2016 Burgundy Vintage

The warmest winter (December to February) since 1900 was followed by a March that was cooler than normal overall. After a cool spell from 7 to 9 April, mid-budbreak arrived around mid-April, close to 2015 and the ten-year average. The first half of the year was very wet, with April, May and June the rainiest months, and May was gloomy, cool and stormy; mildew infections followed one after another through May and June. Flowering waited on the heat. The first flowers appeared around mid-June in early sites, but flowering only really got going once temperatures rose from 21 June, then ran through in just a few days, leaving 2016 among the latest vintages for flowering, with dates close to 1995. From July to September the weather was hot and dry, with a rain deficit of more than 30 percent over the summer, and the dry spell calmed the mildew. Veraison only really got under way from mid-August. The defining events came in spring. A cold front brought frost, notably on the night of 26 to 27 April, with the worst damage from the Yonne to the north of the Cote Chalonnaise. Hail struck the south of the Maconnais on 13 April, affecting 1,500 ha, the north of the Chablis area on 13 May, and the Yonne and the south of Saone-et-Loire on 27 May. September was very fine, with near-summer heat, and sugars climbed steadily until 12 September before returning rain and cooler weather from the 13th slowed ripening by almost half. Uneven ripeness and a late start to the season meant a longer harvest than normal. Picking began around mid-September for Cremant de Bourgogne and ran to mid-October depending on sector and variety; in the Cote d'Or the harvest began with Chardonnay in Meursault around 20 September, with the good weather holding until early October. The 2016 crop was likely to be 20 to 27 percent smaller than 2015.

• Winter (December to February) was the warmest since 1900; mid-budbreak came around mid-April
• Frost on the night of 26 to 27 April hit hardest from the Yonne to the north of the Cote Chalonnaise
• Hail on 13 April (south Maconnais, 1,500 ha), 13 May (north of the Chablis area) and 27 May (Yonne and south Saone-et-Loire)
• Flowering came late, from 21 June; July to September was hot and dry; the crop was expected to be 20 to 27 percent below 2015

Decanter's William Kelley called it the most severe frost in a generation. In the Cote d'Or it struck on 26 to 27 April, the worst there since 1985, and unlike the 1985 frost it also hit higher-elevation sites, in some cases leaving lower-lying vineyards untouched. Chablis, he wrote, was almost entirely denuded of grapes by its worst frost since 1981. The Savigny-les-Beaune station recorded -1.1 C around 4 am on 27 April, and Benjamin Bois of the Universite de Bourgogne Franche-Comte put the risk of frost on that date, based on the previous 43 years, at 1.3 percent. Mildew then struck erratically, and many growers were forced to set biodynamic principles aside. Jean-Michel Chartron of Puligny-Montrachet said, "Having lost half the harvest to frost," he was "in no mood to lose what remained to mildew." The hot, dry summer brought the mildew under control, though losses varied widely from plot to plot.

• Kelley: the worst frost in the Cote d'Or since 1985, and in Chablis since 1981
• The 2016 frost also hit higher-elevation sites, unlike 1985
• Savigny-les-Beaune recorded -1.1 C around 4 am on 27 April
• Mildew pressure was heavy in May and June; many growers set biodynamic principles aside

The damage was remarkably uneven. In the north, Marsannay lost as much as 90 percent of its crop, while in neighbouring Fixin Amelie Berthaut and Pierre-Emmanuel Gelin both had average yields at their domains. In Gevrey-Chambertin, frost and hail struck along the Combe St. Jacques and damaged several grands crus, while vineyards next to Brochon were largely spared. Morey-Saint-Denis did well, with yields a little below average, as did Vosne-Romanee and Nuits-Saint-Georges, but Chambolle-Musigny was hit hard, and Vougeot, Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux suffered too. On the hill of Corton the Pernand side was devastated while Aloxe-Corton and Ladoix fared well; Savigny-les-Beaune and Beaune suffered especially badly. Meursault was hit hard and Chassagne-Montrachet worse, and while Puligny-Montrachet escaped severe damage, its grands crus were devastated: the Domaines Comtes Lafon, Leflaive, de la Romanee-Conti, Lamy-Pillot, Guy Amiot and Fleurot Larose agreed to combine their Montrachet to make just two barrels. Further south, Santenay fared better.

• Hardest hit: Marsannay (up to 90 percent of the crop lost), Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux
• Fared well: Fixin, Morey-Saint-Denis, Vosne-Romanee, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Aloxe-Corton and Ladoix
• Cote de Beaune: Savigny-les-Beaune and Beaune suffered badly; Meursault was hit hard and Chassagne-Montrachet worse
• Montrachet: six domaines combined their fruit to make two barrels

In berry tastings, a standout feature of 2016 was the absence of vegetal and herbaceous character from the very first samples of both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and skin tannins showed no aggressiveness from the start. 2016 ranks among the high-ripeness vintages, slightly behind 2015, with final average total acidity close to 4 g/l H2SO4. Vincent Bartement of La Chablisienne called 2016 a good vintage, with balanced, pure wines that reflect their terroir of origin (translated). In Gevrey-Chambertin, Pierre Durroche's grapes came in at 12.5 to 13 percent potential alcohol, and he anticipated "a good vintage, but not as concentrated as 2015." Kelley expected quality to be as uneven as the damage, with some producers harvesting ripe, clean fruit while others struggled with rot and had to chaptalise.

• No vegetal or herbaceous character in the berries from the first tastings
• Ripeness was high, slightly behind 2015
• Vincent Bartement (La Chablisienne): a good vintage, balanced and pure (translated)
• Pierre Durroche, Gevrey-Chambertin: 12.5 to 13 percent potential alcohol

Kelley wrote that 2016 would be remembered as complicated in every sense, and warned that buying decisions would need to be made carefully. One thing he was sure of: the wines would be scarce. Some merchants had already predicted that Chablis prices would rise. The BIVB's own conclusion is that 2016 will be remembered as much for its difficult start to the year as for its saving summer and the final quality of its wines (translated).

• Quality is uneven, and Kelley advised buying carefully
• Kelley: the wines will be scarce
• Some merchants predicted Chablis prices would rise