It’s difficult to make broad statements about a year like 2023 in Bordeaux. Following on from our vintage overview, we delve further into the year, breaking it down by commune to offer insight on how each subregion fared in this singular vintage     

Bordeaux 2023: a breakdown of the vintage by region, with top picks from Saint-Estephe, Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Julien, Saint-Emilion and Pomerol 

Bordeaux 2023 – breaking the year down by commune

Bordeaux 2023: the vintage by commune

“I met Anselme Selosse when I was 13 and that really entered in my heart. He’s really a special person that changed the world of wine [for me],” Matteo Bisol tells me. It’s perhaps not what you’d expect of the young winemaker who represents the 21st generation of the Bisol family – a family that made their name with, and has become synonymous with, fine Prosecco.  Meeting the iconic Champagne producer – considered by many the pioneer behind the region’s grower movement – has stuck in Bisol’s mind, however. Partly, he believes, because he was at just the right age – partway between child and adult, his mind open to new ideas. “He was always talking about wine as a living thing, you know,” Bisol says. “I got it and I always thought it was very important.” He’s been immersed in the family business as long as he can remember. From the age of 10, he spent his summers working in the Bisol winery. “Once I arrived in the morning five minutes late and my father fired me. And then he hired me again because he didn’t want me to leave, being at home doing nothing,” says Bisol, laughing at the memory.  But Matteo Bisol has left the hills of Valdobbiadene behind, now in charge of his family’s very personal project: Venissa. It was Matteo’s father, Gianluca that embarked on the adventure over 15 years ago – but somewhat by accident. He was visiting the island of Torcello, which is home to one of the oldest churches in Venice – founded in 639 AD. “In front of the basilica, there’s a beautiful garden – a little bit hidden – but he saw some vine leaves,” Bisol explains. “He knocked on the door of the owner and introduced himself.” Gianluca spoke to the woman that owned the garden, who told him that a few of the vines were a local golden-skinned variety – Dorona. And down the rabbit hole, he went…  He started researching the grape and its history – discovering that viticulture had long been a part of life in the Venice Lagoon. For almost 2,500 years, vines had been grown on the islands – an integral element of the region’s culture. Before motors and speedboats, the islands were a three-hour journey from the mainland, so isolated that they had a totally different culture – “a culture based on nature, based on farming”, Bisol explains. Their isolation forced self-sufficiency, with every bit of space on each island used to grow something. With religion integral to Venice and indeed Italy’s history, wine – used for twice daily mass – was an essential part of life.   This history lives on in local nomenclature: one of the islands is called Le Vignole, one was known as Vigna Murata (now Lazzaretto Nuovo), San Francesco del Deserto was previously called Isola delle Due Vigne, a road on Murano is called Via della Vigne. Many islanders made wine, with presses for the fruit of the vines in their back garden or field. But as the islands of the lagoon became less distant, with the zip of an engine, many of the vineyards were pulled up, and those that remained were destroyed by the catastrophic floods of 1966.   After this initial discovery, Gianluca Bisol started seeking out Dorona vines – a quest that Matteo remembers vividly. “Really from the beginning, I was on the boat, with the bicycles on Sant’Erasmo looking for more Dorona grapes,” he says, describing their search for a variety that was – at the time – on the brink of extinction. It was a farmer, Gastone, on the island of Sant’Erasmo who really opened Gianluca’s eyes to working with Dorona. He was one of the last farmers in Venice to still make wine for personal consumption.   “A great person, a very beautiful person and very wise – he introduced us to the Dorona history and to the way he was making the wine in the past,” Bisol tells me. Thereafter, Gianluca hunted down cuttings and eventually –in 2006-2007 – planted 0.8 hectares of Dorona on the island of Mazzorbo.   It was tradition – rather than current fashions – that led them to make a white wine with extended skin contact. The wine had always been made with skin contact, and they decided to push it further, with a month of maceration, extracting as much flavour as possible from the unique variety. They also decided that the wines needed time to find their balance after such a long period of maceration. They considered barrel ageing, but didn’t want to change the profile of the wines with the flavour of oak, so instead opted for concrete – and two years’ élevage. The resulting wines have a fine phenolic grip and distinct mineral, even saline, freshness, with a nutty complexity that is reminiscent of mature white Hermitage, Burgundy or Jura Savagnin and Chardonnay – yet also unlike anything else. It’s this unique character that Bisol feels is why the wine is such a success. “We never tried to fit Venissa in any category… we just make the wine that we feel is the right thing for Venissa grapes,” he says  Since the first vintage in 2010, and when Matteo took over in 2013, they’ve learnt a huge amount. “There are parts of the vineyard – different parcels – that have a lower salt concentration in the soil,” Bisol explains. The more saline soils restrict the yield, producing smaller and even more concentrated berries. It was this discovery that led to the introduction of Venusa, a second wine that is made for earlier drinking, in 2017 and comes from the less saline plots. Of course, with two wines, it means that the already tiny volumes of the top white, Venissa Bianco, are even smaller – with just 2,000 bottles made a year. “It’s such a small vineyard that we know the plants one by one,” Bisol says, with an almost paternal fondness.  With each vintage, as well, they have pushed quality even further – learning how to get the most from the previously almost extinct Dorona. They’ve been making the wine for 20 years, but – as Bisol says – “Twenty years means you made it 20 times. Twenty times is nothing. Every year we see how the wine is responding, and we learn every year more things that allow us to make better and better wines.”  And making wine in this remarkable place, with its salt-soaked soils, is far from easy – something that the flood, or “acquaalta”, of November 2019 brought vividly to life. Although the vineyard is shielded by a wall, it couldn’t hold back the water – and once receded they had to wash the vines one by one with fresh water, and the soil as well, to try to remove the potentially catastrophically high salt content. It was only when the vines emerged from dormancy in the spring that they knew whether or not they’d done enough to save them.  “It also reminded us how resilient this grape variety is, which is actually the resilience of Venice – which has been a city or republic for more than 1,000 years,” Bisol says. The Dorona grape, like the region’s people, has adapted to its surroundings. Fortunately, with the introduction of MOSE in 2020, the city’s barrier system designed to shield it from high tides, flooding hasn’t threatened their crop – and vineyard – since.   It's clear talking to Bisol, that Venissa is much more than a wine. Not only is it a symbol of Venice’s resilience, but a project to preserve the city’s great traditions.The glass bottles come from the island of Murano, but it’s the labels that are particularly special. They work with Marino Menegazzo of Mario Berta Battiloro, the last goldbeater not just in Venice, but Europe – who hammers out a sheet of goldleaf for each and every bottle they produce, from the workshop that once was home to Titian. The design changes each year, with the leaf for each bottle very slightly different thanks to its hand-crafted nature. With Marino Menegazzo in his 70s, and no one to inherit the family business, this tradition – like the Dorona wines – is at risk.  “This part of the history of Venice, it’s an history that is very important and our role at Venissa is really to keep this history alive,” Bisol says. “For us, winemaking is really important, of course my family comes from winemaking, it has a history of 500 years in winemaking. But when we realised the history that was behind this city, behind agriculture and grape growing, and behind all these other handcrafting techniques, it became even more important for Venissa, as our role of preserving the heritage rather than just making a wine… We really believe that preserving our tradition is even more important than winemaking.”   While the family started with just 0.8 hectares on Mazzorbo, they soon started making a red from 2.75 hectares on Santa Cristina (with vines that were previously farmed by the Swarovski family). Now, they’ve planted Dorona on two more islands, harvesting the fruit for the first time this year. Under the Bisol family’s protective eye, it’s clear that this special Venetian tradition has found its guardian angel.  The Venissa wines are exclusively available from FINE+RARE in the UK; if you’d like to visit Venissa, please contact us. Browse all current listings and find out more about the estate here. 

Venissa is an estate like no other, crafting wine from the indigenous Dorona grape grown on islands in the Venice Lagoon. Sophie Thorpe spoke to Matteo Bisol about his family’s mission to preserve this unique Venetian tradition 

The Bisol family has made it their mission to save viticulture in the Venice Lagoon. We talk to Matteo Bisol about their island vineyards and making Dorona

Matteo Bisol of Venissa on making wine in Venice

Fighting the tide: Venissa’s quest to save Venice’s vineyards

Albiera Antinori is the first woman to take the helm of the Antinori empire. And “empire” isn’t an exaggeration for a dynasty that rose to prominence in the late 13th century, making its fortune in the silk trade, and later banking. The family has been making wine since at least 1385, when Giovanni di Pietro Antinori registered with the winemakers’ guild in Florence. To put that in perspective, that was before the Gutenberg bible was printed, before the fall of Constantinople, before Christopher Columbus set sail for the Americas.   Now, over six centuries later, Marchesi Antinori owns almost 3,000 hectares of vines across 21 estates (plus additional land that is dedicated to forest, olive groves etc) spread across the globe, and is among the oldest family businesses in the world (sitting at number 10 globally). Once part of Italy’s aristocratic elite, the Medici family line may have faded into extinction, but the Antinoris – like the Ricasolis – still hold significant sway.  Looking at Albiera Antinori on my screen, however, it’s hard to tie this pedigree to the woman in front of me. Now aged 58, she – along with her two sisters – represents the 26th generation of the family. Olive-skinned, relaxed and with a gentle smile, she props her glasses back on her head once the inevitable technical issues are resolved, settling back into her chair for our Zoom call. She may be one of the most powerful figures in Italian wine, but you wouldn’t know it.   Harvest is just getting underway as we sit down to talk about her family and its legacy – a time that she remembers fondly as a child. She grew up in Florence, but spent weekends and holidays in Bolgheri or at Tenuta Tignanello in Chianti – and wine was simply part of life. Some of her earliest memories are of the harvest and sipping wine (diluted with a drop of water) over dinner at Tignanello, gathered around the table with her grandfather, Niccolò Antinori, and the rest of the family.  It was when Albiera finished school that wine moved into the foreground. She didn’t yet know what she wanted to do and – with harvest at Castello della Sala was set to start in a few weeks’ time – her father, Piero Antinori, suggested she work there, that way she’d at least be earning some money while she figured things out. “From then on, it’s been a kind of snowball,” she says, smiling. Once the fruit was in, the wines needed making, there were vineyards to be managed and planted, and soon she was travelling, telling the world about the wines her family made. She had fallen down the rabbit hole.  Has she ever wondered about the path not taken? No, is the short answer, she tells me – and she’s been able to combine her other passions with work for Antinori. Take architecture: she has overseen the construction of 12 wineries during her tenure, working closely with the team to develop the perfect building for each.   She officially took the reins of the business in 2017 – but, as the eldest, she almost fell into the role of CEO. She may be at the top of the figurative tree, but it’s a family business through and through. She works closely with her sisters, both of whom are Vice Presidents (Alessia oversees the winemaking and Allegra manages the company’s various restaurants). Their father Piero – now approaching 90 – is still in the office every day too.   The Antinori name has long been associated with boundary-pushing. Albiera’s grandfather Niccolò was one of the first to stir things up in Chianti. In 1924, he put Bordeaux varieties in the family’s Villa Antinori Chianti – a scandalous act at the time. Niccolò’s brother-in-law was Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, who planted Cabernet Sauvignon on his wife’s Tenuta San Guido estate in 1944. The wine was made for family and friends at first, but when Piero Antinori (Niccolò’s son and Albiera’s father) took over running the family business in 1966, he saw the potential. Giacomo Tachis, the Antinori winemaker, started making the wine and ageing it in new French oak. By 1971, Piero had persuaded his uncle to release the 1968 vintage commercially: Sassicaia – and the Super Tuscan movement – was born. It wasn’t long before Piero followed with his own offering, releasing the first vintage (1971) of Tignanello – a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet from their eponymous estate in Chianti Classico – in 1978. Solaia soon followed (first made in 1978).  “The equilibrium between innovation and tradition is always something very delicate,” says Albiera. The family’s revolutionary spirit lives on, but she’s aware that their history, legacy and tradition is “a real asset” – one that shouldn’t be overlooked in today’s global wine market. While once they had to force the world to acknowledge the quality of Italian wine, now their focus on celebrating local varieties and creating wines that are true to their terroir. That remains true across their estates – no longer just in Tuscany, but from Puglia to Piedmont, as well as beyond – with properties in Chile and California (including Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars). At its core, however, their philosophy can be summed up in one word, she says: quality.  The next generation is already on board, with Albiera’s children Vittorio and Verdiana working alongside her. Their journey was totally different – going to university, taking master’s degrees and gaining experience at wineries around the world – a more conscious step into the family business. There was, however, no denying their fate.  Being an Antinori, Albiera says, “means a responsibility towards the people that work with us, towards the history that we have, and towards the land that we farm… a solid and constant commitment to doing things well, to doing things with intelligence, to do things that are long-lasting”. After six centuries in the business and a portfolio of estates around the world, that responsibility continues to grow – but it’s a duty the Antinoris seem uniquely suited to handling.  The new vintage of Solaia (2022) is now available  Explore all current Antinori listings or read more Editorial 

The Antinoris are one of Italy’s most famous families. As the new vintage of Solaia is released, we caught up with Albiera Antinori – the 26th-generation CEO and President of her family firm

Sitting down with Albiera Antinori – CEO of Marchesi Antinori, company that created Super Tuscan Tignanello to find out more about their wine dynasty 

Talking to Albiera Antinori about the family’s wine empire 

The Antinori empire 

For a long time, Tuscany was known merely for its squat jugs of rustic Chianti, almost inevitably in quaint straw baskets; thin, insipid wines that are a shadow of what the region has proven it can produce today.  While Chianti had once been known for making fine wine – having been the first region to have geographical limits defined for wine production back in the 18th century – its reputation had, by the mid-1900s, been ruined. The area for production had been expanded in the 1930s, far beyond the historic heart of the region, encompassing lesser vineyards. The appellation rules encouraged producers to favour quantity over quality, with yields as high as 85hl/ha allowed, and specifying that red blends had to include a minimum 10% (and up to 30%) white grapes, with as little as 50% Sangiovese. Winemakers took advantage of high-yielding Trebbiano to bulk out the once-famous wines.  But one man changed all that. Enter Mario Incisa della Rochetta, a man who had been brought up tasting Claret with his grandfather. In 1944 – missing the taste of Bordeaux and inspired by the good wines his friend Duke Francesco Salviati was making near Pisa – he decided to plant a vineyard on his wife’s Tenuta San Guido estate in Bolgheri, on Tuscany’s coast, two hours west of Siena.   Identifying a stony site that sat at over 1,000 feet above sea-level, he took Cabernet cuttings from Salviati, and planted his first vines. The resulting wine was consumed only by family and friends, seen as overly green by the locals. But Incisa della Rochetta was encouraged by the results, and decided to plant more vines lower down the slope, and closer to the sea, in 1965.  His nephew Piero Antinori – who had recently taken over the family business – realised the potential of the wine, and the Antinori winemaker Giacomo Tachis started making the wine. Influenced by time in Bordeaux, Giacomo filled the cellar with new French barriques – small barrels that were a radical move away from Italy’s traditional large, old casks made with Slavonian oak. In 1971, Piero convinced Mario to release the 1968 vintage commercially and a star was born: Sassicaia.  Being 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in new French oak and from Bolgheri – a region that at the time didn’t have a DOC – Sassicaia was labelled with the lowest official classification for Italian wine, “vino da tavola” or table wine. It rapidly won praise from critics and consumers, commanding a serious price that was at odds with its lowly classification. Where Sassicaia led, others followed. In 1978 Piero Antinori released the first vintage (1971) of Tigananello – a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet grown in the heart of Chianti Classico. Bordeaux authority Emile Peynaud advised on the project, suggesting that the appellation’s stipulated white grapes were abandoned and that it be aged in new French oak. Falling outside Chianti’s rules, it too was sold as a vino da tavola.  Piermario Meletti Cavallari founded Grattamacco in 1977, and was the first to feature Bolgheri on the label, featuring this then little-known region in larger font than even the wine’s name itself. Piero Antinori’s brother Lodovico established Tenuta dell’ Ornellaia in 1981, planting Cabernet and Merlot. A flight of Chianti producers followed suit – ripping up the appellation’s rulebook to make cuvées with international grapes like Cabernet, using 100% Sangiovese, and/or French oak: Le Pergole Torte, Flaccianello, Cepparello, Percarlo, Fontalloro and more all pushed the boundaries of what was possible in Tuscany – but didn’t (and couldn’t) bear the region’s name on their labels. These wines – the “Super Tuscans”, as they became known – were soon being recognised the world over. In 1978 Hugh Johnson organised a blind tasting of the world’s best Cabernets for Decanter. Pitted alongside the First Growths, it was Sassicaia that came out on top. The 1985 vintage of Sassicaia became legendary when Robert Parker – who had just risen to fame – gave it 100 points. In 2001, 1998 Ornellaia was named Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year. These wines were putting two fingers up to Italy’s appellation system as they sold for the same price as Grands Crus Classés, despite their vino da tavola status.  In a bid to stem the tide of these ultra-premium table wines, the Italian authorities started to make changes. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Chianti amended its appellation rules to try and reclaim the wines, allowing more variation in the winemaking, with no white grapes required and allowing 100% Sangiovese wines. But the damage was done, with the Super Tuscans already established as their own brand. Few returned to the fold to use the Chianti name on their label – a region that producers felt didn’t, then or now, have a reputation that aligned with the quality of these world-class wines.   The likes of Sassicaia, Tignanello and Ornellaia drew the international wine market’s eye to Italy. Bold, big, rich wines that won critics points, the Super Tuscans arguably turned the tide for the nation, garnering praise – and proving that Italy’s wines could compete on the world stage. Today, critics and consumers are looking beyond these iconic names to explore Italy’s extraordinary viticultural heritage, with the terroir-driven styles of Barolo, Barbaresco, Montalcino, Etna and more starting to find the spotlight. But Tuscany’s rebellious streak continues, with a new wave of producers – such as Bibi Graetz – producing wines that are bottled defiantly as IGT Toscana. While there’s plenty more competition, the Super Tuscans remain some of the country’s finest and most collectable wines. The Super Tuscans you need to know While there’s no set definition for a Super Tuscan, and there are many that could take the title, here’s our pick of the most famous wines. Sassicaia: The first Super Tuscan, made by Tenuta San Guido, in Bolgheri; it’s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (85%) and Cabernet Franc (15%), and is the only single estate in the whole of Italy to have its own DOC, Bolgheri-Sassicaia. Tignanello: A rival to Sassicaia in terms of fame, and also put under the sporlight by Piero Antinori, Tignanello comes from Chianti. It was the first to blend Sangiovese with Cabernet. Solaia: Tignanello’s sibling, Solaia is the reverse in blend – with Cabernet taking the lead, complemented by a smaller proportion of Sangiovese. Ornellaia: Created by Piero Antinori’s brother Lodovico, with advice from André Tchelistcheff, it’s a Cabernet-led Bordeaux blend. The property has changed hands over the years and is now owned by the Frescobaldi family. Masseto: The other wine created by Lodovico Antinori: although planning originally to work just with Cabernet, Tchelistcheff identified the hill of Masseto as ideal for Merlot. The fruit from this site was bottled separately as a pure Merlot for the first time in 1986 (although the 1987 was the first vintage released), and today Masseto operates separately from the Ornellaia estate, having its own winery and identity. Grattamacco: Another of the earliest Super Tuscans, this is Cabernet blended with Sangiovese. Piermario Meletti Cavallari purchased an abandoned vineyard in 1977 which was all Sangiovese, but he later grafted over with Cabernet. He was one of the first producers to feature Bolgheri on the label of his wine. Montevertine Le Pergole Torte: This was one of the earliest expressions of pure Sangiovese from Chianti, aged in French and Slavonian oak. The first vintage of this was 1977, a blend of fruit from the estate’s best vineyards. Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve: The first vintage of Flaccianello was 1981. Originally a single-vineyard expression, since 2001 it’s been a blend of the best grapes from the estate, but remains 100% Sangiovese, classified as Colli Toscana Centrale. The proportion of new oak has been toned down, and a portion of the wine goes into amphora. Isole e Olena Cepparello: This pure Sangiovese was first made in 1980, and today only sees around a third new oak, with a small proportion of American oak. It’s notable that it is bottled both under screwcap and cork, with Paolo di Marchi a strong believer in the benefits of screwcap. San Giusto a Rentennano Percarlo: First made in 1983, this 100% Sangiovese comes from the estate’s best vineyards. Fèlsina Fontalloro: Made with vines falling in Chianti Classico and Chianti Colli Senesi, this pure Sangiovese was first made in 1983. Castello di Ama L’Apparita: Narrowly beating Masseto to be the first 100% Merlot made in Tuscany (with the first vintage 1985), the 1987 vintage of L’Apparita famously beat Pétrus, Le Pin and several other Merlots in a blind tasting which was judged by a panel including Michel Rolland in 1992. Querciabella Camartina: First made in 1981, this was originally a blend of mainly Sangiovese with Cabernet in support, but the blend has reversed over time. Bibi Graetz Testamatta & Colore: Bibi’s top wines are elegant expressions of Tuscany’s indigenous grapes, sourced from old vines at high altitudes. Testamatta is pure Sangiovese, while the flagship Colore is Sangiovese with a touch of Colorino. Explore all Tuscan wines or discover more Editorial

Sassicaia, Tignanello, Ornellaia: these fabled Super Tuscans are some of the world’s most desirable wines – kickstarting Italy’s fine wine renaissance, re-defining its reputation and proving what was possible. But how did these lowly table wines rise to the top of the fine wine ranks?

Exploring how the fabled Super Tuscans Sassicaia, Tignanello and Ornellaia have re-defined Italian wine's reputation.

Learn more about Super Tuscan wines

The Super Tuscans: everything you need to know

“C’est quoi, traditionnel, aujourd’hui?” Marion Raphet half-jokes as we talk about the 2019 vintage, tasting her family’s bottlings at Domaine Gérard Raphet. Since 2011, it feels like Burgundy’s vignerons have been on a rollercoaster: with hail (2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016), heatwaves (2018, 2012), frost (2016 and 2017 for Chablis) and even the influx of Drosophila suzukii – an Asian fruit fly – after a particularly mild winter (2014). While global warming is nothing new to farmers – in Burgundy or elsewhere, 2019 feels like it marks a shift, with the threat of climate change suddenly all the more tangible. The year was full of extremes, from an unusual hard frost in April to a hot, dry season that really challenged vines – and growers. But in a region where tradition reigns supreme, where the way in which producers farm their vines and make their wines is passed down from generation to generation, evolution is now imperative – and, as Mickaël Haratyk of Domaine Joblot lamented, “Some producers don’t change.”  Harvest dates have gradually been creeping back, and – as Frédéric Weber at Bouchard explained – “It’s more and more difficult to pick a good date.” In 2020, Burgundy saw some of the earliest harvest dates on record – often extremely similar to those of 2003. Joseph Colin pointed out, however, that August harvests aren’t new – in 1553 producers started picking in Meursault on 14th August. He argues that the region has always had periods of warm weather that lasted 20 to 30 years; it’s a cycle. The question, however, is how long the cycle lasts – and whether growers or the vines can make great wine with fruit that is picked on 1st August. Haratyk echoed this sentiment, noting that harvests today are a month earlier than 25 years ago; with that pace of climate change, it’s hard to imagine what things will be like in another 25 years’ time.  The focus for growers used to be on getting enough sugar ripeness, with chaptalisation almost rote in decades of yore, but now it’s about retaining balance in the wines. The decision of when to pick is driven by acidity levels, to retain the essential freshness and elegance that defines fine Burgundy as we know it. At Joblot, there was a time when 11.5% potential alcohol equated to fruit that was ready for picking; now it is naturally never less than 14%. They know they’ll have the necessary sugars and maturity (with phenolic ripeness achieved easily), the challenge is to make sure nature’s generosity is off-set by the requisite acidity. But what else are the region’s vignerons doing to adapt to a new, warmer Burgundy? In the vineyard, producers can look at how they manage between the rows: ploughing is increasingly avoided, as it releases valuable moisture from the soils. The use of cover crops is another consideration; while they can help avoid erosion and preserve top soil on slopes, they also present a rival for precious nutrients and water. Growers can delay pruning, which in turn can delay budburst, helping to limit the impact of frost on the vines. Something that many producers emphasise is the importance of a thicker, taller and leafier canopy. While once vines would have been trimmed neatly, and leaves stripped to allow the sun to reach the grapes and aid ripening, today producers are limiting this work, wanting to shield grapes from the heat and limit their exposure. Charles van Canneyt, for example, still trims his vines, but lets them grow higher than he used to, and doesn’t leaf-strip at all. At Joblot, they work with a thicker canopy these days, and let the lateral shoots – that previously they’d have trimmed – grow freely. However, a thicker canopy brings its own potential problems, as Philippe Jouan noted, explaining that oidium (powdery mildew) is now the biggest issue in the vineyard. A thicker canopy means less airflow, creating a more humid environment within the canopy and therefore disease pressure. Many producers believe that mature vines are key – their deeper root systems able to reach water reserves, and with age are thought to gain a natural stability, enabling them to withstand more extreme temperatures. Marion Raphet (Domaine Gérard Raphet) explained how her old vines were so much more resistant to the rising temperatures; noting that even in a year as hot as 2020, the old vines were still green when we visited in mid-October. But some producers have seen old vines struggle in the dry conditions of 2019 and 2020. Benoît Stelhy at Georges Lignier, a proud proponent of permanent grass grown between his vines, saw his old vines seriously impacted by water stress, with the resulting yields so unviably low that they have made him seriously question the way he is working. He is now wondering if perhaps having intra-row grass cover is more important in young vineyards, where their natural vigour needs to be countered by competition. In the winery, there are plenty of benefits to the riper fruit: there’s no need for chaptalisation, and it is in general easier to extract colour, tannin and flavour. However, that same ripeness and the associated lower acidity levels, can pose problems. As Chantal Tortochot explained this year, above 13% alcohol, natural yeasts can struggle – meaning that we may see more commercial yeast (which can guarantee wines ferment to dryness) in use.  The higher pH of these musts also increases the risks of bacterial spoilage, hence producers need to be particularly careful handling them – with hygiene, temperature control and/or the careful use of sulphur of increasing importance. Benoît Stelhy described how he is trying to recreate the cold of yesteryear’s winters; he cools his wines before putting them into barrel, therefore delaying the onset of malolactic fermentation (as the region’s cool temperatures would naturally have done after an October harvest). By doing so, he can avoid adding sulphites at this stage, feeling the wines can therefore benefit more from micro-oxygenation in barrel, before malolactic fermentation takes place when the wines naturally warm up in the spring. But these measures will only work in the short-term; as the region warms further, producers need to start looking further ahead. Re-planting vineyards with rootstocks better suited to today’s climate is likely to be necessary (not to mention considering other issues posed by current rootstock selections). “The vines that are in their prime today,” William Kelley explains, “were planted with a view to early ripening in a marginal climate; in much warmer conditions, the choices of rootstock and vine genetics made in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s – even by producers aspiring to high quality – are close to the opposite of what’s required today.” Such a shift, of course, takes time – with the need to leave vineyards fallow between re-planting for several years, and a minimum three-year wait for vines to produce fruit, or longer for fruit of serious quality. Experimental plantings of Syrah and Malbec in the region feel a little ahead of the curve, but there will certainly be a need to adapt clonal selections. The rise in the popularity of Aligoté – frost-resistant, early-ripening and high-acid – is no coincidence, and some suggest that it could be a solution for retaining freshness in the region’s whites. Small percentages of Aligoté and Pinot Blanc were once planted amongst the Chardonnay in even the grandest of Crus, and it’s something William Kelley would like to see make a comeback, feeling it “would help white Burgundies retain the tension and acidity we prize so highly”. As the mercury rises, we’re already seeing a shift in the sites that thrive. Until now, many of the sites considered the “best” are mid-slope with good exposure and drainage, basking in the sun, often with relatively little topsoil; increasingly this simply isn’t what is needed in the climate. “The big winners are places such as the Hautes-Côtes,” Kelley explains, “which are today enjoying a climate that’s very similar to what the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits experienced in the 1990s.” Gros Frère & Soeur has even planted a plot of Pinot Noir at the very top of the Côte, beyond the limits of the Burgundy appellation, at altitudes that would once have been impossible.  Plots that were once unviable now are, and sites previously deemed “lesser” for their cool, marginal temperatures are being favoured. Similarly, sites with deeper, more clay-rich soils, with greater waterholding capacity, are becoming more desirable with drier conditions. As Benoît Stelhy noted in 2019 and 2020, Clos Saint-Denis with its poor soils struggled more than, say, Clos de la Roche. Alvina Pernot noted that two of her parcels either on the edge of or in the middle of forested areas (Meursault Premier Cru La Pièce sous le Bois and Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Clos de la Garenne) are shielded from the sun, preserving acidity and freshness in the wines. The long-term viability of some sites, however, is hanging in the balance. Producers are increasingly aware of the threat that climate change poses. As Charles van Canneyt explained, at the moment they are only seeing the benefits – with riper fruit and more concentrated musts – but they’ll need to learn how to handle, and battle, the negatives too. While the future might be uncertain, producers are slowly but surely adapting. As Benoît Stelhy noted when discussing the benefits of organics, it’ll do for now – but does it give an answer for tomorrow? “We have to go further,” he said, a sense of urgency in his voice. It’s a call to arms, and one that producers will have to follow. For now at least, the wines are arguably better than ever; let’s hope that will long be the case.  Browse all Burgundy or explore more Editorial 

The 2020 vintage was the third in a trio of hot years for Burgundy, the region’s producers fast becoming used to what is the new norm. Here Sophie Thorpe looks at how global warming is impacting the Côte d ’Or and what the region’s vignerons are doing to cope with their shifting climate

Exploring how global warming is impacting Burgundian winemaking in Côte d ’Or and what the region’s vignerons are doing to cope with their shifting climate

Dealing with climate change in Burgundy vineyards

Adapt or die: dealing with climate change in Burgundy

As we’ve already discussed in our pieces on Chablis and the whites of the Côte de Beaune, 2019 in Burgundy is a remarkable vintage – shaped by an unusual growing season. After a week of tasting the length and breadth of the region, low yields and high quality are the headlines: frost and bad weather at flowering led to coulure and millerandage, essentially fewer and smaller berries per bunch. This in itself leads to more concentrated fruit, but it’s the warm, dry conditions that were really key. As water evaporated from the berries in these conditions, everything was concentrated – acidity, sugar and flavour.  The resulting reds are both intense and fresh – the fruit pristine and perfectly ripe, without straying into jammy. The tannins are supple, soft and seamless – so much so that, even at this youthful stage, the wines are a joy to taste; a tannic structure that Frédéric Barnier (Louis Jadot) said is almost more reminiscent of Gamay or Oregon Pinot, and rather atypical for red Burgundy. But don’t let this approachability fool you – the structure is there, just stylishly disguised, and there’s everything the wines need for a long life in the cellar. Thanks to the “solaire” growing season, the grapes had high natural sugar levels, meaning correspondingly high alcohols – tending to sit between 13.5 and 14.5%, increasing as you move up the quality ladder. But, despite this, the alcohol didn’t stand out anywhere; it’s balanced effortlessly by the wines’ equally high concentration and acidity. Each village shows  slightly sunnier profile, the tannins shaking off any rusticity, the fruit tending to be a little more generous – but without losing a sense of place. The wonderful acidity that runs through the wines makes them deliciously moreish – a sappy salinity filling the finish and making your mouth water; they are classically “digeste” or “gourmand”. It’s almost impossible to compare as a vintage. For us, the wines truly taste unique – unlike any other vintage we’ve tasted en primeur, with the balance of freshness and ripe fruit really separating it from its peers. Most producers were unwilling or unable to draw comparisons – as Frédéric Barnier explained, it’s hard to find a vintage with the same colour, richness and balance. He briefly considered the 2015s, but feels the 2019s are much more approachable. Marion Raphet modestly described the vintage as more “agréable” than 2018. Olivier Bernstein feels the 2019s are the best wines he has ever made, while at Domaine Joblot, Mickaël Haratyk described the 2019s as “absolutely gorgeous”, but couldn’t find a comparable year. The consensus is that they’re a step up from 2018 – much more classically styled and terroir-expressive. There’s a rare balance at play, offering more freshness than 2018 and more balance than 2015.  Everyone agreed however, as Frédéric Weber of Bouchard Père & Fils said, 2019 is “a huge vintage for the future”. For him, it is a little bit like a cross between 2015 and 2017 – with the concentration, roundness and “sucrosité” of 2015, and the delicate aromatics of 2017; but it also reminds him more and more of 1947 – a superb vintage, he told us, that had similarly high alcohols but amazing purity of aroma (and, as an indication of the wines’ ageability, it’s still drinking beautifully now). For Philippe Jouan, the vintage’s hallmark is the amazing consistency found along the Côte, as well the purity of fruit found in the wines. From our tastings, we couldn’t agree more when it comes to consistency: while yields vary, the high quality is a thread that runs through the entire region. Sadly there simply isn’t much of the wines – with producers down by as much as 50%. In general, it’s the Bourgogne and village wines that were hit the hardest in terms of volumes, and mostly yields seemed to be lower the further south we tasted. The result? It’ll be harder than normal to get your hands on these fantastic wines.  Read our full report on Burgundy 2019 or browse more Editorial 

As 2019 white Burgundy revealed, the vintage is rapidly proving to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. Here Sophie Thorpe reports on the reds – wines of outstanding balance that have a long future ahead of them

Exploring the Burgundy 2019 red wines that are ripe yet balanced and have a long future ahead of them

Burgundy 2019 red wine vintage assessment

Burgundy 2019: the reds

After a stint in the cellars of the Côte d’Or, talking and tasting about the 2022 vintage, Sophie Thorpe reports on the year – one that seems to be a blessing, both for producers and wine drinkers

After a stint in the cellars of the Côte d’Or, talking and tasting about Burgundy’s 2022 vintage, we report on the year and its wines

Burgundy 2022 vintage overview

Burgundy 2022: vintage overview

Bodegas Roda has always strived to be a modern force in Rioja – not dictated by tradition and the region’s strict requirements when it comes to ageing. The estate was founded as recently as 1987, by Mario Rotllánt Solá and Carmen Daurella de Aguilera, who enlisted the help of Rioja expert Agustín Santolaya. Since then it has quickly risen up the ranks and is today regarded as one of the region’s top producers.  From the start, their philosophy has been centred around sourcing the finest clones of Tempranillo. It has proven to be remarkably successful in producing very pure expressions of Rioja, not dominated by oak, but that also age beautifully. These wines are some of Spain’s most exciting, sitting amongst a cohort of producers dedicated to finding the true potential of the country’s indigenous grapes, with old vines and top terroirs. Only made in the best vintages, Cirsion is Bodegas Roda’s top wine – a wine that defies the notion that the best wines should see the longest oak maturation. On the contrary, Roda’s Cirsion sees the shortest time in oak of all its cuvées – just six to eight months, depending on the vintage. The wine was first made as an experiment in 1997, with just 3,000 bottles. The aim was to celebrate Tempranillo’s character by using fruit from only the oldest vines and best clones. Each vine would be individually assessed and picked at optimum ripeness. The result is a wine with seamless tannins and exceptional fruit purity. Cirsion’s appearance on the wine scene challenged the idea that highly concentrated Tempranillo required significant oak ageing to tame its astringent tannins. Roda proved that if the grapes are good enough, the fruit could shine without a cloaking of oak. Despite the shorter time in barrel, tasting through older vintages proves the wines’ ageability. Winemaker Agustín Santolaya remembers at the release of their first vintage that the critics found it so accessible they thought it wouldn’t age well. Tasting the 2004 today is proof they were wrong. The wine is still maturing, full of life and all the more complex for it, as the tertiary notes mingle with beautifully fresh fruit and fragrant heather notes. At the heart of the wine is a core of pristine fruit, something that is retained even with age. It is a wine of great purity and elegance. Tasting through older vintages of Cirsion shows how the balance and quality of fruit in a wine is essential, and sometimes more important than oak ageing, when it comes to producing red wines that will age effortlessly. Bodegas Roda wines 2004 Cirsion There is a real brightness to the 2004 and today it sits firmly in its drinking window, although the overall balance and concentration will see it hold here for some years yet. It has a really inviting nose of red aniseed and dark spice alongside more tertiary moss and forest floor notes. The fruit is on the darker black berry spectrum with vibrant acidity making it feel so lively on the palate. There is lovely volume and weight to the wine, the tannins now fully resolved and melded with the fruit. (100% Tempranillo, 14.5% alcohol) 2009 Cirsion A key principle of Cirsion’s philosophy is to show the imprint of the vintage, the wine made entirely from that vintage – not such a common practice in Rioja. This is abundantly clear when tasting the 2009 and 2010 side by side. As Santolaya admitted, the ‘09 is a lot more tannic and less resolved than both the ’10 and ’04 – likely, he believes, the result of water stress in what was a very warm and dry (Mediterranean) vintage. The ’09 is texturally layered with lots of lovely ripe fruit and still silken, but with a bitter twist on the finish. It is a less typical vintage for Cirsion and, versus the exceptional 2010, a little more ordinary, but still very good. (100% Tempranillo, 14.5% alcohol) 2010 Cirsion The 2010 today is still very youthful – but the balance is fantastic – the tannins are plentiful but silken, the wine full of energy, with mouth-watering acidity and a dense, coiled-spring-like tension to the palate. At 11 years of age, the tertiary flavours are only just beginning to show. It has years ahead of it and will be wonderful to taste with another five years in bottle. The 2010 really captures the Cirsion philosophy of fruit purity above all else. The 2010 has proved to be a great vintage for Roda all round. (100% Tempranillo, 14.5% alcohol) 2018 Cirsion The 2018 is the latest release and while its tannins are nicely ripe and resolute, tasting alongside the 2010, you feel Cirsion (despite its youthful approachability) really benefits from at least five to 10 years in bottle. Its puppy fat stage is still quite oak laden, but again, the refined tannins are impressive and rare to find in Tempranillo of this concentration and richness. It will no doubt blossom with more time in bottle. (90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano, 14.5% alcohol) Browse all Roda listings or read more Editorial

Bodegas Roda has always done things a bit differently in Rioja. Their prestige cuvée Cirsion is a perfect example, proving the top wines of the region don’t have to be dominated by oak

Exploring how top Rioja doesn't always have to be dominated by oak, with Bodegas Roda and the perfect example of their prestige cuvée Cirsion 

Finding Tempranillo’s true potential

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