Burgundy 2006 En Primeur - Vintage Report

After the “deckchair vintage” that was 2005, 2006 was climatically schizophrenic. A long, hard winter resulted in late budding but following heavy showers in April and early May, late spring and early summer turned warm, dry and sunny, with conditions ideal for flowering. A big crop began to look likely. There was a gear change in July with exceptionally hot, almost scorching conditions and very little rainfall, causing some to fear a rerun of 2003.

The arrival of August saw another complete change with unsettled, cool weather dominating with scattered showers. From March to October, all months were hotter than the average, apart from August, and rainfall from June to October was well below the average figure, despite August feeling like a miserable month. By the time September arrived, the vintage was hanging in the balance. However, and not for the first time, fine weather returned, allowing harvesting in ideal conditions.

The biggest surprise was how quickly this late September shot in the arm boosted ripeness. Judging the picking date was one of the biggest factors affecting the balance of the wines, especially in whites. Most growers started harvesting around 18^th September. Rains arrived around 29^th September but in some areas it was still possible to pick into the first week of October.

These timings are, historically speaking, still earlier than the average and so it is not unusual to hear of Burgundians referring to 2006 as a precocious vintage. In Chablis, the bizarre weather patterns saw the harvest commence before the Côte d’Or for the first time in living memory- undeniable evidence of global warming.

Although the fruit eventually came in ripe and in most cases, healthy, this was only possible where enormous work had gone on in the vineyard throughout the year. All of our growers selected very carefully, either in the vineyard or on the sorting table and most commonly on both. Many spoke of the need to green harvest and the need for rigorous attention to pruning and training the vines, vital for allowing air to circulate and thus keeping rot at bay. Leaf-thinning was de rigeur. In some cases, rot did develop in its noble form, adding additional richness and complexity but rarely was this seen at levels above 15% or so.

All this activity makes for extra expense of course but where growers are after quality, these are sacrifices that they make without hesitation. Yields were about normal in the end, so not the bumper crop anticipated but certainly not needing to be so heavily selected that only tiny quantities resulted.

Grape musts for Chardonnay were in many cases surprisingly rich, with higher potential alcohol than anticipated. Fortunately, acidity levels were on the whole high too although those who picked too late either had to adjust their acidities or accept a flabbier style (and go without an armit order as a result!). The best whites are really impressive with richness and purity combining to give something for everyone.

The Pinots were more fragile in structure but as Jean-Marie Fourrier explained, the intense heat of July allowed the fruit to develop thick, tight skins. With natural fresh acidities resulting from the coolness of August, a natural extraction was possible, allowing for a gentle hand to work. This has been a key factor in the resulting purity and finesse that the wines exhibit.

This is a vintage that has to be tasted to be understood. We went to every domaine twice and to some three or four times. Sitting in London and reading weather patterns and receiving snippets of commentary helps to paint a picture but the real detail can only be put into full focus by personal interaction with the wines.

Why? Well one strong reason is the vintage that preceeded it. 2005 is generally accepted to be of exceptional quality in red and very good in white. However, just like a younger sibling born into a family where an elder sibling is already a superstar, welcome surprises can often result from spending the time in getting to know the less glamorous arrival. By purely comparing a new wine to wines that have preceeded it, you are learning by reference, rather than by direct investigation and therefore running the risk of overlooking the talents of the newcomer.

A second strong reason is that wines have developed enormously in barrel and given that it is likely that this pattern will continue up until bottling, we have a genuinely exciting vintage. Initially, whites were deemed to be the strongest suit and there indeed are some brilliant wines. It has been the reds, though, that have really surprised, showing superbly at our autumn tastings when expectations had initially been far more reserved. If you take 2005 out of the equation, we believe that they are better than 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004 and only just behind many 2002s. Furthermore, when you consider that the average quality of red burgundy in this decade is already above that of the 1990s, which in turn was well above the 1980s, then this is very high quality vintage in its own right. True, it does not have the power, concentration, range and longevity of the 2005 but it does have abundant purity, the ability to transmit terroir and undeniable refinement and charm. You can also drink it a lot earlier, allowing you to give your 2005s the full time that they merit. 2006 is a very Pinot vintage and will delight both purist and casual acquaintant alike.

In whites, the extra richness seen at the time of harvest has proffered ripe aromas of yellow fruits, verging on the exotic in some cases. There is extra flesh for sure but there are very few wines that taste over-ripe and it is thanks to the fresh acidity that we can still talk of minerality, poise and precision. The wines are showy, appealing and somewhat extroverted and will undoubtedly give much pleasure in their youth while the best certainly have the capacity for ageing in cellar too. This is a really strong vintage in white and with demand for the top villages and crus showing no sign of falling, we anticipate significant pressure on supply.

In Chablis, we are looking at another very strong vintage, sharing many of the features of both 2004 and 2005 which were both extremely fine. In our view, though, 2006 is potentially the greatest and certainly the most complete of the three.

In summary, we consider that our Burgundian growers should take a well-deserved bow for producing wines of genuine excitement in 2006. The old axiom of selecting by your grower remains very true but with the average quality level so high, you will not go wrong on any of the pages that follow. Where you would like some guidance through our selection, please do not hesitate to contact one of the team on 0207 908 0660.

The 2005 vintage reinvigorated the Burgundian marketplace at a time when global interest in the region was already clearly on the up. This new leap to prominence has been sustained over the last year with prices for the top wines reaching new peaks. The market for the 2006s must be carefully judged. The weakness of the dollar and the strength of the euro and the uncertainties that still linger from the credit crisis make for a far wobblier economic climate than 12 months ago. Prices for grapes and juices have risen significantly since 2005 and indeed again for the 2007s. Purportedly, this is fuelled by high demand in countries such as China, Russia, Korea and even Australia with the message being that should traditional markets wish to buy less in 2006, their allocations will be forever lost to the new clients beating down the door.

If all this sounds very Bordeaux, then sadly we must admit that we are beginning to see attitudes change in certain quarters. Whilst the majority of familial domaines retain the long view, there is a growing temptation for some to cash in on the new wave of roubles, yuan and petro-dollars particularly with land prices in Burgundy rising rapidly and therefore taxes on their assets following suit.

Whilst one can always sympathise with those trying to make a good living from agriculture, we hope and indeed have advised, that growers be moderate in their pricing. While their intention is still for their wines to be bought and consumed rather than traded and displayed, we feel that it would be a great shame if the Bordeaux model of price rises come what may be adopted. For the moment we are still safe but as temptation for price rises will only grow in the future, we recommend that you buy what is in front of you today.

Great Burgundy is the scarcest and perhaps most highly coveted of all the classic wines and thus attracts incredible competition for allocations, from both trade and private consumer. Where demand exceeds supply, we will always favour those customers who balance their demands across the board as well as those who have supported in previous vintages.

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