The 2024 vintage is not off to a smooth start. But even if the winegrowers are having a hard time, the vines are holding up well. Two weeks after the hailstorm in Chablis that made headlines (May 1), it's time for an initial assessment, as objectively as possible.
Before the hail, Bourgogne's winegrowers had to contend with the now recurrent April frost episode (second half of the month). Although the sleepless nights were quite stressful, there was a certain sigh of relief afterwards: the damage caused was very localized, despite the vines' early development status (2 to 7 unfolded leaves).
The hardest hit areas are located in the Chatillonnais (mainly dedicated to Crémant de Bourgogne), where temperatures dropped to -5°C. Frost damage ranging from 80 to 100% on parcels of vines occurred in the eastern part of the region, from the Seine to the Ource valley. The Maranges, in southern Côte de Beaune, also suffered.
Elsewhere in the Côte Chalonnaise, the Mâconnais and Nothern Bourgogne, damage was very limited.
Chablis, on the other hand, suffered considerable damage to part of its vineyards after a double hailstorm on May 1st.
Approximately 1,000 hectares of vines were affected, mainly in the villages of Fontenay-près-Chablis, Villy and La Chapelle-Vaupelteigne, but also in Chablis, Maligny, Beine and Lignorelles. Some Climats in Chablis Grand Cru and Chablis Premier Cru also suffered. Overall, it is estimated that 400 ha of vines were affected by more than 80%.
Fortunately, after two very good harvests in 2022 and 2023, the VCI (Individual Reserve Volume), especially for the Petit Chablis and Chablis appellations, will help mitigate the impact of these weather-related hazards.
There's still a long way to go until the harvest, and the winegrowers already know that they'll need to be constantly vigilant regarding the weather in 2024.
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The Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne is celebrating its first birthday!
A year of sensory discoveries, oenological encounters and wine-related passion.
To mark the occasion, the Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne is offering an exceptional program that promises a wealth of immersive experiences.
Join us in Chablis, Beaune and Mâcon on Saturday June 15 and Sunday June 16.
- All weekend long, enjoy games, family activities, musical entertainment, artisan discoveries, tastings, guided tours and much more.
- Beaune: 10 am to 7 pm
- Chablis and Mâcon: 10 am to 6 pm
To support the Bourgogne wine industry in better understanding and managing organic matter stocks in its soils at the parcel level, the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) launched the MOCCA project (Matière Organique Changement Climat et Atténuation) in 2022.
Co-financed by the BIVB and the Saône-et-Loire Departmental Council, with the support of Crédit Agricole, it is jointly coordinated by the BIVB and Vinipole Sud Bourgogne. Scheduled to last for three years (2022-2025), it aims to mitigate climate change by storing organic matter in Bourgogne's wine-growing soils. The project involves an innovative measuring instrument - a flux tower - deployed for the first time in a French vineyard.
The press will be invited to Rully on Thursday, July 11, for the inauguration of this system.
MOCCA brings together several research teams around four complementary actions:
• Installation of a flux tower in an experimental parcel of vines in Rully (Côte Chalonnaise). This instrument is one of the few in the world to measure incoming and outgoing CO2 flows several times a second. Partner: CarbonSpaceTech
• Analysis of carbon stocks in a network of around 50 plots throughout the Bourgogne vineyards, with an assessment of individual parcels' carbon stocks as a function of viticultural practices. Partners: The Biogeosciences Laboratory of the University of Bourgogne and the Departmental Chambers of Agriculture
• Calculation of the carbon footprint of 96 technical itineraries. The accumulated data will be used to create a "carbon footprint simulator". The tool, which is still being designed, will allow each farmer to assess the impact of his or her technical choices (type of soil maintenance, whether or not to burn vine shoots, fertilizers used, etc.) on their carbon footprint. Partners: Institut français de la vigne et du vin (IFV) Pôle Bourgogne Beaujolais Jura Savoie
• A survey of around thirty winegrowers on their management of organic matter. This survey will identify barriers and drivers to evolving practices. Partner: Joint Research Unit CESAER and Research Unit FoAP of the Agro Dijon Institute.
Carbon sequestration in soils is often cited as a lever for addressing climate change. Storing more carbon in soils can help offset CO2 emissions related to human activity in the face of climate change. Soils are significant carbon reservoirs in the form of organic matter.
However, this stock results from multiple and complex interactions that can sometimes be difficult to understand. At the ecosystem level, soil carbon stocks evolve over time depending on plant cycles and farming practices.
The APOGEE project: The secret to the longevity of Bourgogne white wines
Through this project, the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) aims to understand how grape ripeness influences key aging markers, such as the molecule responsible for notes of faded rose and honey (phenylacetaldehyde) or the one evoking boiled potato (methional).
In 2023, an experiment was carried out on two parcels of vines with six different harvest dates, ranging from seven days before to 14 days after the usual harvest date.
For each date, 50 kilograms of grapes were harvested and vinified in the BIVB experimental cellar. The wines from this harvest were bottled in April. They will now enter a crucial phase—they will be analyzed by experts from the University of Bordeaux after an accelerated aging process in the laboratory, which will ensure reliable and reproducible results.
For 70 years, the Prix d'Excellence des Hautes Côtes de Nuits et de Beaune has recognized the finest wines from the Hautes Côtes vineyards.
• This year, 37 experienced tasters discovered 99 wines, including 51 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune and 48 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits
• 33 cuvées received the Prix d'Excellence, including 19 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune and 14 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits.
This competition highlights the quality of the wines produced in this exceptional vineyard. It rewards the expertise of the producers and helps showcase a selection of excellence.
In Bourgogne, touching the Grand Crus sometimes seems like a taboo subject. However, to make up for an historical oversight, the INAO has approved a new delineation of the Climat Les Clos within the Chablis Grand Cru appellation.
As a result, the official border has shifted a few meters between two Climats: Les Clos and Valmur.
This revision is in response to an anomaly reported back in 2013.
The administration noticed that a winegrower was labelling one of their cuvées with the Climat name "Les Clos", whereas according to the INAO, a portion of the grapes for this cuvée came from a parcel of vines located in the lieu-dit "Envers de Valmur", as confirmed by the land register. And, according to INAO, "Envers de Valmur" would have been part of the Valmur Climat...
The situation becomes more complicated when we consider the famous principle of "local, loyal and constant usage", which is the basis for the creation of the AOCs. This means that a long-standing custom that has been maintained over many years takes precedence over the law.
The winegrower's ancestor acquired this vineyard in the 1920s as part of the Climat “Les Clos”. Since then, the family has always labelled its wine as Chablis Grand Cru "Les Clos". This was long before the creation of AOCs, and many years after!
What's more, in concrete terms, the terrain of this parcel of vines has all the characteristics of a natural extension of the Climat “Les Clos”.
The winegrower, supported by his local syndicate, appealed to the INAO to modify the demarcation. After examination, the inquiry commission ruled in favor of a new delineation of this parcel of vines, which affects three owners. This small plot is now ifficialy part of the Climat “Les Clos”.
The 2024 “Climats’ Month” event in Bourgogne: A summer festival worth attending!
This year, from June 1 to July 14, plunge into the heart of an exceptional festival highlighting the Climats du vignoble de Bourgogne, a prestigious UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape. With over 70 events on the program, this event promises an immersive and varied exploration of our emblematic region.
Art exhibitions, wine tastings, vineyard walks, themed conferences and cultural activities are all on offer to provide participants with an unforgettable experience, combining pleasure, discovery and sharing.
Particular attention has been paid to the diversity of the events, with activities accessible to all audiences and at affordable prices, not exceeding 20 euros. Some events, offered in small groups, will require prior reservation to ensure a quality experience.
Discover the full program that combines the initiatives of the Association des Climats with innovative proposals by local actors, all united in the promotion and enhancement of this exceptional heritage (in French only).
Winegrowers & Maisons
Domaine des Terres de Velle becomes Domaine Pierre Vincent!
The estate in the Côte de Beaune was acquired by three passionate people who changed its name.
Domaine Pierre Vincent is a small estate with numerous micro-cuvées (less than 900 bottles per wine) and an exceptional plant heritage consisting of vines that are on average around fifty years old.
At the origin of this project lies the passion of three men for wine and Bourgogne: Hervé Kratiroff, Eric Versini and Pierre Vincent. What started as a friendship has turned into a shared dream -to take over a winegrowing estate in the Côte d'Or with exceptional Climats- and there's no shortage of them in the Côte de Beaune.
When the Domaine des Terres de Velle in Auxey-Duresses arrived on the market, the 3 friends quickly decided what to do, given the scarcity of such beautiful parcels and the exceptional quality of the vines.
So, on July 2023, the three men teamed up for this new adventure and bought the estate.
The Domaine des Terres de Velle was created in 2009. It is highly representative of a mosaic "à la bourguignonne": 16 wines are produced each year from harvests spread over seven hectares of vineyards in some of the Côte de Beaune's most prestigious villages.
More information in the press release on the name change of the Terres de Velle estate
Country-style lunch at Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
Saturday June 15, Céline & Frédéric Gueguen invite consumers to a country-style lunch with plenty of entertainment.
Born into families of winegrowers, Céline and Frédéric embarked on their own adventure in 2013 by founding their own estate in the heart of the Chablis vineyards. The 36 hectares of vines are planted mainly with Chardonnay grapes, spread across the Bourgogne and Chablis appellations. This year, Domaine Gueguen celebrates its 11th anniversary and invites you to join in the celebrations!
Program:
Come and enjoy a country-style lunch, with Gougères, mixed salads, spit-roasted ham on the bone with Chablis sauce and French fries, cheeses and cherries from the Grand Auxerrois Limited places
Enjoy a wine tasting from the Chablis and Grand Auxerrois. Learn to taste like a professional in a fun way, and impress your friends!
At 3 pm / 4 pm / 5 pm Limited places
A scooter excursion to discover the Chablis vineyards in a unique way, on an electric scooter.
Meet up at our Chablis tasting cellar for a 30-minute ride through the vines!
At 2 pm / 3 pm / 4 pm / 5 pm Limited places
In 2023, Japan lost its position as the world's third-largest economy to Germany. Several factors may explain this decline, such as the fall in the Japanese currency. In particular, it is linked to a demographic decline: The country's population fell by almost a million inhabitants to 125.1 million (2022).
In terms of sales, Bourgogne was the AOC still wine region with the highest growth in 2023 (+1.86 million euros).
In Japan, Bourgogne has a long-standing reputation as a region whose culture, taste and values resonate strongly with the Japanese. Yet professionals in Bourgogne perceive a generational shift that is leading them to increasingly target the under-50s with wines that are more affordable in terms of taste and quality.
As a result, the majority of wines shipped are now Bourgogne Régionale AOCs and Chablis wines.
In 2023, Bourgogne white wines represented 44.5% of the volume of French AOC wines of this color exported to this country, and 68% of their sales.
In 2023, the mature Hong Kong market was the world's 11th largest importer of wine in terms of sales. French wines account for 62% of these sales.
Sales of Bourgogne wines rose by a healthy 3.4% in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching sales of 96.5 million euros.
This represented a new record in terms of value, after an already excellent year of growth in 2022, when sales rose by 9.6% compared to 2021.
Hong Kong is benefiting from the return of available volumes following the two very fine vintages of 2022 and 2023: a +0.9% increase in export volume compared to 2022, the second record year in terms of volume after an excellent 2021.
In 2023, export volumes of white wines and Crémant de Bourgogne increased, while turnover of all wines grew:
• White wines: up 9.4% by volume and up 2.9% in sales (2023 compared to 2022)
• Red wines: down 7.3% by volume but up 3.5% in sales (2023 compared to 2022)
• Crémant de Bourgogne: virtually absent 5 years ago and still hardly present (only 1% of exports), posted encouraging results in 2023: up 17.6% by volume and up 37.3% by sales (2023 compared to 2022).
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.
EN DIRECT 9 issues per year, published by
Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne
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DIRECTOR: SYLVAIN NAULIN
EDITOR IN CHIEF: CECILE MATHIAUD – cecile.mathiaud@bivb.com
TRANSLATOR: SARAH JACKSON
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