2021 Burgundy Vintage

The winter of 2020-2021 was milder and wetter than the 1981-2010 average, with January rain more than 40% above average in the Cote d'Or, followed by a dry February and March. After a sharp cool spell in mid-March, Easter week, 29 March to 3 April, turned almost summery. The vines woke fast: within a few days in early April some plots, mainly Chardonnay, had reached mid-budburst. Then the weather turned. A huge mass of polar air arrived on the night of 4 April, bringing thick frost between 6 and 9 April in particular, across the entire winegrowing region. Temperatures plummeted from the night of 5 April, with hard frost on the nights of 6 to 8 April and snow on the second night. In Puligny-Montrachet, workers lit candles among the vines. The vines were slow to recover as the weather stayed wetter and colder than usual, and the secondary buds gave very little fruit. May brought heavy rain, and the rainstorms often brought sleet or hail. June brought relief. Temperatures rose sharply from 8 June, and flowering went through quickly in hot, dry weather that was ideal for fruit set. Mid-flowering fell between 13 June for Chardonnay in the Maconnais and 18 June for Pinot Noir on the Cote de Nuits, close to 2019. June also brought scattered hail, including a very localised hailstorm that devastated vineyards around Pouilly-Fuisse at 3pm on 21 June. From the end of June to the beginning of August the rain set in. July and August brought low temperatures, cloudy skies and incessant rain, with intense pressure from mildew, particularly downy mildew, and rot. A long dry spell returned from mid-August, with mid-veraison around then, before autumnal weather set in from the end of August and lasted until the harvest. Picking for Cremant de Bourgogne began on 8 September in the south, and still-wine picking began around 18 September, a return to more traditional dates after three years of August starts. Unusually, Pinot Noir was the most advanced, and Chardonnay, probably stressed by the frost, was picked last. Up to 60mm of rain fell in several large storms in the second half of September, and with so little fruit, all grapes were in by early October. Yields were very mixed. Many vineyards lost 50% to 90% of the future harvest, and the harvest came in just above 997,000 hl, down from nearly 1.6 million hl in 2020 and 47.8% below the five-year average.

• Summery warmth from 29 March to 3 April pushed early budburst, mainly in Chardonnay
• Polar air from the night of 4 April; thick frost between 6 and 9 April in particular, hard frost on the nights of 6 to 8 April with snow
• Fast, ideal flowering in mid-June; rain from the end of June into August brought mildew and rot
• Still-wine picking from around 18 September; harvest just above 997,000 hl, 47.8% below the five-year average

Results were uneven, with vast differences between the Cote d'Or, Cote Chalonnaise and Maconnais. The Maconnais was among the hardest hit, with its northern villages more affected by frost than the southern ones around Pouilly-Fuisse, where June hail did its damage. In the Cote Chalonnaise the frost was perhaps less severe in Mercurey than in Givry, while some south-facing sites in Montagny were hit worst because they budded early. In the Cote de Beaune, Chardonnay suffered more than Pinot Noir. Frederic Lafarge lost 80% in Volnay and blended all his individual premiers crus into a single Volnay premier cru. In Meursault, Benjamin Leroux's losses ran from 80% at the top of the hill to 50% in the premiers crus, and Jean Chartron lost half his crop in Puligny. Much of the Cote de Nuits was less severely damaged, and the wines were often more successful. Bruno Clair lost 70% in Marsannay, more than in Gevrey-Chambertin, where Cyrielle Rousseau of Domaine Armand Rousseau had the smallest harvest she had ever done, with volumes down 40%. At Domaine Dujac, Jeremy Seysses's Morey-Saint-Denis village and premier cru vineyards largely dodged the frost. The Domaine de la Romanee-Conti lost 80% in Corton and 90% in Corton-Charlemagne and Montrachet, with yields among the lowest of the past half-century.

• Maconnais: among the hardest hit; northern villages frosted more than the south around Pouilly-Fuisse
• Cote de Beaune: Chardonnay hit harder than Pinot Noir; Frederic Lafarge lost 80% in Volnay
• Cote de Nuits: generally less damaged; Christophe Roumier limited losses in many vineyards to 25% to 35%
• Domaine de la Romanee-Conti: losses of 80% in Corton and 90% in Corton-Charlemagne and Montrachet

After tasting more than 1,300 wines, Charles Curtis MW wrote in Decanter: "Given the weather patterns of the year, it is nearly inevitable that whites and reds alike have fresh acidity, light body, moderate alcohol and firm structure." He scored Cote d'Or whites 4/5 and reds 3.5/5. In his view the best whites have lively, fresh acidity, provided sorting was rigorous, and the best reds are light in colour and body, perfumed, elegant and structured, a distinct departure from recent vintages, while weaker examples show tart acidity, herbal flavours and astringent tannins. His wine of the vintage picks were Domaine Armand Rousseau's Chambertin-Clos de Beze Grand Cru at 99 points and Domaine des Comtes Lafon's Montrachet Grand Cru at 97 points. Jean Lupatelli of Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue called it: "It wasn't an easy year, but a classic one." Curtis judged that 2021 is not a vintage for long-term cellaring, but one to enjoy in its youth for its fresh fruit.

• Curtis scores: Cote d'Or whites 4/5, reds 3.5/5
• Best reds light in colour and body, perfumed, elegant and structured
• Wines of the vintage: Rousseau Chambertin-Clos de Beze Grand Cru (99) and Comtes Lafon Montrachet Grand Cru (97)
• A vintage to enjoy in its youth, not for long-term cellaring