Photo Clément The host
In 2020, the drought and the exceptional precocity of the vine have put a strain on the nerves of Burgundy winegrowers. The nascent vintage, however, has something to reassure. Certainly, it always turns out to be a risk of betting too early on a vintage. But while winemaking is on the end in most farms, it is possible to identify a first trend. In three words, here are its great features. Concentration This is not a surprise. Most of the plots suffered from the lack of water throughout the summer, producing small, highly concentrated berries. This is true for Chardonnays, and it is even more so for Pinots, a typically northern grape variety. For the most part harvested before the whites (an exception) the red grapes of the year are particularly sweet, tannic and colorful. But without falling into exuberance. "The reds easily deliver color and polyphenols without forcing the extraction, the tannins are already silky," welcomes the interprofession. The only shadow on the table: quantities considered very low by some winegrowers. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=3288743677913275&id=860738337380500 Balance The interprofession announces "very precise tastings and promising balances". Indeed the richness of the vintage should not weigh down the wines, on the contrary. If the sugar – so the potential degree – has concentrated in the berries, the same goes for acidity. And that changes everything. Considered by some as the backbone of wine, it is it that confers the freshness and digestibility expected in a burgundy bottle, as well as its aging potential. Typicity Burgundy wine is often described as a "mosaic" because of its incalculable number of geographical peculiarities. What 2020 will only confirm. The winegrowers are unanimous: the terroir effect is noticed this year, sometimes between two neighboring plots. Good news for Burgundy, which makes its "climates" a trademark.
