vines surged ahead in June, with rapid flowering in the middle of the month. Damp weather continued right through to the middle of August, with mildew and oidium requiring constant attention; for everyone this meant many additional hours in the vineyard, spraying and monitoring, and even more so for those practising organic or biodynamic viticulture. Eventually towards the end of August the weather changed and whilst it was never hot, the sun shone and allowed the vines, finally, to dismiss any lingering diseases and ripen their fruit. Many started harvesting from the third week in September, by which time the patchy weather had returned, meaning growers had to choose their dates carefully to avoid the showers and their effects – in most cases, the harvest was almost a full month later than in 2020. Selection and triage were vital, both in the vineyard and cellars, to ensure that only the best fruit went into the tanks; the shortage of fruit threw up a new challenge for many Chardonnay growers of how to fill their tanks sufficiently and as a result many have, for example, combined the fruit from two premiers crus or lieux dits in order to have a workable volume, which has resulted in fewer crus than usual from many of our growers. The resulting wines are bright and racy – those who produced white wines have made some real gems, tinglingly citrussy as opposed to the plump, semi-tropical whites of recent years, whilst the reds are beautifully fresh, proper Pinot Noir with notes of strawberry and raspberry and will be delicious in the medium term. Individual vineyards and crus are clearly defined, each showing what makes them distinct from their neighbours.
The Market:
Each year we write how the demand for top level Burgundy keeps growing, and every year we hope to be able to say it has calmed down, but that is not (yet) the case. In the past three years, most growers have produced an average of only two years’ harvests, with the damage falling most on those who specialise in white wines – Javillier lost 60% of their Bourgogne Blanc and Meursault Villages, rising to 80% losses in their Clos du Cromin and Tillets vineyards; Matrot lost 80% overall; Remi Poisot saw a reduction of 70% overall in his production, with his reds ‘only’ 45% down. As a result, demand is as strong as ever, and with many cuvées not being produced in 2021 there will be even more pressure on stocks. At the time of writing, very few prices have been released with some producers keeping them stable from 2020, but others having to bow to financial pressure and reduce their losses. The good news, however, is that 2022 is a superb vintage, both in terms of quality and quantity – the growers are smiling once again so please bear with us while we allocate 2021, there will be more 2022 to go around.
To discuss the vintage, learn more about the wines and for help in preparing your wish list, please call us on 01353 721 999 or contact your usual salesperson.
