Top Côte de Nuits 2020 en primeur wines

Conditions were warm, sunny and dry throughout Burgundy in 2020, although there were differences between the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune. According to Frédéric Weber of Bouchard Père & Fils, the latter bore the brunt of the drought conditions: ‘In general, the Côte de Beaune suffered more from the heat, while there was a bit more rain in the Côte de Nuits.’ he says. ‘2018 was a sunny year that gave average volumes but with lower acidity; 2019 was more classic, where we began picking on the 11th of September, and 2020 was the hottest of all.’ Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of Charles' top-scoring Côte de Nuits 2020 wines [subscriber-content]In addition to these differences, the Chardonnay that dominates the Côte de Beaune weathers the heat better than the Pinot Noir that dominates the Côte de Nuits, with young Pinot vines most susceptible to sunburn. This logic helped determine picking dates. Cyril Jacquelin, the winemaker at Domaine du Clos Frantin, points out: ‘In 2020, the yield was lower than in 2018, and the maturity arrived later due to blockages from the heat in August.' 'At the Bichot properties, we began with the young-vine Pinot on the 19th of August, switched to Chardonnay on the 27th, and returned to finish the grand cru Pinot in the Côte de Nuits after the rains, beginning on the 30th. The strategy generally worked well, although the whites are rich in phenolic compounds, which can make them a bit austere in the beginning.’ See the Burgundy 2020 score table listing Charles' top Côte de Nuits wines all scoring 95 points or above See all 650 Burgundy 2020 tasting notes and scores Jérôme Flous, the winemaker at Domaine Faiveley, notes the effect on yields: ‘Yields overall for the Chardonnay were closer to normal, averaging 40hl/ha, while the Pinots gave 20-30hl/ha depending on the site,’ he explains. ‘The difference is because Chardonnay had an average bunch weight, since it flowers and sets earlier, but the Pinot is later and had a lower bunch weight because of the heat. The region which faced the most challenges was the Côte Chalonnaise since the quality of the clay was different and there was less water available for the vines. The Côte de Nuits can support more dryness for a longer period than the Côte Chalonnaise.’ Frédéric Drouhin sums up the difference in the wines: ‘It is an early year, but without haste,’ he says. ‘There was no frost or hail, no disease, and almost double the number of sunshine hours compared to any other year. 'In terms of vinification, we look for balance and elegance, and the key thing was to work on the lees. In 2020, the quality of the lees was unique, bringing flavours and freshness to the wine. It is a good vintage, quite aromatic, and the key was keeping the freshness. We’ve probably lost 30% because of the lack of water, however you can still taste the typicity of each appellation: a Charlemagne tastes like a Charlemagne.’ Quick links: See further analysis and top-scoring wines of the following areas:

Côte de Beaune | Mâconnais | Côte Chalonnaise

Marsannay-based Bruno Clair gave further, intriguing details regards the ripening in his vineyards: ‘The grapes ripened because of the loss of water through dehydration and not through photosynthesis,’ he states. ‘Many of my vines are located in poor soils at the top of the hill, sites that suffered most during the drought conditions. [For Bruno Clair, across all appellations,] the yield averaged 24hl/ha, and some vineyards produced even less, 16-18hl/ha for the oldest vines, for example.’ [breakout] Côte de Nuits 2020 top-value wines: Domaine Trapet Père & Fils, Marsannay, 2020 Domaine Rossignol-Trapet, Aux Etalois, Gevrey-Chambertin, 2020 Côte de Nuits 2020 top producers: Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Domaine Dugat-Py Domaine Dujac Domaine Georges Roumier Domaine Grivot Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair Domaine Trapet [/breakout] [/subscriber-content] See tasting notes and scores for Charles Curtis MW's top-scoring Côte de Nuits 2020 wines: [wine-collection] Related content: Related content: Burgundy 2020 en primeur: Full report plus top-scoring wines Top 2020 Côte Mâconnais en primeur wines Top 2020 Côte de Nuits en primeur wines