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It’s made headlines since April, but everything is still to play for. What is the status of the future vintage in the Bourgogne winegrowing region, a few weeks after the spring frost?
The 2021 vintage began with an exceptional frost, which will certainly lead to slashed yields on harvesting. However, the story is yet to be written, and hopefully, it may turn out better than some predict.
The winter of 2020-2021 was marked by alternating mild and cold weather. On average, it was milder and wetter than normal, when compared to the period 1994-2020. After a significant cooling in mid-March, temperatures rose markedly, even becoming summer-like during Easter week from 29 March to 3 April.
The growth cycle of the vines was then suddenly stimulated, and in the space of a few days to early April, some plots, notably the Chardonnays, reached the mid-bud stage.
An equally brutal change in weather then occurred on the night of 5 April, with the arrival of a large mass of polar air. This caused significant nighttime frosts, from 6-9 April in particular. The earliest sectors and plots were the hardest hit, despite the efforts of the winegrowers.
It remains almost impossible right now to evaluate the real impact of this frost event, especially as other episodes of frost took place through until the beginning of May, in the north of the Bourgogne winegrowing region in particular.
Temperatures remained cool through to mid-April and the less advanced plots or sectors have struggled to continue budburst. We had to wait until the return of milder conditions after 19 April for the primary buds to start developing again. For these plots, the estimated mid-budburst stage of 50% green tips were close to those observed in 2019. However, these averages hide great disparities across the patchwork of plots and even within each one.
Despite the number of frozen buds, there is still hope. The secondary buds are still there and although generally less fertile, they will still carry some bunches. Their bud break will take place later, however, causing a shift in the vines’ development.
Our winegrowers are still hard at work taking care of their vines, and there is still much to hope for. This vintage is far from over.
Rully is a very ancient vineyard with a rich history. Romans, monks, Dukes of Bourgogne, and kings of France have all played their part. The vines almost disappeared in Rully after the Second World War but were saved thanks to the hard work of a few dedicated winegrowers. Today, their work continues as they restore the reputation of Rully wines. And the quality is evident, in both red and white.
The Rully appellation explained:
Terroir
The wines of the Rully appellation have so many different facets that it is impossible to generalize. These nuances stem from differences in terroir, exposure, and altitude (between 230 and 300 meters).
The Rully appellation revealed through its geology and geography:
White Rully wines excel with aromas of hedgerow flowers such as acacia, hawthorn, honeysuckle, but also violet, lemon, white peach or flint. Time brings out hints of honey, quince and dried fruits. They have lovely fruity length and are broad in the mouth, making for a fine accompaniment to sophisticated dishes and tender meats. White Rully is a perfect partner to pan-fried river fish, sea fish in white sauce. or hot shellfish dishes. It also adapts very well to hard cheeses like Comté, reflecting its fruitiness. It makes a great match for poultry in cream sauce.
Red Rully wines offer a bouquet of blackcurrant and blackberry, along with bigarreau cherry, licorice, lilac, and rose petal, evolving towards jammy fruit, with notes of kirsch and pepper. In the mouth, the tannins respect the fruit and the wine’s distinct structure, making it ideal with roasted poultry or poultry in sauce, offal dishes like liver, sweetbreads, or kidneys, both in sauce or simply pan-fried. Rich risottos and pasta with meat and poultry will also round out the slightly firm tannins of a young red Rully.
Felix Debavelaere from the Domaine Rois Mages describes the different personalities of the Rully appellation:
The hunt will be on for Bourgogne wines with the reopening of restaurants in France and around the world. To meet demand, Bourgogne has two years of wines in stock, all colors combined (Source: BIVB, DRM end of March 2021).
While sales of Bourgogne wines barely slowed in 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 is looking good, up 9.5% by revenue and 16.4% in terms of revenue, this availability is the result of good volumes over the past three harvests, which averaged a little over 1.5 million hectoliters per year.
Although it is not yet possible to assess the impact of the frost that hit the vineyards in April, these volumes in reserve are good news: There is enough to satisfy demand in the cellars of our cooperatives, winegrowers and négociants.
Hong Kong – Bourgogne wines are still in demand
Despite the difficult context in 2020, Bourgogne wines are still doing well with a new record in terms of revenue at €67.9 million.
Revenue from exports of Bourgogne wines to Hong Kong were up 1.7% in 2020 to €67.9 million. This is a new record after a 2019 that already showed good growth, up 8% over 2018.
Despite a slight dip in exports, down 0.5% by volume over the record year of 2019, 2020 confirmed the strong positioning of Bourgogne wines across distribution circuits in Hong Kong since 2010. As such, compared to the average over the past five years, volumes exported in 2020 were up 6%. All Bourgogne wines enjoyed good growth, both by volume and in terms of revenue:
> White wine: Up 3% by volume and up 18% in terms of revenue in 2020 compared to the average over the five previous years
> Red wine: Up 9% by volume and up 70% in terms of revenue in 2020 compared to the average over the five previous years
Crémant de Bourgogne wines, which were virtually absent from this market five years ago and which are still relatively little-known, had a good year in 2020 accounting for 0.6% of exports, up 11% by volume and 25.4% in terms of revenue compared to 2019.
Exports over the first three months of 2021 showed clear growth, up 60.8% by volume and 61.5% in terms of revenue over the first three months of 2020. This came after a slight dip in the same period in 2019. Red Bourgogne wines showed the strongest performance, with growth up 98.3% by volume and 83.2% in terms of revenue.
The Bourgogne region will be the star of the show in wine stores, restaurants, and wine bars in Tokyo, just a few days before the start of the Olympic Games.
For this third edition of the event in Japan, which runs from 28 June to 4 July, the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) is inviting all industry players, including wine stores, restaurants, wine bars, and eCommerce players to take part in Bourgogne Week Tokyo.
Local market influencers are invited to create events to offer their customers the full Bourgogne wine tasting experience, with a chance to meet producers and other fans, and to share their experiences.
eCommerce will enjoy a place in the spotlight this year, thanks to several partnerships showcasing a range of Bourgogne wines that are lesser known amongst Japanese consumers.
The BIVB will be orchestrating the event, with a communication campaign to maximize visibility through a dedicated website, soon to be unveiled.
A training day upstream of Bourgogne Week
On 3 June, ahead of Bourgogne Week Japan, the BIVB is hosting two masterclasses for journalists and industry stakeholders including distributors, sommeliers, and eCommerce representatives:
- “Chablis, the expression of a terroir” will involve a tasting of four Chablis and four Petit Chablis wines, exploring the multi-faceted nature of these appellations and their amazing appeal.
- “A first step towards terroir in the Bourgogne winegrowing region” is dedicated to Régionale plus geographical denomination appellations and will involve sampling three Mâcon-plus wines and five Bourgogne-plus wines.
Japan is a fascinating historical export market and the third biggest for Bourgogne wines. After a 2020 limited by the pandemic (down 3.3% by volume and 1.6% in terms of revenue over 2019), 2021 has begun calmly, up 0.9% by volume and 2.4% in terms of revenue for the first three months of 2021 compared to the same period last year.
For the time being, red wines are the big winners, up 17.1% by volume and 19.4% in terms of revenue, with all AOC families showing progress, apart from the Grand Crus.
Crémant de Bourgogne is also doing well, up 5.9% by volume and 4.3% in terms of revenue over the first quarter of 2020. White wines are a little slower to take off.
A technical summary of the 2020 vintage
2020 was an exceptional year and will long linger in our winegrowers’ memories. And not just because of the pandemic – everything simply happened so fast.
2020 was a very unusual year and one that will linger in the memories of our winegrowers. And not only because of the pandemic: It was also an incredibly fast-growing vintage.
After a particularly mild winter, clement weather at the beginning of March triggered an early start to the growth cycle and the first green shoots were observed shortly afterwards.
Temperatures soared as soon as the “ice saints” days had passed in mid-May, allowing for very early flowering, and then we saw rapid vegetation growth. By this stage, 2020 was in the top three earliest vintages, along with 2007 and 2011.
The 2020 vintage seen by Matthieu Mangenot, enologist and Assistant Technical Director of the Maison Albert Bichot explains:
This head start continued throughout the summer. The first plots were harvested during the week of 10 August for the Crémant de Bourgognes, closely followed by the still wines, mainly with the Pinot Noir grapes. The harvest continued into the beginning of September thanks to good weather conditions.
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A masterclass to watch and watch again.
A new source of precious information about the Santenay appellation.
Located in the south of the Côte de Beaune, the Santenay AOC is one of the most historical and yet little-known appellations in Bourgogne. Its landscapes and soils are, like its wines, of great diversity and richness, and certain to delight lovers of #Bourgognewines in every circumstance.
The Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) invites you to discover or rediscover this appellation via a masterclass and online tasting specially designed for market influencers in the USA. The session was presented by Albéric Bichot, spokesperson for Bourgogne wines, along with Official Bourgogne Wine Trainers Christian Oggenfuss and Tanya Morning Star Darling, and took place in October 2020.
This simple and effective tool is available in four languages (French, English, Chinese, and Japanese), and will help you learn all about Bourgogne wines in less than an hour. One element that is particularly interesting this season is the growth cycle of the vines and the work that takes place in the vineyard throughout the year.
This section is called “365 days in the Bourgogne region” and will allow you to improve your understanding of this wide-reaching subject.
It is available online and as a download so you can use it at home, in the office, on the train, or anywhere else you like.
USA: Bourgogne wines are the stars at Flatiron Wines
We invite you to discover the hidden secrets of Bourgogne wines in partnership with Flatiron Wines.
Since May, Bourgogne wines have been the subject of a promotion by Flatiron Wines on their website and in-store, and this push is set to last until the end of the year.
There are plenty of activities and blog posts promoting those lesser-known Bourgogne appellations on the US market. Four digital tastings are also scheduled on Instagram, providing some not-to-be-missed opportunities for discovery.
Saint-Véran is one of the five Village appellations of the Mâconnais, the southernmost part of Bourgogne.
The wines in this AOC are 100% Chardonnay and mark the palate as much as the spirit thanks to their unfailing freshness. This appellation has nothing to envy to its better-known neighbor Pouilly-Fuissé, except that the winegrowers of Saint-Véran are also taking steps to have some of their plots recognized as Premier Crus.
The “Rendez-vous avec les vins de Bourgogne” show is a 60’ program aimed at industry stakeholders and press. The first 20’ are devoted to reports and interviews with winegrowers and négociants, while the second part features a tasting of six wines which participants from all over the world can experience simultaneously with an official trainer and expert from the École des Vins de Bourgogne.
the winegrowers and négociants whose wines are presented will feature in the show to present their wines and answer questions from the audience.
The program is broadcast in 10 countries, in French at 4pm and in English at 9am, 11am, 6pm and 10pm. All times are CET.
The Vignobles & Découvertes Bourgogne Cellar Guide is a reference for wine tourism in the region. It is ideal for discovering or rediscovering Bourgogne, its 84 appellations, its winegrowers and négociants.
The guide is published by the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) and is designed to facilitate your searches and help organize your visit via the tourist trails that crisscross the region. The 2021 edition covers 213 cellars that bear the label, having passed a rigorous quality audit. They are presented by region to help you find them more easily.
For a fully immersive experience, this guide is packed with useful information. After a presentation of the national Vignobles & Découvertes label, it includes an introduction to the notion of the Climat, a notion specific to Bourgogne and included on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2015. It will then whet your appetite with information about the Cités des Vins et des Climats de Bourgogne project, an invitation to visit the École des Vins de Bourgogne in Beaune, and a reminder of the region’s main values, namely conviviality and a respect for terroir.
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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