2018 Burgundy Vintage

Water was the main actor of 2018. It was very present through the winter, letting the vines build their reserves. The first quarter brought 20% more rain than expected in the Cote d'Or and 50% more in the Cote Chalonnaise. The rain gave the season a late start, but temperatures warmed quickly, the vines caught up, and budburst generally came before mid-April. Frost threatened in April, and Domaine Henri & Gilles Buisson lit candles in some St.Romain vines, but the damage was limited. Temperatures shot up in May, giving a rapid, perfect flowering with numerous, well-filled bunches. The summer was particularly dry and hot, with temperatures right behind 2003 but only one heat spike. The large crop, heat and lack of water blocked maturation for a time, particularly for Pinot Noir, and veraison was slightly delayed. Downpours broke the heat about every 10 days in the Cote d'Or. Hail touched only a few places, with the northern Maconnais and southern Nuits hit. Early rot warnings came to nothing; the grapes stayed healthy, and sorting was needed for sunburn rather than rot or mildew. Towards the end of August up to 40mm of rain fell in some places, less heading south from Meursault, with only about 10mm or a little more in Chassagne-Montrachet. A few growers picked young vines and early plots from 20 August; the harvest ran from the last ten days of August to the end of September, with Pinot Noir picked from the first days of September to the third week. Yields were high throughout the region: Pinot Noir at 35 to 40 hl/ha among top growers and Chardonnay often above 50 hl/ha.

• First quarter rain 20% above expectation in the Cote d'Or and 50% above in the Cote Chalonnaise; budburst generally before mid-April
• Limited April frost damage; a rapid, perfect flowering after temperatures rose in May
• A particularly dry, hot summer with one heat spike; hail in the northern Maconnais and southern Nuits; up to 40mm of rain in late August
• Harvest from the last ten days of August to the end of September on very healthy grapes, with high yields

Decanter's guide judged red quality very good to exceptional and much stronger than the whites. In Gevrey-Chambertin the cooler sites such as Lavaux-Saint-Jacques shone, while warmer sites like Griottes-Chambertin and Mazoyeres-Chambertin ran the risk of over-ripeness. The Morey-Saint-Denis grands crus stood out, especially Clos de la Roche and the monopoles Clos de Tart and Clos des Lambrays. In Chambolle-Musigny, Musigny and Amoureuses seemed to outperform Bonnes-Mares. Vosne-Romanee managed both elegance and power, while growers in Nuits-St-Georges had to work to contain the rustic edge of some sites. The BIVB called Cote de Nuits reds one of the greatest vintages of the last 30 years and described Cote de Beaune whites as the vintage of superlatives.

• Gevrey-Chambertin: cooler sites such as Lavaux-Saint-Jacques shone; warmer sites such as Griottes-Chambertin and Mazoyeres-Chambertin risked over-ripeness
• Morey-Saint-Denis: Clos de la Roche, Clos de Tart and Clos des Lambrays stood out
• Chablis also had bumper yields without raising its limit beyond its VCI

The heat had all but removed the malic acid in both colours, while tartaric acid held up quite well, so little acidity was expected to be lost through malolactic. Pre-malo pH ran between 3.1 and 3.4 for whites and closer to 3.4 to 3.6 for reds. Alcohol was commonly above 14 degrees. Colour poured out of the black grapes, and Boris Champy of the Clos des Lambrays said total polyphenols reached 80 against an average of 60, adding, "that’s never been seen here before." The reds kept a bit more freshness than the whites, which were ripe and lush but somewhat soft. Red vinifications needed a little more vigilance because of higher than average degrees.

• Malic acid largely gone in both colours; tartaric acid quite good
• Pre-malo pH 3.1 to 3.4 for whites and 3.4 to 3.6 for reds
• Alcohol commonly above 14 degrees
• Polyphenols at Clos des Lambrays reached 80 against an average of 60

The BIVB titled its report "un millesime ideal en Bourgogne" and wrote, translated, that 2018 is a rare phenomenon, the kind a vigneron sees only once or twice in a lifetime. Decanter rated Cote d'Or reds 4.5 out of 5 under the headline "Another large harvest, even better wines," judging that top growers had the raw material for excellent age-worthy reds. Francois Labet of Chateau de la Tour in the Clos de Vougeot compared the vintage to 1947. Writing in late 2018, Burgundy-Report conjectured whites like 1999 or 2005, and reds like 2003 with a little more freshness and more yield. Decanter's best producers for 2018 include Domaine Armand Rousseau, Domaine Dujac, Domaine Roumier, Domaine Leroy and Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, with Joseph Faiveley, Bouchard Pere et Fils, Joseph Drouhin, Benjamin Leroux and Louis Jadot among the negociants.

• Best producers include Armand Rousseau, Dujac, Roumier, Leroy and Domaine de la Romanee-Conti
• Negociants: Faiveley, Bouchard Pere et Fils, Joseph Drouhin, Benjamin Leroux, Louis Jadot
• Early comparison: whites like 1999 or 2005, reds like 2003 with a little more freshness