Inside Burgundy – Jasper Morris MW  Jasper Morris MW’s upbeat report assures the reader not to panic about the treacherous growing season that Burgundy endured in 2021: “The wines taste much better than the weather conditions might have suggested.” While wary of generalisations, he feels the whites (what little was made) were good to very good and readers should have no qualms in following them. While the natural comparison might be to 2016 – another vintage badly affected by frosts which produced two generations of grapes – those that survived the frost and the secondary buds – the 2021s avoid the sweet-and-sour profile of that year. He also particularly highlights the wines of Puligny-Montrachet, which has rediscovered a “beguiling and refined floral bouquet” in the year.   
Quality among the reds, he feels, is less consistent, with the Pinot Noirs from the Côte de Nuits better than those from the Côte de Beaune. He highlights Chambolle-Musigny and Volnay as appellations that “show the elegance and fragrance… that has perhaps been missing for the last few years”. While far from classical, he believes many of the reds are “rather lovely in a style which we have not seen in the last few years”, thanks to the vintage’s cooler conditions.   
He compares the reds to 2014, but less “raw” than some of the wines made in that vintage, while the whites remind him of 2013. He also suggests the vintage for both red and whites has many similarities to 2010 – a vintage that received modest reviews on release, but has, with maturity, turned out to be “rather fine”.   
For him, both colours, although especially the whites “are very clear reflections of their individual sites”, and “show the hierarchical order from generic up to Grand Cru very clearly”. While he doesn’t feel they will “develop into legendary long-lived wines”, nor will they “fall over quickly”. Generally it is a vintage that is “what the French call digeste” – “accessible, easy to drink”, but he urges readers to “take the time to search out the gems which have successfully avoided any pitfalls in their path and will emerge as truly beautiful wines”.  
Read Jasper Morris MW’s full report on Inside Burgundy (subscribers only) 


Vinous – Neal Martin 
Neal Martin offers, as ever, a long report, with his trademark satirical opening. His verdict is that 2021 is “indisputably one of the most fiendishly complex, byzantine seasons I can recall” and the wines are “shockingly good in the context of an appalling growing season that pushed many to the brink, physically and mentally”.  He runs through the growing season in detail, noting the various challenges producers faced and how they responded – something which he highlights varied significantly, making it “a season without consensus”. Despite these difficulties, he finds many of the wines “blooming delicious” – noting that “the causal relationship between the vagaries of a growing season and wine quality is not as strict. Seemingly awful vintages can be studded with vinous gems and walk-in-the-park seasons can disappoint.”  Given the lack of consensus, he emphasises the variability of the year, and the need to drill down into the specifics of how each estate, and vineyard, fared – and he has offered a profile on almost each producer he visited to provide his insight. He points to the fact, for example, that the Grands Crus aren’t necessarily the best wines from each estate – and this is reflected in his scores. As for the style of the wines, he finds that the whites “sometimes convey traits of warmer vintages with traces of tropical fruit that counterpoint the acidity”, and points to Chassagne-Montrachet as a stand-out village – in his view, “the most dynamic appellation in the Côte de Beaune”. The reds he declares “a sharp return to the vivid red fruit of cooler growing seasons” – with most “far removed from the black/blue-fruited 2019s and 2020s”. “There is greater underlying mineralité, tension, and vibrancy on the palate compared to recent vintages. Tannins, at best, are finely chiselled, and the finishes often contain plenty of sapidity.”  
Overall, however, he feels that “the 2021s will offer abundant short to mid-term drinking pleasure” and are “delicious early-drinking fare”, but “only a small number will age long-term”, some wines not having “the substance to last the course”. Despite that, he’s overall positive, although notes that the tiny volumes and rising prices pose challenges: “There are gems to find. It’s just that you might not be able to buy them, and if you can, you might have to remortgage the house.”  
Read Neal Martin’s full report, tasting notes and scores on Vinous  
 Burghound – Allen Meadows 
So far Allen Meadows has published his reports on the Chablis, Mâconnais and Chalonnaise, and reds from the Côte de Nuits. His in-depth report runs through the varying meteorological considerations across the entire length of Burgundy, including for example a catastrophic hailstorm in Pouilly-Fuissé. For the whites from the outer reaches of Burgundy, he says that, “despite all of the growing season trials and tribulations, surprisingly good, sometimes even excellent, whites were made”. There are, in his view, some “cool, pure and wonderfully transparent whites that are intense, overtly saline and well-balanced” – but he emphasises that this is not a consistent vintage and selection is important, with quality varying. He feels “it’s not an easy vintage to pigeonhole” – and compares some wines to 2001 or 2013 for their exoticism, some to 2014 or 2017 for their restraint and freshness. From the Chalonnaise, he particularly highlights the wines from Joblot and François Lumpp for reds that are “lovely: fresh, energetic, reasonably concentrated, transparent and balanced”. When it comes to the Côte de Nuits, “quality is highly, even frustratingly, variable”, but “2021 is the kind of vintage that I absolutely love”. It is, in Meadows’ view, “a burg geek’s vintage par excellence" – with terroir transparency at its heart, with wines that are “strikingly refreshing and tension filled”. Many will make for “delicious drinking early on, yet be capable of amply rewarding mid-term cellaring and in a few cases, they should be as long-lived as most collectors would reasonably want” – with the caveat that some, unfortunately, are not. He highlights how work in the vineyard was key, tactics in the winery varied and picking dates too – noting that generally those who picked later fared better, but (in a running theme for the vintage) that is “far from a hard and fast conclusion”. Although most are medium-bodied, he feels that some producers shied away from extraction – with the result that some wines don’t quite have sufficient mid-palate density. With the quality varying, it’s a year to focus on “producer first, second and third rather than the commune”, although the classification hierarchy is clearly reflected in the quality of the wine. This is, most importantly, a vintage that is the opposite to 2018, ’19 and ’20, and he feels the closest comparison for the reds is 2001, with a similar 10- to 20-year arc of ageing ahead of them.  There are some wines that are underripe or herbaceous, but: “The best wines are classic Burgundies in the best sense of that term. They have something of everything in terms of a tantalizing freshness as they are decidedly very pinot in character followed by a dazzling transparency on the palate. As I noted above, the sense of terroir is at the core of each wine, and when a palpable sense of energy is added, the wines are a joy to drink.” Read Allen Meadows’ full report, notes and scores on the Burghound site Decanter – Charles Curtis MW The headline of Charles Curtis MW’s report is that there are “some excellent wines, if you choose carefully”. The “antithesis of recent years”, he anticipates that those who are selective will “be delighted by the classic style of this vintage”, which has produced “crisp, concentrated” whites and – at their best – reds that are “perfumed, elegant and structured”. He emphasises how important the harvest date was, as well as sorting once the fruit was picked. Although he found significant variability in quality – “with liltingly charming wines alternating with less successful examples” – he is clear that “the best wines are definitely worth buying”. His wines of the vintage are Domaine des Comtes Lafon’s Montrachet and Armand Rousseau’s Chambertin-Clos de Bèze – wines that, sadly, few will be able to get their hands on.  Read Decanter’s full report, notes and scores Jancis Robinson MW Jancis Robinson MW’s site offers extensive coverage of the vintage mainly by Burgundy-based Matthew Hayes and herself, with extensive tasting notes. Jancis’s own report – based on tastings mainly in London and published in early January 2023 – vouched for the quality of the fruit at harvest, and how despite “a gruelling growing season”, with the results that she had so far tasted “delicious”.   Matthew Hayes doesn’t shy away from this being a “difficult” vintage, but “quality has been unexpectedly higher than received wisdom suggested”. Beyond the challenges of the growing season, Hayes highlights how the winemaking was handled differently almost everywhere, although generally people reduced extraction. He’s wary of giving the year “the kiss of death” by declaring the vintage “merely good”, but considers how there’s more to greatness than ageability. For him it is a vintage that “will appeal to real cognoscenti of Burgundian Pinot Noir, to the absolute devotees of fragrance, limpidity and soft, ethereal tannins – that gossamer touch that normally speaking should take decades to evolve”. The wines are earlier-drinking given how open they are – a relief in some senses that you needn’t feel too guilty of “infanticide”.   Read all Burgundy 2021 coverage on jancisrobinson.com Wine Advocate – William Kelley William Kelley’s greatly anticipated report is his longest to date. He feels that the complexities of 2021 and what he sees as a pivotal moment for the region deserved the extra word-count. He runs through the year’s conditions in detail, which we won’t regurgitate, although – contrary to our findings – he suggests the Premiers and Grands Crus were harder hit by the frost. Like us and others, he highlights that strategies in the winery varied significantly and generalisations are almost impossible. He considers what “a great red wine vintage” is in the era of modern Burgundy and climate change – and whether the 2021s’ openness will work against them. They are, he says, “supple, fleshy and perfumed, at their best uniting the concentration of low yields and surprisingly good phenolic maturity with the vibrant, perfumed profiles of a cooler vintage”, “broad, open and charming” and, in his view, “unlikely to shut down”. He compares the wines to 2017 or 2000, and expects they will at least age as long as the latter.  As for the whites, he finds them “classically proportioned, pure and fine-boned, albeit sometimes a little lean out of the gates”. The closest comparison for him is 2013, although without the exoticism sometimes found in that vintage. He highlights that the wines are developing texture and flesh during élevage and will show better from bottle than barrel. Of course, he cautions readers that they will need to “buy wisely”, but highlights that, even tasting over 1,000 wines, there were “very few failures” – with the year’s results far more positive than he expected from the difficult year. Indeed, he even declares them “some of the most charming young Burgundies [he has] tasted from barrel over the last 15 years” – but, he asks, “Are they too tasty to be great?” As for the market, he notes that “the 2021s will be expensive”, but this is tied to not just demand, but land prices in the region, as well as its archaic inheritance laws and significant taxes. The inevitable result of these factors is consolidation, and while once the nobility and Church held the keys to the land, now it’s billionaires and corporations – with the future of small, family-owned domaines in doubt. His final line is one filled with a sense of urgency: “Enjoy it while it lasts”. Read Kelley’s full report, notes and scores on the Wine Advocate 

Read more about Burgundy 2021, including our full report in the vintage 

The leading critics are offering their verdict on Burgundy’s 2021 vintage – a challenging but surprising season. Here we offer a crib-sheet to what they’re saying about the year so far

The leading Burgundy critics’ views on 2021– with a summary of what Neal Martin, Jasper Morris, Allen Meadows and William Kelley’s are saying

Burgundy 2021 – what the critics are saying

Burgundy 2021: the critcs’ verdict

The 2020 vintage is exceptional. Not only was it the earliest harvest on record, but the entire growing season – from start to finish – took place almost a month earlier than is typical. This meant véraison (the all-important ripening period of the grapes, when they change colour) took place in July and August as opposed to August and September.  This is significant because the angle of the sun is different, higher and therefore stronger, and the daytime hours longer, marking a fundamental shift in the annual lifecycle of the vine. It resulted in a contracted growing season and for many, lay the foundations of future vintages in a warming climate. For practically all producers, it was the earliest harvest ever. For many producers, all the grapes were in by the end of August. For the historic Bouchard estate, who have detailed records stretching back to 1731, 2020 was the earliest harvest in 300 years. Fortunately, this shift forward in the growing season didn’t seem to negatively impact quality – in fact, for many, it proved to be hugely beneficial. The Chardonnay, in particular, was largely unaffected by the shift both in terms of quantity and quality.  Pinot Noir suffered more with the drought, resulting in a drop in yield – quite drastically in some cases – but the quality, like the growing season, was exceptional, and for all the right reasons – the grapes reached full maturity, retaining lots of acidity, while also remaining very Burgundian in style. An early, hot spring kicked off the season, with the vines budding around a month earlier than normal (circa 14th April). Bouchard’s Frédéric Weber emphasised just how early and rare this is. The risk with an early season is frost: fortunately, unlike in 2021, the temperature didn’t drop too much, and there was little damage between budding and flowering. The warm weather continued and a mini heatwave in May affected some. At Domaine des Lambrays, Jacques Devauges blamed the heat for the coulure (poor fruit set, resulting in not all the flowers forming into grapes), which led to a significant drop in yields. Hudelot-Noëllat’s yields were also impacted by coulure and millerandage (resulting in fewer berries per bunch).  Pierre Duroché suffered similar issues in Gevrey-Chambertin, but for him this was not unusual. “My vines are so old, not every flower results in grapes but I am happy with this as it means there is no grape compaction on the bunches – keeping fruit intact,” he explained. With little frost or hail, the growing season is marked only by the lack of significant rain. Most of the Côte d’Or saw little to no rainfall during a warm but not excessively hot summer season. The dry conditions meant mildew and oidium were kept at bay, and there was very little disease pressure.  For many, the drought and heat saw the vines shut down for a period of time. Some believe this self-preservation effort is why the acidity levels remain high and the alcohol levels moderate, as the vines pressed pause on ripening, avoiding excessive sugar formation in the berries. Most of the wines are a full percentage less in alcohol compared to 2019, with reds averaging 13.5% and whites 13.2% at Bouchard, and acidity levels in the whites as high as the much-praised 2014s. For those whose vines could cope with the drought (and this varied drastically from vineyard to vineyard, rootstock to rootstock), the growing season was easy to manage – particularly when compared to the horror show of 2021, from which vignerons are still recovering. The drought in 2020, however, is significant for the yields of Pinot Noir. On the poorest soils – typically the most exposed Grand Cru sites, with minimal topsoil and therefore poor water retaining properties – the vines suffered excessive hydric stress.  On the Grands Crus of Clos Saint-Denis and Clos de la Roche, Domaine Georges Lignier’s Benoît Stehly watched helplessly as the leaves dropped off the vine mid-August, allowing the sunshine to burn his grapes. His production was almost halved on these exposed sites. (In fact, he produced more wine in 2021 than 2020.) Lignier seems to have suffered more than most producers we visited, although, on average, Pinot Noir yields were down by up to 40%. The northern wind in August was another significant factor, dehydrating the grapes, producing high levels of fruit and acid concentration, as well as thicker skins. The whites generally coped much better with the drought. Chardonnay clearly adapted to a drier season more easily, with yields for many at full capacity and the quality outstanding. For Guillaume Boillot at Henri Boillot, “C’est le top.” He describes the finished wines as “hyper-dynamic and balanced”. It was Boillot’s earliest harvest since 2003, beginning on 19th August, with all the grapes picked in nine days. They were not the only domaine to point out the similarities to 2014 when it comes to the freshness in the whites. While most picked the white wines in the third week of August, picking dates of the Pinot seemed to vary greatly and not only depending on location. The drought saw particular sites cope much better than others within the same appellation. More generally though, the Côte de Beaune Pinots were picked in August, whereas in the Côte de Nuits, vignerons either opted to pick before the rain in late August, or after.  Maxime Cheurlin at Domaine Georges Noëllat waited until the rains arrived on 28th August and picked as late as September 8th. Lamarche, Hudelot-Noëllat and Gros Frère & Soeur also waited. For Cheurlin, the rain helped completely change the phenolic character of the Pinot Noir – resulting in the finest wines he has ever made.  Like Cheurlin, Nicole Lamarche, in these drier vintages, has come to see the rain as her friend. With moderate alcohol levels from all but a few producers, it certainly wasn’t racing sugar levels that forced an early harvest for the Pinot. The 2020 vintage could mark the start of a more permanent shift in Burgundy’s growing season. If that’s the case, the results, for now, are encouraging. As Jacques Devauges of Domaine des Lambrays said at the end of our tasting: “If 2020 is the future of Burgundy, where do I sign?” Browse all available Burgundy

No two growing seasons are alike – but the 2020 vintage in Burgundy was particularly unusual (and also remarkably easy for its vignerons). We delve into the conditions that shaped the year’s wines

Exploring what made the 2020 Burgundy wine vintage so unique

The 2020 Burgundy growing season

Burgundy 2020: the growing season

“Good maturity, a nice freshness and lots of energy” Olivier Lamy, Domaine Hubert Lamy “Microscopic grapes each with very little juice but perfect balance” Guillaume Boillot, Domaine Henri Boillot These comments from some of the leading white winemakers in the Côte d’Or sum up our findings nicely. 2019 is a fantastic vintage for whites in the Côte de Beaune. The wines are both generous and exuberant, while retaining fantastic acidity and freshness. Despite the volume on the palate and, in some cases, warming alcohol (ranging from 13.5% to 14.5%), the Chardonnays predominantly retain a classic Burgundy flavour profile. It is not all pineapple and passion fruit, but lots of ripe apple, white peach and that acidity running through the palate keeps these lavish Chardonnays feeling fresh. So where does 2019 sit compared to other recent vintages of Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune?  Many believe it is not a vintage that can easily be compared. The combination of maturity and freshness for many is something not experienced before. The 2019 growing season, like 2018, was warm and dry. In fact many vignerons saw huge similarities in terms of temperature and rainfall (or lack of) between 2019 and the previous summer, with both considerably higher in sunshine hours and lower in rainfall than average. However, there were distinct differences that has made 2019 clearly a cut above its 2018 compatriots. Most obviously and particularly for the white wines of the Côte d’Or is an increase in both concentration and acidity, caused by drastically low yields and small berries (a result of a difficult flowering period during the spring). The generosity of the vintage is therefore unlike the more austere, citric vintages of 2011, and it does not have the linearity and focus of 2014. It is undoubtedly a warm vintage for the Côte de Beaune but it is clear that vignerons are getting a better handle on how to deal with the heat. Many were keen to make the point that these days they pick on acid levels rather than alcohol, and maybe that has helped them get the picking date right. Also notable in parts of the Côte de Beaune malic acid levels were very low in 2019 (typical for sunny vintages) and this where relevant certainly played a part in the wine’s composition. Low malic acid actually helps emphasise the freshness in the final wine, since the malic acid is converted to lactic acid during malolactic fermentation during élevage. The more lactic acid, the more the wines feel softer and creamier. The malolactic fermentation therefore had much less of an effect in the 2019 whites, the result being an accentuation of freshness that beautifully contrasts the generosity and richness of fruit. Despite being a warm year, it certainly hasn’t fallen into the trap of 2015, a similarly warm vintage where the aromas were distinctly tropical and the wines a little flabby – a result of picking too late. A term we heard used a lot when visiting the wineries was that 2019 was a “floral” year. There is undoubtedly an expressiveness of aromas for a grape that often can be a little shy on the nose. For Fiona Ragg at Mischief & Mayhem, despite the similarities to 2018, “It had nothing like the sunshine hours. And didn’t suffer from heat spikes either.” Etienne de Montille noted that while it was warm during the day, the nights were distinctly cooler than in 2018, helping the vines regenerate, preserve acidity and prolong ripening, allowing more complex aromatics to develop.  The dry weather kept disease at bay and a harvest around the second week of September under ideal conditions saw grapes brought in in perfect health. Was it these factors that helped retain such delicate florality to these “gourmand” wines? Many of the producers we spoke to believe that 2019 offers a certain degree of precision and delicacy which, at the height of a warm July, they were not expecting. The freshness in the wines is a welcome surprise for many. This is matched by a lovely pristine fruit clarity not dissimilar to 2017, but with much more concentration – and much more freshness than 2018.  An interesting comment from Jadot’s Frédéric Barnier when struggling to compare the vintages is that in the past, vintages as rich and concentrated as 2019 relied on a certain level of botrytis in the vineyards. But in 2019 there was no botrytis, this was just natural concentration caused by the small size of berries combined with the low yields. 
Qualitatively, there seems to be tremendous consistency across the appellations, but also across producers. If anything, what seemed most evident to me was producers who perhaps were a little disappointing in 2018 produced much better wines in 2019, and the top producers seemed to really excel. In this respect, the vintage stands head and shoulders above vintages such as 2016 and 2013, where selection was essential. Yes, there are some flamboyant examples and they are hugely enjoyable for it, even if they do push the classic concept of white Burgundy to the limit. The majority of the wines we tasted, however, remain much closer in flavour profile to the classic Côte de Beaune flavours of yellow apple and white peach, with a strong mineral salinity shining through on the limestone soils, and richer body and creaminess of the heavier clay soils. The wines behave as they should, reflecting their respective terroirs despite the added concentration and verve. The top wines eschew a beautiful fruit clarity and are delightfully expressive, with a lifted florality, avoiding the overt tropical notes which can bury what we know and love about white Burgundy in a warm vintage. The clarity of fruit, exuberant florality, concentration and freshness combined makes 2019 a very happy vintage. The lack of volume however remains the sting in the tail, with some producers down up to 50% on normal production levels due to a bout of frost (on the low-lying vineyards), poor flowering throughout the region and hydric stress affecting
the young Chardonnay vines. These episodes, however, have not diminished quality and, in some important ways, have helped define a unique and exciting vintage for Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune.  Explore Burgundy

Burgundy producers are just starting to release their 2019s – a vintage that offers amazing consistency and balance. After a week tasting in the Côte d’Or, Gavin Smith delves deeper into the whites of the Côte de Beaune, putting the vintage in context

Burgundy producers are just starting to release their 2019 wines – a vintage that offers amazing consistency and balance. 

2019 Burgundy white wine vintage report 

Bordeaux is incredibly varied – with hugely different styles of wine produced across its appellations. Here, we run through everything you really need to know about each of the main subregions – and the best estates in each  

Explore Bordeaux, subregions, their wines and top estates – in Saint-Estephe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux, Graves, Pessac-Leognan, Pomerol, Saint-Emilion 

Your guide to Bordeaux’s subregions, wines and top producers

Your guide to Bordeaux’s subregions   

Wine writer Tamlyn Currin is well known for her love of off-the-beaten track wines, in particular wines from Germany. FONDATA asked her to consider why it is that Riesling fans (of which she is most certainly one) are so much more zealous than fans of other grape varieties.

Examine Riesling's authenticity as a terroir ambassador and its varied styles. Dive into its global celebration and why it's cherished by enthusiasts. 


FONDATA: Exploring Riesling's popularity

Riesling, it’s a tribal thing

It was a small yellow aphid that disregarded national borders, wiping out the livelihood of every grape grower in its way and there was no known cure nor effective prevention in its first devastating years. Even when a cure was discovered, growers were reluctant – and often financially unable – to use it.  As a result, phylloxera vastatrix  – vastratix meaning ravager – continued to nibble on the roots of vines across western Europe, sucking the lifeblood from the vines and leaving wounds for any passing infection. By 1900, 2.5 million hectares of France's vineyard had been uprooted, causing production to slump, encouraging dodgy dealers to make fake wine, and leading to mass protests.  The story of phylloxera in Europe started as a well-intentioned gift. In 1862, an American grape grower sent some cuttings of native vines to his friend in the Rhône Valley who planted them, unaware of the damage it would inflict on his compatriots. Within a year, local growers were lamenting their sick vines. Phylloxera had wanderlust, sparing no French region; nor did it respect the country's finest terroirs or illustrious châteaux.  However, a concerted national response to the potential ruin of the country's national beverage was not forthcoming. The French government was too busy putting on International Exhibitions in Paris (1867), opening the Suez Canal (1869) and waging war on Prussia (1870-71). In 1870, the government acknowledged there might be an issue, offering a 20,000 Franc reward for a cure. Remedies were offered including burying living toads in the vineyard, adding volcanic ash from Pompeii to the soil or inviting a marching band to play to the vines. Unsurprisingly, the vines continued to die. In 1880, a solution was finally accepted: graft European varieties to the roots of American vines. However, grafting noble French varieties - vitis vinifera - to the roots of these lowly American varieties seemed like sacrilege to many growers. It was thought they would affect the nobility of their precious wines. There was also the issue of cost: uprooting your vineyard, replanting and then having to wait between three and five years for a crop did not feed a family and the concept of state aid was still a long way off.  As a result, many tried to limp on for as long as possible, injecting carbon bisulphide, an expensive and toxic solvent used to vulcanise rubber, into the soil to stave off the inevitable.  The producers in the south of France were the first to be hit in the 1860s and they replanted with high-yielding hybrids. By the turn of the century, the Languedoc was producing more wine than ever before. However, the region's unscrupulous merchants made up for the initial shortfall at peak phylloxera by bulking out grape juice with sugar and water while others made wines from raisins. These practices continued despite the replanted vineyards returning to full production, causing a huge oversupply and depressing prices.  Urged on by a growing labour movement, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in 1907 to call for change. The Champagne Riots of 1911 The Champenois followed suit, rioting in the streets in 1911 and the root of their troubles also lay with phylloxera.  In 1892, the Marne was invaded by its first phylloxera aphid and, by 1910, 40% of the region had been affected. But this was no time for production to fall: Champagne sales were booming and to make up for the shortfall, dodgy merchants (and some of the seemingly reputable houses) brought in wines from the Loire and the south of France by the train-load. The wines were made sparkling in their cellars and the bottles emerged, as if by magic, as Champagne. Supply and demand economics suggested that the growers should have been earning more for their fruit as phylloxera affected supply and sales boomed, but fake Champagne kept prices low. Having borne the cost of replanting their vineyards, this was not how growers imagined they would be rewarded and protests ensued.  While most vineyards in Champagne and beyond are now planted on American rootstocks, there are some vines and vineyard owners that play wine roulette and grow vitis vinifera on their own roots. For example, three plots belonging to Bollinger were planted in 1960 in the traditional pre-phylloxera way. One has succumbed to the vine louse but the remaining two parcels are the source of Vieilles Vignes Françaises, a rare Pinot Noir-based Champagne that provides a taste of a bygone era.  We asked Denis Bunner, Bollinger’s Deputy Cellar Master, about the Aÿ-based Champagne House's rarest wine, Vieilles Vignes Françaises, which is produced on its own roots.  Why did Bollinger begin producing Vieilles Vignes Françaises in 1969?  An English journalist Cyril Ray proposed the initiative to Madame Bollinger following a visit in 1967 and this inspired Madame Bollinger to create a wine from the precious vines to commemorate her 70th birthday, which saw the first bottle produced in 1969. The wine was launched in 1974. Are the vines pre-phylloxera? If so, they must be more than a century old. No, the current plots in Aÿ were planted in the 1960s but it is impossible to give an age to the vines due to the perpetual renewal and the way the root system grow [the system is called provignage, which is like vine fostering when there is an empty space to fill. Take a cane from one vine, train it down into the soil and partially bury it with the end sticking out until it forms a separate vine. This is also done in the Nacional vineyard at Quinta do Noval]. There were three plots that weren't grafted but there are now only two. What happened? third plot succumb to phylloxera?  The third plot in Croix Rouge de Bouzy was attacked by phylloxera at the end of the 1990s – the vineyard didn't have protective walls around it. The last vintage was 2004 as we had to uproot it when it fell prey to the infestation. How many acres do the two remaining plots cover?  The Clos Saint-Jacques (Aÿ) covers just over half an acre while the Clos des Chaudes-Terres, which lies within the boundaries of Bollinger’s own lands, covers a little over a third of an acre. In total, they represent 0.36 hectares. Is there anything special about the soil of these two plots that means it resists phylloxera?  The soil is not remarkably different from that in the rest of Aÿ and as per the rest of Champagne it features chalk. Is this special cuvee made every year?  No. Only in declared vintages. What is the average production of Vieilles Vignes Françaises?  This varies by vintage, but falls within the range of 2,000 to 3,000 bottles. A total of 2,420 numbered bottles of the 2009 Vieilles Vignes Françaises vintage were produced. Read more Editorial

Following the release of Bollinger’s latest vintage of Vieilles Vignes Françaises, we talk to Denis Bunner, Bollinger’s Deputy Cellar Master about the Aÿ-based Champagne house's rarest wine, as well as delving into the archives to explore the history of the fatal vine louse.

Phylloxera and Bollinger’s Vieilles Vignes Françaises on the wine grown from vines planted on its own roots and thus vulnerable to attack by the louse.

Phylloxera and winemaking

Phylloxera: a vine pandemic

Bordeaux is arguably the world’s most famous wine region – known for producing some of the finest wines in existence, with a long history stretching back to the Roman era. But the region is broadly divided in two – the Left and Right Bank. (Terms that you may also hear in reference to Paris, and – less frequently – Chablis.)  The region is defined by its waterways – a forked tongue that snakes southeast from the Atlantic. The Gironde estuary is fed by the Dordogne and Garonne rivers, with the Gironde flowing into the Atlantic. The south-eastern side of the Gironde and Garonne is the Left Bank, while the north-western side of the Gironde and Dordogne is the Right Bank. The section of land that sits between the fork of the Garonne and Dordogne is the intuitively named Entre-Deux-Mers (literally translating as “between two seas”), and is mostly home to more everyday, entry-level wine – although quality has certainly improved here with both climate change and technical advancements (such as Ch. Marjosse).  The Left and Right Banks, however, are where you’ll find Bordeaux’s most illustrious names. While both regions craft exceptional wines, they are extremely different in terms of terroir, the grapes grown, the estates themselves and how the wines are classified.  The Left Bank The Left Bank is the aristocratic and historic home of fine wine in Bordeaux, famous for the 1855 classification of the Médoc, a ranking of the top estates of the region which still stands today, including the fabled First Growths – Ch. Latour, Ch. Lafite Rothschild, Ch. Mouton Rothschild, Ch. Margaux and Ch. Haut-Brion.  It was Bordeaux’s ties to England that saw it rise to prominence – after Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry Plantagenet in 1152. With Bordeaux under English rule, favourable tax rates saw the industry thrive. But the Médoc was, at that point in time, a marshland not worthy of wine-growing – with the best wines coming from Graves estates like Ch. Haut-Brion (where vines have been grown since at least the early 15th century).  It was only in the mid-17th century that the Dutch drained the marshy Médoc, creating the well-drained gravel soils that are now a haven for Cabernet Sauvignon. It was after this that most of the region’s grandest properties were established.  The aforementioned 1855 classification cemented the Médoc’s place in history, with the wines of Sauternes and Barsac categorised at the same time. The wines of the Graves were classified in 1959, while the Left Bank is also home to the Cru Bourgeois and Cru Artisan classifications.  The Left Bank encompasses, from north to south: the Médoc (which includes the prestigious communes of Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux, as well as Listrac and Moulis), the Haut-Médoc, Pessac-Léognan and Graves, as well as Barsac and Sauternes. Although the area of course encompasses dry whites and sweets, stylistically “Left Bank” is used mainly in reference to the reds, which represent the vast majority of production.   The soils on this side of the Gironde are dominated by gravel, with the best sites sitting on deep gravels over clay subsoils. The vineyards are more spread out here, with patches of woodland and other agricultural land between the pockets of fine terroir, making distances and journey-times between estates longer. The gentle, barely undulating landscape masks significant differences in the soils, which determine the success of a site, with the mounds divided by streams known locally as “jalles”. Deeper gravel has historically been a significant advantage in the region’s maritime climate, avoiding water-logging and retaining heat that helps to ripen the grapes. Proximity to the Gironde and its moderating influence can also help shield vines from frosts, an increasing threat in the springtime.  Estates can be quite large on the Left Bank – for example, Ch. Cos d’Estournel comprises 100 hectares – allowing for higher production levels, which means the wines tend to be more widely available and can be found more easily on the secondary market, even at the highest quality level. The properties also tend to have picture-perfect châteaux, immaculate architectural displays of the wealth of the region.  Cabernet Sauvignon leads the way in terms of plantings, thriving in those warm gravel soils (and complemented by parcels of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, with some limited Malbec and Carménère). The variety produces small berries with thick skins, creating tannic, age-worthy reds.  The wine style varies between commune and estate, but generally speaking the wines of the Left Bank are dominated by graphite, cassis and blackcurrant leaf, full-bodied yet with a more linear structure that Cabernet Sauvignon provides. Historically the wines were austere in youth and needed time in the cellar, but wines today are made to be more approachable so that they have longer drinking windows. With age, the best wines develop beautiful complexity with notes of leather, cedar, tobacco and more.  The Right Bank The most famous wines of the Right Bank come from Saint-Emilion and Pomerol, however it is also home to: the Côtes de Blaye, Côtes de Bourg, Fronsac, Canon-Fronsac, Lalande-de-Pomerol, Côtes de Castillon, Côtes de Francs and the Saint-Emilion satellites – Lussac-Saint-Emilion, Montagne-Saint-Emilion, Saint-Georges-Saint-Emilion and Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion.  Although wine has long been made on the Right Bank, the wines – other than those of Ch. Cheval Blanc – were not known widely until relatively recently. The region’s modern history is tied to one man – the influential critic Robert Parker. He was one of the first to highlight the quality being produced at smaller Right Bank estates in the 1980s and 1990s, and put the wines on the international stage. His penchant for rich, ripe, concentrated styles prompted a wave of producers who did extensive green-harvesting, working with tiny yields, picking late, extracting heavily and ageing in new French oak, a style favoured by the far-reaching and famous consultant Michel Rolland.  Pomerol became home to the “garagistes”, after Jean-Luc Thunevin crafted his first vintage of Valandraud in his garage in 1991. These modern producers, who didn’t come with the land and smart châteaux found on the Left Bank, captured the imagination of consumers, and rapidly became highly sought-after.  Fashions have changed for the most part, and the wines produced today across the Right Bank are significantly more restrained – reflecting the general move toward freshness and aromatic finesse.   Of course, one reason that the wines of the Right Bank were less well-known was the smaller size of estates and therefore smaller volumes being produced – especially in Pomerol. Pétrus, for example, consists of 11.5 hectares, while Ch. Lafleur is a mere 4.5. In Saint-Emilion, Ch. Cheval Blanc and Angélus both have 39 hectares – a more generous vineyard area, but still relatively small in comparison to those in the Médoc. This means that the wines from the top estates are often strictly allocated and can be very hard to secure, with significantly less available on the secondary market.  The area feels very different to the Left Bank, with a more rolling landscape with more nooks and crannies, meaning you often can’t see what lies over the hill. The soils here are also significantly different, dominated by clay and limestone, with some sand and gravel. These soils stay cooler and retain more water, something that can be very helpful in hot, dry seasons (as in 2022). The finest wines come from the limestone plateau at the heart of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol plateau, with its pockets of rare blue clay. Limestone has an additional benefit of retaining freshness and acidity in the wines, with wines from limestone-dominant soils often having low pH.  Plantings are dominated by Merlot and Cabernet Franc (sometimes known locally as Bouchet), rather than Cabernet Sauvignon (which can struggle in the damp soils, although producers are planting a little more of the variety in response to climate change). Many wines from Pomerol are 100% Merlot (with estates such as Vieux Château Certan notable exceptions), while in Saint-Emilion the blends tend to include more Cabernet Franc. Merlot produces larger, thinner-skinned berries, and therefore Right Bank wines are generally softer, plusher, with a rounder texture, softer tannins, often floral with a redder fruit profile (cherry, plum), and can sometimes be exotic in perfume.   Unlike on the Left Bank, most of the wines are not classified formally, however Saint-Emilion introduced its own classification in the 1950s – one that has become a source of controversy.  Beyond Saint-Emilion and Pomerol, the other appellations can produce some fantastic wines, and – given the difficulty with buying additional land within these two illustrious areas – many of the Right Bank’s leading names have estates here (such as Ch. Lafleur’s Grand Village or Perrières, and LEglise-Clinet’s Montlandrie or Les Cruzelles). These can be a great source of value.  It’s worth noting that vintages are sometimes described as “Left Bank” or “Right Bank” years, and it is true that conditions can sometimes favour one side over the other, however the picture is often more complicated and results can vary according to individual estate, as well as commune.  Read more about Bordeaux or browse all Bordeaux listings 

Bordeaux is a fascinating and complex region. It is often divided in two – the Left and Right Bank. Here, we break down the differences between the two Banks – from terroir and grape varieties to the size of the estates and style of the wines

Talking about Bordeaux’s Left and Right Bank: exploring the differences between the regions, wines and estates on either side of the Gironde

Wines of Bordeaux’s Left Bank versus Right Bank

Bordeaux: the Left Bank versus the Right Bank

When it comes to whisky, the conversation has long been dominated by maturation – on how long the liquid spends slumbering in which cask, on how big the cask is and what it held before, whether a Sherry butt, wine barrique, first-fill Bourbon barrel or the fashionable mizunara. Recently, there’s been an increased focus on the base product, with producers such as Waterford’s Mark Reynier championing single-site, single-barley, terroir-driven whiskies (and rums, with his Renegade project). But, somehow, there’s a tendency to skip on by the magic that happens in between: distillation.  While grain whisky is column distilled, malt whisky is almost exclusively distilled in copper pot stills – indeed, it’s a legal requisite for Scotch whisky. Crafting these copper beauties is an art – and one that depends on a handful of specialists. Kentucky has Vendome, Germany has Kothe and CARL, Italy has Frilli and Scotland has Forsyths. The equipment these coppersmiths produce lays the foundation the DNA of its new-make.  To the untrained eye, these onion-shaped pieces of kit look almost identical, but the size and shape is distinct to each distillery – defining its style. As distilleries expand and increase production, they don’t buy a bigger still – but commission exact replicas of their existing still(s), with every dent and dimple carefully recreated. Macallan, famously, replaced all its stills when building its new state-of-the-art distillery in 2018, asking Forsyths to create 36 stills that were identical to those it had previously used.  Although there have been attempts to use other metals, copper has long been favoured for distilling – originally for its pliability, making it easy to work and shape. But by the early 20th century, it was apparent that copper had other benefits – stripping the spirit of impurities. As the vapour rises through the still, it reacts with the copper, capturing sulphur, cyanides, carbonates and acids, meaning the liquid that is eventually collected is purer. Coppersmiths play on this purifying effect to create a range of stills, for the longer the vapour spends in contact with the copper, the lighter the spirit you’ll produce. Take Glenmorangie’s tall, 17-feet-high stills which produce a very light spirit, and compare them to the small, squat stills and typically heavy spirit of the Macallan. Of course it’s not quite as simple as that. As well as the ratio of copper to liquid, the speed of distillation, the shape of the still, the size of the neck, the level of reflux, the angle of the lyne arm and venting of stills all have an impact.  Rothes-based Forsyths has been hammering copper into shape for Scotland’s leading distillers for over 150 years. Richard Forsyth OBE (who has now passed management of the business to his son, Richard Jr) was the third generation of his family to run the coppersmiths. The frank, self-effacing Scot remembers working in his father’s workshop aged 15, “I knew this is what I wanted to do… I found it fascinating.” And after 55 years, his eye still twinkles when he talks about the arch of a still’s swan neck, the art of wielding a planishing hammer and the characters that make the industry so interesting.   He joined the family business in 1967 – at what happened to be a pivotal moment for the industry. During the Second World War, the whisky business ground to a halt – and with it the need for stills. In the 1950s and ’60s, however, the industry grew rapidly – too rapidly, it turned out. What was a golden era turned into a whisky lake, with many distilleries soon mothballed. Forsyths – for whom 99% of its business was servicing the whisky industry – had to find something else to pay the bills, and it was up to Richard to find that something else. They branched out first into paper, then stainless steel and – by the late 1990s – oil and gas. Although coppersmithing remained the foundation and heart of the business, these other disciplines became the main money-makers until the early 2010s, when whisky’s current boomtime set in. Today, Forsyths maintains over half of the pot stills in Scotland. For a wash still (distilleries that double-distil have wash and spirits stills, first distilling the wash into “low wines” and then distilling the “low wines” into new-make spirit), the head, neck and condenser wears out in eight to 10 years, while the pot itself may last 25. Add to that developing new stills for the thriving industry – as well as their expansion into rum, Bourbon and tequila – and the company’s not short of work.   Although there is clear resistance to change with an industry that is entrenched in tradition, things have shifted, slowly but surely, over the years. And there have been two significant changes over the last century that have transformed the Scotch whisky world: the firing of stills and the nature of condensers.  When shell-and-tube condensers were invented in the 1880s, as an alternative to old-fashioned worm tubs, it took time for producers to be persuaded. Although shell-and-tube condensers are significantly more efficient and take up much less space, they are completely different – with the copper surface area at least 20 times larger, something which has a key impact on the spirit. To this day some producers (15 to be exact – including Craigellachie, Mortlach, Glen Elgin and Springbank, the latter only for their wash still) retain their worm tubs, valuing the heavier, richer, more complex (and in some instances, even meaty, savoury) spirit character.   Traditionally stills were direct-fired – heated by flames fed by peat, coal or gas. “It’s dirty, messy, difficult to handle – and to control,” Forsyth tells me. A push for safety and efficiency saw producers switch to using steam in the 1970s. But some argue that this shift wasn’t for the better. Fire created a less consistent heat, with hot spots that would burn the wash and promote Maillard reactions (the same reaction that takes place when you brown meat, or during the bottle-ageing of Champagne or other traditional-method sparkling wine) – adding nutty, roasted notes that build complexity, or so proponents would argue. Glenfarclas is known for having briefly dallied with steam before returning to direct-firing, along with the likes of Macallan, Glenfiddich and Springbank.  As the whiskies of this pre-modernisation era – Scotch’s so-called “golden age” – become increasingly coveted, distilleries (both new and old) are looking to recreate these practices. Along with traditional floor maltings, producers like Glen Garioch (owned by Suntory) and Dunphail are investing in direct-firing. (Although, with worm tubs no longer produced, new distilleries have little choice regarding shell-and-tube condensers.)  However they are fired, given their custom nature, copper pot stills don’t come cheap. Much of the work continues to be done by hand, hammering to strengthen and finish the copper. Stills can range from 5,000 to 50,000 litres in capacity, but an average 15,000-litre still and its condenser will require between 1,800 and 2,000 manhours, and set you back around £250,000. And that price has only increased recently, thanks to rising energy and material costs – with a copper shortage proving challenging for Forsyths, a business that is the UK’s second-biggest buyer of the metal.  With the distinct nature of stills and their impact on spirit, plenty of new producers will ask for copies of a particular distillery’s stills – wishing to emanate their style of spirit. Forsyth tells me how one Japanese customer requested a pair each of Macallan, Glenlivet and Glenrothes stills. While of course there are many problems with this imitation game, there’s also no guarantee – as Forsyth tells me – that the same equipment will have the same results, especially when not run with the same wash, in the same way, by the same people. And, of course, a company like Forsyths isn’t going to give away Macallan’s proprietary designs, for example. As such, they’ll recreate something similar, but ensure it’s tweaked so no two distilleries have exactly the same design.   But how much impact do stills really have on the final spirit? Despite his half-century in the trade, Forsyth is quick to suggest, “I don’t think a lowly coppersmith can talk too much about that.” He’s clear that you need good equipment to make good spirit, but it’s one factor in amongst everything else – the barley, water and fermentation times, for example. And how a still is used is as important as its shape or size, with both the speed of distillation and the all-important cuts – dividing the heart from the foreshots and feints. Forsyth firmly believes that good wood is “the single biggest effect in a bottle eight, 10 or 12 years later”. There’s little use having a good base spirit if it’s ruined by a decade in bad oak – but good oak also can’t salvage bad spirit.  Forsyth has seen it all during his 55 years in the whisky business – and has been forced to be as malleable as the metal his family has worked for generations to survive the booms and busts. Despite the challenges, the coppersmith is as enchanted by his trade as when he first picked up a hammer in his father’s workshop. The industry will doubtless continue to ebb and flow, but with a spirit that takes decades to produce, the pace of change is reassuringly gentle. “It almost goes as slow as the running of the spirit,” Forsyth says whimsically. The still room remains the beating heart of distilleries – the basis of a producer’s fingerprint, all thanks to the careful hammering of the artful coppersmith.  Browse all current Scotch whisky listings or read more about spirits  

There’s something romantic about the bulbous sheen of a copper pot still. These behemoths glimmer with the promise of fine spirit – but it’s rare that we talk about what happens within. Sophie Thorpe sat down with Richard Forsyth OBE of Scotland’s leading coppersmiths, Forsyths, to find out more 

Cult coppersmiths Forsyths on the art of crafting copper pot stills for the biggest names in Scotch whisky – and how they define a distillery’s spirit style

How copper pot stills define whisky styles

Copper craft: the art of the still

Burg Hornberg

Germany

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