2011 Burgundy Vintage

The first months of 2011 were warmer and drier than normal. Bud break came in early April, placing 2011 among the most precocious years recorded to that point, and flowering began during May about three weeks ahead. Summer came in April and May, autumn in July, and summer returned in August. Rain returned in early June. The early summer was cool, then a late-June heat spike sunburned exposed bunches, and July was cooler than April. June, July and August saw roughly double the average rainfall in some areas; one report put July rainfall in the Côte d'Or at almost 8 inches, and the Côte de Nuits was generally drier than the Côte de Beaune. Hail hit parts of Pernand-Vergelesses and Aloxe-Corton on May 13, at the start of flowering, with relatively little damage. The July 12 storm was worse, smashing into the southern Côte de Beaune and the Côte Chalonnaise; the grands crus Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet were among the vineyards hit, and Montagny and Rully were hit hard. Storms and more heat later in August slowed ripening, mildew followed, and humid August heat raised the risk of botrytis. Hot, dry weather returned at the end of August, and for the third time in a decade the harvest began in the last 10 days of the month. Whites were picked from August 20; the Côte de Nuits was under way in early September. Yields were down 20 to 30 percent.

• Warmer and drier than normal early in the year; bud break in early April, flowering in May about three weeks ahead
• Rain from early June, a late-June heat spike, a cool July, and roughly double the average summer rainfall in some areas
• Hail on May 13 (Pernand-Vergelesses, Aloxe-Corton) and July 12 (southern Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise)
• Harvest from the last 10 days of August; yields down 20 to 30 percent

Picking went plot by plot: each parcel had to be harvested as it reached maturity, with painstaking sorting and a high discard. For whites the harvest began on August 20, and even top domaines such as Leflaive had all their grapes in by the end of the month; on the Côte de Beaune some growers were picking in late August. The grapes were ripe, but at relatively low sugar levels. For most growers potential alcohol at harvest was 12 to 12.5 percent, so chaptalisation was necessary. The reds were light on tannin, extraction had to be careful, and there was a tendency to keep more stems for structure and grip. Timing split the whites: some were probably picked too early and can show hardness, others waited too long and are rather heavy, and some who waited blocked malolactic fermentation to make up for low acidity.

• Whites harvested from August 20; Leflaive finished by the end of August
• Potential alcohol of 12 to 12.5 percent for most growers; many domaines chaptalised lightly
• Reds light on tannin; a tendency to keep more stems for structure
• Beaune négociant Alex Gambal told Wine Spectator: "The only consistency was that nothing was consistent."

Decanter found very good wines in both Côtes but gave the Côte de Nuits the edge, with more fullness and depth. The Côte de Nuits grapes were ripe by the beginning of September. The BIVB's own report called 2011 a gloomy year for the Côte Chalonnaise: Montagny and Rully were hit hard by hail, while Mercurey, Bouzeron and Givry were less affected and produced their usual yields, and the Rully reds caught up in the fine late-season weather. Among the whites, Decanter rated Chablis a good vintage and named Meursault probably the best village in the Côte de Beaune. Further south in the Mâconnais, a late-August hot spell accelerated ripening, and the wines tend to be supple and soft.

• Côte de Nuits: generally drier than the Côte de Beaune; grapes ripe by the beginning of September
• Côte Chalonnaise: Montagny and Rully hit hard by hail; Mercurey, Bouzeron and Givry produced their usual yields
• Chablis: generous, aromatic, balanced and quite mineral whites
• Mâconnais: supple and soft after a late-August hot spell

The reds are aromatic and fresh, with considerable purity of fruit; Decanter found them lacking some depth, weight and complexity, with the best showing balance rather than power and suited to the medium term. Producers often compared them to 2007, and the consensus was that the 2011s were a bit bigger and richer. Among the whites, the best domaines delivered freshness and precision, and Decanter found them creamier than the 2010s. The BIVB's vintage page says the whites, marked by great aromatic purity, have reached their peak, and that the reds, very fruity in youth, now show aromas of stone fruit, mushrooms, undergrowth, leather and dried flowers, with a tender, delicate palate.

• Reds: aromatic, fresh, pure fruit, balance over power
• Often compared to 2007, but judged a bit bigger and richer
• Whites: freshness and precision at the best domaines
• BIVB: whites now at their peak; reds ready to enjoy