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Burgundy
2006 Vintage Report
(The wines can be viewed using the menu on the left)
The Weather Well they had everything thrown at them this year! There is no overall picture in 2006 and generalising is difficult. For example rainfall in August in the Maconnais was nearly twice that of the Cotes de Nuits. As ever there was a vicious hail storm this time in Gevrey and Marsannay and so for once Volnay escaped! But Jean-Marie Fourrier explained that good management largely delaying and reducing deleafing and green harvest can all but offset hail damage. As ever the main damage done is a reduction of yield rather than quality. There were hot spells at key moments; in June for flowering in July for veraison and most crucially warm and dry conditions in September. Perhaps the outstanding memory of all growers was the drying northerly winds in the second half of September. These resulted in clean bunches and good phenolic ripeness. The biggest danger was a sudden drop in acidity and so the toughest problem was getting pickers in at the right time. So many pickers were delayed and so that when the time came they had gone elsewhere. It was crucial to bring fruit in between the 20th and 25th September (Cotes de Nuits) and it really showed if that was delayed even a couple of days. The Wines The ever philosophical Thierry Matrot compares the structure of 2006 to the excellent and unsung 1991 with the ripe fruit of a 1997 or 1999. Gerard Thomas in Saint Aubin found potential sugar often higher than in 2005. Though the whites show delicious fruit quality some acidities were on the low side some wines even showing a degree of maturity (i.e. lack of acids to preserve them) on the colour. So the quality of whites is very good though I found myself being even more selective and wouldn’t recommend many for the long term. Lovely to drink before the long lasting 2005s. Many red wine makers in the Cotes de Nuits compared fruit quality to the mighty 2002. In short I was inspired. My final tastings surpassed all expectations (granted I was trying wines I’d already marked out as the best examples). Fruit style is classic; bright red fruits with only hints of cassis or strong spice flavours. Finesse and elegance are the keywords. Tannins are ripe and acids only a shade below perfection. The progress towards perfection in grape growing more than feeling the need to ‘make’ the wine is astonishing. You will learn so much more from a walk in the vineyard than from a taste around the barrels. The Market The exchange rate is bad news but the good news is that plenty of these
growers are now up there with the most well known
without asking the highest
prices. Indeed I have said no to a couple as I just don’t feel they are
competing. Of course they have good markets elsewhere; I have never seen so
many pallets destined for How the offer works Prices are quoted per case of 12 (unless stated) in bond (i.e. duty free) at Octavian Corsham. Wines may be stored by us or transferred in bond. Most wines will be shipped in the spring or autumn of 2008 for onward delivery. When you choose to receive wines the duty (currently £16.02 per case) and V.A.T. on the total value (including duty) must be paid prior to delivery. Transfer under bond and delivery to the Most wines will be available in the autumn of 2008. Smaller wines may be shipped in spring 2008 and the Grand Crus may be later.
Where possible I have included tasting notes to give an indication of style. Bear in mind that wines have been tasted prior to bottling and in some cases before they have finished malolactic fermentation or been fined and/or filtered. More importantly I have tasted at least 10 wines for every wine chosen and most wines offered have been tried more than once between June 2007 and early January 2008. Drinking dates give an idea of when the wines will be ready. There are never fixed rules and wines should be enjoyed at as many stages of their life as possible. Most of the bigger wines though should certainly be left for a few years though there is often much to be gained from trying a bottle or two in the very early stages. I re-tasted some 2000s and there are Grand Crus that give much pleasure already. Many wines are made in very small quantities and so orders may be stacked for allocation at the end of February.
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