1987 Burgundy Vintage

The 1987 growing season opened promisingly, with a balmy, dry spring that encouraged early budburst and smooth flowering across the Côte d'Or. Conditions deteriorated markedly in late spring and early summer, however, as temperatures fell and persistent heavy rains disrupted vine development and invited disease pressure. The summer remained an unpredictable mix of downpours and brief dry spells, keeping winemakers on alert throughout the growing period. The decisive turning point came in September, when settled warm, sunny weather finally arrived and ripened a smaller-than-usual crop. The grapes that survived the difficult season ultimately reached full phenolic maturity, allowing harvest to proceed under favorable conditions.

• Balmy dry spring led to early budburst and successful flowering across the Côte d'Or
• Late spring and early summer cooling with heavy rainfall disrupted vine development
• Unpredictable summer alternated between downpours and dry spells throughout
• September's return of consistent warmth and sun rescued the vintage and ripened the reduced crop

Both the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune recorded some successes in 1987, though quality was highly variable and producer selection was essential. Natural sugar accumulation was a persistent challenge across the region, and the widespread use of chaptalisation to boost alcohol levels became a defining feature of the vintage. Producers who managed yields carefully and waited for full ripeness were rewarded with attractive, fruity wines, while those who allowed yields to swell after the rains produced dilute, disappointing results. The inconsistency of the vintage was such that individual assessment of each wine was far more reliable than broad appellation generalisation.

• Both Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune had pockets of success, though neither dominated
• Natural maturity shortfalls meant chaptalisation was widely employed across the region
• Yield management was the decisive factor separating quality producers from the rest
• Inconsistency was so pronounced that individual wine assessment was advisable over vintage-wide generalisations

Despite the vintage's overall limitations, elite Burgundy producers demonstrated that careful viticulture and strict selection could yield genuinely fine wine. Henri Jayer's 1987 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux is perhaps the most cited example of the vintage at its best, carrying an aggregate critics' score of 91/100, a remarkable achievement in a difficult year. Jayer's signature techniques including complete destemming, cold soak pre-maceration, and no filtration were particularly well suited to extracting purity from underripe fruit. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and other top-tier Côte de Nuits domaines similarly applied rigorous sorting to maximize quality from their holdings.

• Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1987: 91/100 critics' aggregate score on Wine-Searcher
• Jayer's cold-soak and no-filtration approach extracted purity and aromatics from less-than-ideal fruit
• Top Côte de Nuits domaines applied strict selection and sorting to navigate the season
• The vintage rewarded those who trusted careful vineyard management over cellar intervention

The 1987 vintage produced wines that were generally intended for relatively early to medium-term drinking. Most 1987 Burgundies are considered likely past their best today, according to Wine-Searcher's vintage assessment. The charming, fruity character that defined the better examples was always more of a near-to-medium-term asset than a foundation for exceptional longevity. Collectors who still hold bottles from the finest domaines may find the occasional pleasant surprise, but careful provenance research is strongly advisable before opening any surviving examples.

• Wine-Searcher current condition assessment: 'Likely past it' for most 1987 Burgundy
• The vintage's fruit-forward, lighter style was better suited to medium-term drinking than extended cellaring
• Occasional bottles from top domaines such as Henri Jayer may still offer rewarding drinking
• Provenance and storage history are critical considerations for any remaining bottles

The 1987 vintage holds a unique place in Burgundy's recorded history: climate researchers confirmed that 1987 was the final year of a centuries-old harvest rhythm. A study published in the journal Climate of the Past found that from 1354 to 1987, Burgundy's grapes were picked from September 28 onward on average, with harvests beginning 13 days earlier on average in the warming period from 1988 to 2018. The 1987 vintage thus sits at a genuine historical inflection point. In quality terms, it is generally regarded as one of several difficult years in the 1980s, sitting between the celebrated 1985 and the excellent 1988 and 1989 that followed, rated as 'Average' by most major vintage charts.

• 1987 is the final year of Burgundy's centuries-old September 28 average harvest date, per peer-reviewed climate research
• Wine-Searcher overall vintage rating: 'Average', sandwiched between the 'Legendary' 1985 and 'Excellent' 1988 and 1989
• The vintage is a useful educational case study in how September weather can salvage a difficult growing season
• Collector interest in 1987 is limited compared to adjacent years; value lies mainly in elite domaine examples

The 1987 vintage tested Burgundy winemakers in the cellar as much as in the vineyard. With natural sugar levels falling short in many cases, chaptalisation decisions became critical to achieving adequate alcohol and balance. Pioneers like Henri Jayer, who championed complete destemming and cold pre-fermentation maceration, found their techniques well suited to the year, extracting aromatic complexity and color without the harsh tannins that stems might have contributed from less-than-fully-ripe fruit. Strict sorting at harvest to remove substandard material was equally important. The vintage thus became an early proving ground for the more interventionist, quality-focused cellar philosophies that would become standard across Burgundy's finest domaines in subsequent decades.

• Chaptalisation widely required due to below-average natural sugar accumulation at harvest
• Complete destemming, as practiced by Henri Jayer, was particularly advantageous with marginally ripe fruit
• Cold soak pre-fermentation helped extract aromatics without harsh tannins from less ripe skins
• Rigorous sorting tables at harvest were essential for separating sound from compromised fruit