You can never really know how well a particular wine region is doing until you can go and visit for yourself and taste the wines with the growers. Flint Wines’ director, Jason Haynes, likes what he sees of Burgundy’s 2016 vintage.
Flint’s Jason Haynes says the weather may have played havoc with Burgundy stocks but what there is to sell is of great quality of 2016 and potentially 2017
Walking through the vineyards of the Côte d’Or earlier this month I wasn’t just inspecting the quality of the healthy-looking bunches that were hanging from the vines but the number of them. Normally, this is not one’s greatest concern at this stage of the season, but such has been the run of small vintages since 2009 that just being able to harvest a commercial amount of fruit is absolute key for some domaines.
If the quality is good, too, then that will be a welcome bonus, but actually having some fruit to vinify is what matters right now.
2017: so far so good
Before some damaging hail on the evening of Monday July 10, when certain vineyards lost potentially up to 25% of their crop, it seemed like the gods were at last smiling on the vignerons as both the quality and quantity of the Burgundy harvest looked terrific. After the late April scares from frost when temperatures just stayed above -2 degrees and vineyards escaped by the skin of their teeth, Burgundy had enjoyed a sustained period of warm, sunny and dry weather. Flowering was quick and uniform and grapes looked clean, healthy and advanced.
Of course, there is still time for the vines to compensate for their losses to some degree but there is also still time for further hail to crush everybody’s hopes. But let’s be positive and hope that nature will be kind. With another six or seven weeks until harvest we all need to cross our fingers that the sun keeps shining and the storm clouds stay away.
2017, a crucial year for some…
Burgundy’s cellars have been depleted after a series of poor harvests
Some vignerons in the Côte de Beaune have lost the equivalent of three vintages in six since 2009 and this is clearly not sustainable. The appellations of Savigny and Beaune do not command the high prices of the grander parts of the Côte de Nuits and vignerons are not able to make up the financial shortfall with big price increases. Some domaines could be in real danger if 2017 is another tiny vintage.
Pricing issues
From an importer’s perspective the small vintages have obviously caused a few issues with pricing as growers have been forced to increase many prices. On top of a weak pound we are seeing many villages wines now move above the all important three figure bar on restaurant lists which will likely slow down sales.
But perhaps more importantly, there is now a real shortage of certain crucial wines that are mainstays of most classical wine lists. St Aubin and Chassagne-Montrachet are all in very short supply. Both appellations were hit massively by brutal frost in late spring 2016. Some producers lost as much as 90% of the former and 80% of the latter. Considering that there is very little white Burgundy from good growers left on the market already the fact that there will be virtually no supply to bolster stocks next year will be a nightmare. And, of course, the less we talk about Chablis in 2016 the better!
Lesser-known appellations to flourish
It’s time for areas such as the Maconnais to really come in to their own, says Haynes
But, whilst some appellations are suffering, so the door opens for others. Sommeliers will need to look to the likes of the Maconnais and the Chalonnais for alternatives and if they want to stay in the Côte d’Or then they must consider the often neglected appellations of St Romain and Auxey Duresses which both really flourished in 2014 and 2015.
This is their opportunity to show the wine world what they are capable of and do what St Aubin did in the late ‘90s and early naughties’. By the same token, the situation perhaps presents opportunities for new, younger growers to establish themselves, presuming they have some wine to sell!
About the 2016 pricing
In terms of pricing for 2016, this will be affected to some degree by how much wine is harvested this year. With cellars currently bare, growers will be happier to hold prices in the autumn and the new year if they bring in good volumes in September. If not, we could see significant price increases.
However, we did see some increases last year and the current crop of young winemakers realise that prices are already close to the limit that the market can sustain, so they will be reluctant to risk losing an important market like the UK.
High quality and constant dynamism in Burgundy
To finish on a positive note. The 2016s looks very promising indeed even if there is not much of them. Qualitatively, Burgundy has never been stronger and the wines that are still available and those about to come to market are exciting.
2015 whites have been under-rated and will surprise many to the up side as they age and there are new, exciting growers popping up all the time and helping to raise standards and bring energy and dynamism to the region.
Jason Haynes, director Flint Wines and Burgundy buyer: Jason Haynes has been in the wine trade for 25 years ever since he left university. He co-founded Flint Wines in 2006, using his existing Burgundian contacts to start constructing what has subsequently become regarded as one of the most dynamic and comprehensive Burgundy lists in the UK. He spends a substantial amount of time in Burgundy keeping his fingers on the pulse of this ever changing region, unearthing young talent and helping to bring their wines to market.
Flint Wines was set up in 2006 by Jason Haynes and Sam Clarke, with Gearoid Devaney MS joining as director in 2010. The business has been focused on being seen as a Burgundy specialist from its outset, but has now diversified out in other areas, most noticeably its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay range from the US.
