Harvesting took off across Bourgogne between 18-20 September after a trying year punctuated by challenging weather events.
Flowering occurred during a period of hot and dry weather, offering perfect conditions for pollination and fruit formation. These high temperatures were maintained in early June, triggering fast growth, and allowing the 2021 vintage to catch up some of the time lost in April and May.
The first half of the year was marked by normal temperatures and rainfall for the season everywhere apart from the Yonne, which saw rainfall up 18% but without any major consequences.
From the end of June to early August, winegrowers saw a shift in the weather as the rain set in. The nature of how vines grow meant that it was difficult for winegrowers to manage the vegetation at the same time as staving off disease. It wasn’t until mid-August that sustained dry weather finally arrived.
The mid-véraison stage, when the berries change color, was reached mid-August on average. Dry weather and a north wind allowed the grapes to ripen at a good rhythm whilst reducing disease-inducing humidity.
The red varietals of Pinot Noir, Gamay, and César ripened first, with the Pinot Noir leading the way. The white Chardonnay grapes took a little more time due to the stress caused by frost or hail, depending on the sector.
Winegrowers are now starting to harvest their earliest-ripening plots, with the first grapes to be picked – those destined for the production of sparkling Crémant de Bourgogne wines – being cut in mid-September.
Winemakers will be producing this year’s cuvées from some very low volumes, depending on how badly the area was hit by frost or hail.
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The Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction returns to its usual date
After the 2020 edition was disrupted by the pandemic, this year’s 161st Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction will run as usual on the 3rd Sunday in November.
The Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction is a flagship event in the Bourgogne wines calendar and for the international wine world at large. This year’s sale will be held in the city of Beaune on Sunday 21 November at 2pm.
It will be, as it was prior to the pandemic, an opportunity to bring together wine lovers and industry professionals to discover the newest vintage that is revealed at the event. Plenty of other events will also be keeping visitors entertained from the Thursday through to Monday.
Press-only events:
- Friday 19 (morning): Inauguration of the Fête des Grands Vins de Bourgogne at the Palais des Congrès in Beaune, with tasting of all Bourgogne AOCs from 2020 and 2021.
- Saturday 20 (afternoon): Tasting of the Hospices wines in the company of the estate’s winemaker, Ludivine Griveau.
- Sunday 21 at 9:45am: Press conference in partnership with the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) and the Hospices de Beaune.
- Sunday 21 at 2pm: Auction hosted for the first time by Sotheby’s.
For organizational reasons, invitations will be sent out in early October, but in the meantime, why not book your visit to Beaune?
2021 marks the official launch of the three worksites in Mâcon, Beaune, and Chablis. The content will be gradually augmented with opening dates set for 2022 and 2023.
The three sites in the Cité des vins et des Climats de Bourgogne network each have different dimensions and timescales, with work beginning at different points during 2021. This was preceded by the symbolic laying of the first stone in the presence of partner public bodies.
The Cité in Beaune, the largest of the three sites, was first in line, with 18 months of construction work beginning in March 2020. It is set to open in the spring of 2023.
The Cité in Mâcon followed at the end of April, with 15 months of work and delivery set for September 2022.
And last but not least, with 13 months of construction ahead, is the site in Chablis, where work began this summer. When the symbolic first stone was laid on 9 September, an inauguration date of September 2022 was announced.
In total, over 60 contractors are involved in the creation of the Cité network, including a significant number of local firms.
Regarding content, work has been accelerating as the definition of the content and services proposed in each location is widened out, from visitor trails to wine-themed activities, one-off events, stores, wine-themed tips and advice, private hires, a discovery bar, workshops, tasting classes and training from the École des Vins de Bourgogne.
Of some 1,580 samples submitted, up 3.4% over 2019, just 203 were selected, representing 12.85% of the total. These figures illustrate the rigor of the selection process. And this rigor is essential as these wines then go on to be used by the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) for all training, promotional, and marketing activities over the next 12 months.
During the award ceremony at the end of June, the BIVB’s President Frédéric Drouhin said: “The Cave de Prestige is a real showcase for Bourgogne wines, the ultimate illustration of our expertise and a great opportunity to remind people how Bourgogne has a truly extensive offer that goes far beyond a few iconic names. We were determined to maintain this event to recognize those producers taking part in this rigorous selection process. We also wanted to celebrate the merit, expertise, and the very high quality of the wines from 130 estates, wine houses, and cellars that were selected this year, compared to 137 in 2019.”
This selection will soon be available to explore, through a series of information sheets online in the Cave de Prestige section of the www.bourgogne-wines.com website. The 2019-2020 is also online.
Rendezvous with Bourgogne wine: Chablis on stage on 20 October
“Chablis is Chardonnay, but not every Chardonnay is Chablis”, says Master of Wine Rosemary George. Discover the unique qualities of this world-renowned appellation.
On 20 October, the “Rendezvous with Bourgogne Wines” will be taking a trip to the north of the Bourgogne region in Chablis.
This is an ideal occasion to understand why, as noted by Master of Wine Rosemary George, a specialist in the appellation, not every Chardonnay is Chablis, despite Chablis being made 100% from that varietal.
The Chablis winegrowing region has a cooler climate than the rest of Bourgogne, coupled with a more recent subsoil, dating back to the Kimmeridgean. The vines of Chablis draw their purity and elegance from deep within this terroir.
The village of Chablis, which dates back to Roman times, is rich in history. Vines have been grown here for the past 18 centuries. In 867, Charles the Bald gifted the Obédiencerie de Chablis to the Abbots of the Saint-Martin de Tour. In 1114, the Cistercian monk Hugues de Mâcon founded the Abbey of Pontigny, the second daughter of Cîteaux, which soon established its reputation and began receiving bequests of vines in Chablis to help it survive. Canons and monks then played their part in contributing to the development of the Chablis winegrowing region.
Its proximity to Paris and easy access via the Yonne river also helped the development of winegrowing and the promotion of sales beyond the region’s borders.
The interactive “Rendezvous with Bourgogne Wines” show will explore this rich history and the diverse wines of the appellation for hundreds of industry professionals from a dozen different countries.
This one-hour show is structured as follows:
* The first 20 minutes are dedicated to a presentation of the subject of the show, with reports and interviews from winegrowers and négociants.
* The second part involves a guided tasting of several wines in the company of an expert from the École des Vins de Bourgogne, who will respond live to your questions.
The show screens live on 20 October in English at 9am, 11am, 6pm, and 10pm; and in French at 4pm.
If you’d like to take part in the show, please contact the Bourgogne wines press officer at cecile.mathiaud@bivb.com. She will put you in touch with your local Official Bourgogne Wines Ambassador.
Since its first edition in 1949, the Fête des Vins de Chablis continues to evolve, but its success is always based on a single notion – conviviality!
On 23 & 24 October, the town center will once again be hosting a wide range of events featuring the vines of Chablis and the wider Grand Auxerrois region. The festival is organized by the Office du Chablis in partnership with the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB).
The festival program:
- Saturday 23 October (12:30pm-6pm): Tastings in the company of around 40 producers and wine houses from the Chablis and greater Grand Auxerrois region, an exhibition of winemaking equipment, gourmet produce, street events, and food stalls.
- Sunday 24 October (9:30am-6pm): Wine tastings and gastronomy, the official Piliers Chablisiens parade, inductions, and street events, etc.
The full program is yet to be published, but in the meantime, why not start planning your weekend?
At the next edition of the Saint-Vincent Tournante, on 29 & 30 January, the villages of Corpeau, Puligny-Montrachet, and Blagny will host the festivities. In early September, they unveiled the poster for the event.
Photographers Pierre Javelle and Akiko Ida, graduates of the Beaux-Arts and Les Arts Décoratifs schools in Paris, were selected for the artwork thanks to their unique “Minimiam” concept, featuring photographs illustrating indulgence and emotions linked to childhood.
To transcribe the theme of the four elements for the next Saint-Vincent Tournante, the artists took inspiration from a trip through the Bourgogne region with a steam train as the key element, pulling wagons representing air, fire, earth, and water.
- The air wagon features a man and woman holding a kite in the colors of Puligny-Montrachet
- The fire wagon illustrates a winegrower suffering from the heat of the sun in his vineyards
- The earth wagon symbolizes the renewal of nature with the planting of young vines
- The water wagon is a meteorological allegory alluding to the whims of the weather
In the background, the Climats de Bourgogne face the four seasons.
This miniature universe reveals multiple references to the wine and traditions of the Bourgogne region.
Bourgogne vs. Burgundy: to re-affirm their identity, the region and the producers are reverting back to the original French iteration of the name, Bourgogne.
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DIRECTOR: SYLVAIN NAULIN
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TRANSLATOR: SARAH JACKSON
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