Why 2021 Burgundy will be an unusual vintage

Next week is Burgundy Week in London. It will be a much more modest affair than usual.

Interest in the region, and the general price level of the wine, has never been higher. But, in 2021, nature delivered it a slap in the face. Vicious early-April frosts severely trimmed the crop, cutting production by more than half in the region overall — and by up to 80 per cent in villages such as St-Aubin. The earlier-budding Chardonnay was particularly affected, so 2021 white burgundy is available in even more reduced quantity than the red. (As for the prices, don’t ask.)

Spring frosts were followed by seesawing temperatures and a generally cool, cloudy, damp summer that brought with it the constant threat of both sorts of mildew. Vignerons, who had to spend virtually the entire growing season in the vineyard, wondered whether the grapes — for both red and white burgundies — would ripen at all, not least because of some pretty heavy rain in mid-September. A vintage report by the négociant (or wine trader) Jean-Claude Boisset stated, “The region has rarely experienced such harsh conditions, even the older generations can only recall the vintage of 1951 as being so extreme.”

Practical problems also included the fact that, in frost-hit areas, some vines had both first- and second-generation buds on them afterwards, ripening at very different times. So either the first had to be discarded, or extremely knowledgeable pickers had to be sent twice through the vineyard at different times. And the reduced volumes meant that certain wines, especially premiers crus, had to be combined — or were made in too small a volume for even the smallest tank or vat. New oak was used extremely sparingly in view of the delicacy and scarcity of the wines.

It is hardly surprising, therefore, that many of the UK wine merchants who hold tastings of the latest vintage for their customers and commentators during Burgundy Week are sitting it out this year. I know of about a dozen tastings next week, when in some more plentiful years there have been more than 20, sometimes eight in a single day.

Quantities of 2021 burgundies are so limited that it’s a real headache for everyone: for the growers; for the négociants, who have had to pay so much more for ingredients in their blends; and for the importers, who have so little to go round. It’s also frustrating for us consumers, who will almost certainly not be able to get, let alone afford, the wines we want.

As soon as he saw the effects of the April frosts and the certain shortfall of supply, Charles Taylor MW (Master of Wine) of wine merchant Montrachet went scouting for new suppliers on 12 separate buying trips to Burgundy. Whereas he used to buy from four producers in Chablis, he now buys from 10. He describes pricing of the 2021s as “erratic”, with some producers in the worst-hit (generally white wine) areas increasing their prices only enough to cover the increased costs of dry goods, fuel and labour. Others have increased their prices so much that he has declined their offer.

‘Vicious early-April frosts severely trimmed the crop, cutting production by more than half in the region’

This year, with little let-up in demand, the merchants have to decide which of their clients will be lucky enough to get the rarest wines. Brett Fleming of Armit acknowledges, “It is hell having to now work out who gets what from our tiny allocation as we will satisfy no one.” Jason Haynes of Stannary Wines agrees that allocating 2021s will be a “nightmare” and adds, “Wines we used to offer in cases of 12 not too long ago have shrunk to sixes and then threes and sometimes even ones!” Justerini & Brooks has also been encouraging its suppliers to offer wines in three- and one-bottle lots in order to disappoint as few customers as possible.

Though the UK is the earliest market in which the new Burgundy vintage is sold, producers have to ensure that they have enough wine to supply everyone else. Offers in the US will probably go out in spring and autumn of this year.

But to what extent will there be demand for these expensive survivors of a gruelling growing season? Some burgundy lovers seem convinced that challenges in the vineyard will automatically result in challenging wines. However, having seen the quality of grapes being harvested myself, I have been keenly anticipating the chance to taste the 2021s, as I have found the produce of the warm 2018, 2019 and 2020 years uncomfortably atypical in some cases, with acidities too low for true refreshment and alcohol levels way above my platonic ideal of true burgundy.

What 2021 delivers, in the right hands of course, is a return to classicism; the produce of weather more often encountered in the 1970s and 1980s but with first-class plant material in the vineyards and infinitely more skill and ambition in the cellar. Yes, the grapes were far less ripe than for many years, so there was a return to a practice entirely traditional in Burgundy — that of adding sugar to the fermentation vat to boost the alcohol level (not to make the wine sweeter). Some younger vignerons may have had to ask their parents for guidance with this technique, but the results that I have tasted to date have been delicious.

My Dijon-based colleague Matthew Hayes has taken over from me the end-of-year “duty” of tasting the 2021s straight from cask in numerous cellars and publishing his tasting notes on JancisRobinson.com, focusing on producers too fashionable or too obscure to feature in London’s Burgundy Week tastings.

I have had to content myself with attending a handful of tastings of 2021s held in London by some of the bigger producers, mainly négociants such as Louis Jadot, Faiveley, Chanson and JC Boisset. The négociant Delaunay also sent cask samples to my home.

So far I find that my potential enthusiasm for the vintage has not been misplaced. Chanson’s style seemed in general a little overworked and chunky for my taste but I really enjoyed the selections from Jadot and Faiveley. And as for winemaker Gregory Patriat at JC Boisset — not a name immediately associated with Burgundy at the very top of the tree — his wines were absolutely mind-blowing. This was burgundy with both finesse and energy. Not a great deal of alcohol, often no more than 12 per cent, but perfectly ripe, expressive fruit.

Next week I expect to taste hundreds of 2021 burgundies and will doubtless find some failures: whites that are simply too skinny and reds that are too soft. But I think it’s a mistake to require young red burgundy to be chock-full of tannin and young whites to be searingly high in acid. Seize the moment. Enjoy these beauties while they offer so much current pleasure.

Tasting notes on Purple Pages of JancisRobinson.com

Follow Jancis on Twitter @JancisRobinson

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