Buy Burgundy 2009 En Primeur Wines

2009 brings to an end a fabulous decade in Burgundy, which has seen wines of good quality at the very least being produced every year, even in the furnace of 2003 or the fug of 2004. Moreover, there are already two vintages with a strong claim for greatness and 2009 is now jostling for inclusion at the top table.

Ranking vintages may be fun and an easy way to provoke discussion but however you place them, all ten years have provided many wines of intrigue, interest and individuality. Burgundy’s great strength remains its variety, its patchwork quilt of terroirs each interpreted by dozens of vignerons of varying passion, talent and commitment and this has been a shimmering and sometimes spectacular decade on Burgundy’s golden slopes.

The winter of 2008/9 was relatively mild although there was late frost in March which briefly caused concern. Spring was uneventful but into May the conditions were sunny and warm and the vines started to grow quickly. Flowering was noted in the last week of May, about 10 days earlier than the average.

The first real challenge arrived in late May when hail brought significant damage to vineyards on the south side of Gevrey Chambertin and across to Morey St Denis and parts of Chambolle Musigny, including many of the Grands Crus. Hail before bunches are formed does not affect quality – indeed by reducing yield early you can argue that it is almost beneficial – but for quantity it is deeply damaging and Pascal Lachaux, for example, lost 50% of his Latricières- Chambertin. June was pleasant with no great heat but little by way of rain either, fresh winds kept the vines in good condition. By contrast, July was more unsettled with a couple of storms making vineyard work difficult but the good conditions returned in August with some real warmth. Towards the end of the month there was some welcome rain and hydric stress was avoided. All that was needed was for steady, fine weather to continue into September and there would be smiles all round.

The first whites were picked in the Côte de Beaune as early as 1st September with most domaines in full swing by 7th September. The weather was ideal and there was no climatic threat that caused vignerons to make their decision on when to pick, in theory at least, they were able to pick parcel by parcel at the optimum moment. In Chablis, the harvest was early by historical averages, Raveneau starting on 10th September, Droin on 12th and Fèvre on 14th.

The reds either followed soon after or were picked simultaneously and the harvest continued well into the third week of the month in the Côte de Nuits. Sorting tables were virtually redundant as the fruit brimmed with health. Overall quantities were not far short of the record harvest of1999, despite the hail. There was some concern that yields were too generous in some areas and we did encounter a few wines with a degree of mid-palate dilution and lack of focus as a result. However, in the best cellars, strict control of yields is well understood and a figure around 35-40 hl/ha seemed to be the season’s par.

Vinification was straightforward with none of the hyper-extended malolactic fermentations seen in 2008. Where it was done at all, chaptalising was modest, a half a degree or so to prolong fermentation to allow for a more complex construction of aromas where growers felt that all was going a bit too fast. Very few growers practiced regular batonnage either, the natural richness of the wines being quite sufficient.

The reds were well-behaved in the cellar, “an easy vinification” according to Jean- Marie Fourrier. Yeasts were active, sugars were eaten fast. Many growers varied their use of whole bunches, always easier to consider in a year where both fruit and stems are fully ripe, with many advocating that a greater proportion of stems would add some rigour to counterbalance the exuberance of the fruit. With such natural ripeness, heavy extraction was not needed as colours came out with ease and growers generally opted for pumping-over rather than the more aggressive cap-punching. The oak regime was also closely examined, with the trend for lighter toasts continuing, something that we welcome.

Without the climatic pressures experienced in the previous three vintages, anyone making a mess of the 2009s can only really blame themselves. The whites have ripe fruit, correct acidities and as such will be more approachable early on. There is more richness than in 2007 or 2008 but only the very careless or misguided fell into the trap of overmaturity and excess alcohol. We have found many fabulous whites in 2009, just as we did in previous ‘big’ years for reds such as 2005 and 2002.

If you are worried though and particularly seek heightened freshness and minerality, then head to the hills.

Vineyards at higher altitude, exposed to the north and on the slopes where soils are thinner generally produced steelier wines than those on the flats but, of course, it is the grower that is the key determinant. Leflaive, Roulot, Fontaine Gagnard and de Montille amongst others all prize tension and energy in their wines and they have fashioned their 2009s in this manner but with the more generous character of the vintage undeniably present. When asked to compare the vintage with others, years such as 1999, 2002 and 2005 were all mentioned but most commonly it was 2002 that growers plumped for, while mentioning that the austerity that some ‘02s had in their youth is mostly absent in the ‘09s. Nicolas Potel even ventured that the year was ‘grand’ in white but merely ‘bon’ in red.

If there is one sure sign of a great vintage, it is the quality of the lesser wines and we found gorgeous wines at all levels from generic to Grand Cru. It is an absolute joy to taste a humble Bourgogne or a fine villages in a year where they so obviously found success. There will, inevitably, be pressure on pricing, particularly at the top end, but real bargains are to be found in the lower ranks and we advise you to take advantage.

In general, the reds were more homogenous than the whites, brimming with health and revelling in their fruit. These are confident wines that aim to please but are also true to their origins. As François Millet at de Vogüé explained, while they may not have the transparency of the 2008s, they have far greater depth and more than once we found the image of the iceberg a useful one – plenty on display above the surface but a huge amount still hidden beneath.

Aside from the layers of fruit, it is the quality of the tannins, in their detail and precision, which particularly impresses at the top Domaines. This is perhaps the biggest contrast to the more muscular, structured 2005s.

As far as specific villages go, there is quality up and down the entire Côte but we were so impressed in Volnay, Pommard, Beaune, Savigny and Corton that we would not be surprised if this is considered to be a truly outstanding vintage for the Côte de Beaune reds when reviewed in the fullness of time. For the Côte d’Or as a whole, from the beginning of our tastings, it was the 1999 vintage that resonated most strongly as we sought a comparison. Ten years on though, the advances in vineyard husbandry and winemaking precision have been immense and by the time you compare further back to 1989 or 1979, we are truly in a different era.

These are wines with smiles on their faces but that is not to say that they are all upfront without any depth: we believe that the ingredients are present in 2009 for truly profound wines to emerge, in both colours.

After the sensational Bordeaux 2009 campaign, Burgundians are once again eyeing their great rivals with envy but while there will be price increases, these can be more than justified by the steady pricing (in euros) over the last few vintages, the fine quality of the 2009s and the certain shortfall to come next year after a much reduced crop in 2010.

Prices at the most recent Hospices de Beaune auction showed increases from 2009 to 2010 because of this shortage of wine with the big négociant houses scrabbling to acquire extra stocks while they are still available.

Burgundy is not immune to fashion nor to the influence of new money but it does not court it either. It is one of the many things that makes Burgundy so endearing and refreshing. You can understand the bemusement of growers who see that a middle-ranking Margaux third growth produced in the tens of thousands of cases can sell at the same price as a top, handcrafted premier cru Volnay from a true great such as Marquis d’Angerville of which only a few hundred cases exist. But such is the way of the world and, as one grower put it, he can only drive one Mercedes at a time!

It is also important to remember the scale of operations. The Grand Crus of the Côte d’Or combined total around 600 hectares, split unequally between red and white, and roughly half of those are on the Hill of Corton with a further 50 or so in the Clos de Vougeot. Contrast this with Bordeaux where the term Grand Cru, covers the top 5% of vineyards, a ‘mere’ 15,000 hectares. The top wines of Burgundy, for a global audience, are truly scare and will only become more so as they are consumed. This is why acting quickly upon first release is more vital for buying Burgundy than for any other region.

Great Burgundy is rightfully prized but it is also drunk and if there is one thing that these 2009s are, it is consumer-friendly. Their approachability will win them many friends and while many an Echézeaux may never be allowed to see its third birthday, such will be the eagerness to discover its attributes, it will still be able to provide real pleasure, even as a fledgling. 2009 may be considered great, given time to prove itself. All the signs are there. It is thus very hard to go wrong in making your purchases. Your favourite growers will not disappoint but it is also a good vintage to give someone else a try – there’s never enough of a good thing. If you’ve always strictly prioritised the Côte de Nuits because of its famous Grand Cru reds, this is the vintage where you should really add in some top Côte de Beaune reds. And don’t forget the lower levels where delicious wines reside at bargain prices.

When it comes to the top 1er and Grands Crus, we will aim to allocate the wines as fairly as possible, by the end of January. We will take into consideration clients who balance their demands across the board, who have supported previous vintages and who are consistent supporters of armit. Inevitably, there will be disappointment given some of the minute quantities available. We are confident that our selection ranks amongst the finest in the country and will satisfy even the most discerning and demanding amongst you. Please challenge the team to find you the very best selection that they can and they will happily make personal recommendations. All wines subject to allocation are marked on the relevant website pages, so please visit www.armit.co.uk or consult one of the team.

If you are entering the market for Burgundy En Primeur for the first time, we are aware that the sheer number of different wines and the fragmented nature of the market can seem daunting. At armit we take our Burgundy very seriously and want to share the thrills and spills of it with you. Our team of advisors will guide you through the process, and will talk you through the different styles as well as helping you to plan a selection with drinking dates and for a budget that matches your requirements.
Please call us on 020 7908 0660.

Our Burgundy En Primeur tasting is one of the highlights of the year and will be held on 12^th January 2011. Many of our growers will make the trip to London to present their wines and this is therefore the very best opportunity to discover the new vintage and to talk it through with the men and women behind the labels. Quite simply, this is an event that you cannot afford to miss if you are interested in Burgundy.
Please contact Rhian Rosser for ticket information on 0207 908 0600.

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