2006 Burgundy Vintage

Plenty of much-needed rain and snow fell after the very dry summer of 2005, in a winter that dragged on much later than usual. April was cooler and wetter than usual, and May stayed cool and wet, with early-morning temperatures only just above freezing into the first days of June and even a snow shower at Meuilley in the Hautes-Cotes de Nuits on May 30. The poor weather delayed flowering, and the promising crop began to abort before it even started. The weather turned over the weekend of June 4 to 5, and flowering took place in excellent conditions during the week of June 13, late but even. July was hot and exceptionally dry, with record heat reportedly beating even 2003, and drought was becoming a real problem by the end of the month. On July 27 a major hailstorm hit Chambolle and Gevrey, especially around Griotte- and Chapelle-Chambertin, and the hailstorms reduced yields. By August the vines were about three weeks ahead of the average schedule, but August was cooler and notably wetter than usual, especially in the Cote de Beaune. That slowed ripening and brought botrytis, with oidium and mildew also threatening. September saved the day. Decanter calls it clear, warm and dry, while Morris records warmer temperatures with fairly frequent showers and occasional storms, including a fairly fierce one in the Cote de Beaune on the evening of September 15. The BIVB reports that after a gloomy August, the milder September let Pinot Noir ripen in good conditions.

• A long, wet winter, then a cool, wet April and May, with a snow shower at Meuilley on May 30
• Flowering in excellent conditions during the week of June 13, late but even
• Record July heat and drought, then a major hailstorm in Chambolle and Gevrey on July 27
• A cool, wet August brought botrytis; a warmer September let the Pinot Noir ripen

The Ban des Vendanges was set for Monday, September 18, but some of the best-known growers, including Dominique Lafon and Arnaud Ente, asked for a derogation to start early because their vineyards were fully ready. Unusually, the Chablis start date, the 16th, came earlier than the Cote d'Or's. Those who analysed each vineyard found notable differences in ripening, so the best approach was to start early and continue slowly. There were very few pickers out on the 18th, and on the 19th mostly top white-wine growers such as Lafon, Ente, Roulot and Coche-Dury. Picking became much more widespread on Wednesday, September 20, in hot weather. By Monday, September 25 the Cote de Beaune was finishing and the Cote de Nuits was in full swing, with about 70% of the Cote de Nuits grand cru vines already picked and much less rot than in the Cote de Beaune. Fine weather held to the end of the month, by which time most people had finished. Morris judges late picking was probably a mistake, as the weather turned noticeably wetter into October. Selective harvesting was key to avoiding mildew and hail taint.

• Ban des Vendanges: Monday, September 18 in the Cote d'Or; Chablis unusually earlier, on the 16th
• Early starters by derogation included Dominique Lafon and Arnaud Ente
• Picking became widespread from Wednesday, September 20, in hot weather
• Most growers had finished by the end of September, before wetter weather arrived in October

Decanter called 2006 a patchy vintage: the Cote de Nuits was more consistent, while the Cote de Beaune proved more troublesome, even with careful selection. The Cote de Beaune red grapes showed more rot and less ripeness at harvest, and Bill Nanson of Burgundy-Report reported many winemakers there were disappointed, likening their reds to 2004 with slightly less acidity. The exception was Corton, where he saw excellent grapes of both colors. In the Cote de Nuits, Decanter found Vosne-Romanee standing out, and Morris places the vintage at its best in Nuits-Saint-Georges and Vosne-Romanee. Among the whites, Decanter named Chassagne-Montrachet the beautifully floral star. In its November 2007 report, the BIVB said most growers in the Yonne consider 2006 a reference vintage for Chablis, some calling it the greatest of the past ten years and a vintage for aging.

• Cote de Nuits: the more reliable reds, with Vosne-Romanee standing out
• Cote de Beaune reds: more rot and less ripeness at harvest; Corton the bright spot
• Whites: Chassagne-Montrachet the floral star
• Chablis: a reference vintage in the view of most Yonne growers

Decanter's review called 2006 a drinker's vintage, lightish but elegant, expressive and fresh, with reds marked by fragrance, purity of fruit and soft, integrated tannins. Judicious extraction was vital to avoid astringent wines, and not everyone succeeded. The whites rushed to maturity, and those who picked early, before acidity dropped, fared best. Decanter's vintage guide rates Cote d'Or reds 3.5 out of 5, with good fruit purity and freshness but not the ripeness of better years. The BIVB described Cote de Nuits reds as straight, pure and of rare elegance, with silky tannins, and Cote de Beaune reds as ruby, very fruity and full of red fruit such as strawberry, raspberry and cherry. Morris's view has shifted with time. His 2022 update finds that the whites' relatively low acidity means many have finished their useful life, so drink up, especially from producers who were not early pickers. The reds, long ignored, are now coming into their own, with Cote de Beaune reds a little more sombre and built more on tannin than acidity. His advice on the best reds: "Start to take a look, but there is no hurry."

• Reds: fragrance, purity of fruit and soft, integrated tannins
• Cote d'Or reds rated 3.5 out of 5 in Decanter's vintage guide
• Whites: relatively low acidity, so drink them up
• Best reds: the flesh, ripeness and concentration of an extremely fine vintage in Nuits-Saint-Georges and Vosne-Romanee

It is tough to follow a vintage of the century such as 2005, Morris notes. Some ignored 2006 because of that long shadow, while others preferred it for its relative accessibility. Decanter placed 2006 as classic, neither out of the ordinary like 2003 nor extraordinary like 2005, though the warm, breezy September let red grapes reach sugar levels approaching the concentrated 2005s. At harvest, Nanson judged Cote de Nuits grapes on average slightly below 2005 quality but higher in some places, and Cote de Beaune red grapes closer to 2004 than 2005. First impressions favored the whites, but by the UK primeur tastings in January 2008 the view was changing, Morris recalls: some whites seemed heavy, while the Cote de Nuits reds were full of fruit with reasonable structure.

• 2005 cast a long shadow over 2006
• Red grapes reached sugar levels approaching the concentrated 2005s
• Cote de Nuits grapes slightly below 2005 on average, higher in places
• Early praise for the whites gave way to a higher view of the Cote de Nuits reds by January 2008