Read Decanter's guide to white Burgundy 2010 with expert analysis from Sarah Marsh MW, Stephen Brook and Steven Spurrier. Plus find out how the grapes have faired and what the producers and merchants have been saying.
White Burgundy expert reviews:
– Sarah Marsh MW
– Stephen Brook
– Steven Spurrier
2010: white Burgundy style guide
- Chablis: High
acidity. Take care with village wines and stick to top producers. A
good vintage for accurate terroir expression in premier and grand cru
wines. Much fresher and racier than 2009. - Meursault: The
most varied village in style – from lucid expression of terroir to ripe
and heavy. The two top premiers crus seem to rise above the conditions,
with Charmes sleek and energetic and a cut above, while Perrières is
direct, mineral and properly persistent. Blagny is back on fine form,
with plenty of vivacity. - Puligny-Montrachet: Reliable,
pure and energetic with crisp expression of terroir. Lovely mineral
village wines, especially from the Meursault side. Pucelles is elegant,
capturing the silky aromatics of this premier cru, but take care as this
climat had some botrytis. - Chassagne-Montrachet: The
higher-slope vineyards excelled, from the floral Chaumèes to the smooth
minerality and spicy Vergers. En Caillerets is properly stony with
compact minerality encased in sweet fruit – top vineyards are focused
and racy with cool minerality and white flowers. If the growers caught
the moment – and the window for picking was very short – this is a very
good year for Chassagne, especially on the upper slopes. - St-Aubin: The
vineyards around the village are average, but there’s some lovely wine
from the slopes, including juicy, racy En Remilly. Rully: Ripe – not as
full and deliciously fruity as the 2009s, but a little fresher and more
restrained and classic. - Mâconnais: It was a warm year
here, with higher maturity and less freshness than on the Côte d’Or.
Mâcon wines are pleasant and rounded, but it’s not an exceptional year.
What the producers say:
‘A
really concentrated vintage. The flavour will be really good: not just
fruity as in 2009, but lots of energy, with good acidity. The ageing
potential will be between that of 2008 and 2009’
Jean-Pierre Latour, Domaine Latour-Giraud
‘2010
has backbone thanks to the very good acidity. It seems fresher than
2009 with great citrus aromas and substantial flesh’ Etienne de
Montille, Domaine de Montille ‘Back to what you really expect for
properly traditional Burgundy – in other words, from a cooler region
where Chardonnay finds its best character’
Gilles de Courcel, Maison Chanson
‘A
tiny crop that produced deliciously fruity and vibrant wines. Overall
balance is excellent’ Véronique Drouhin, Maison Joseph Drouhin ‘The big
problem is the quantity (very low), but the quality is delicate and
fantastic’
Gérard Boudot, Domaine Etienne Sauzet
What the merchants say:
‘The whites have excellent precision and should be an ideal follow-on to the early drinking 2009s’
Jason Haynes, Flint Wines
‘Delightful aromatics and good energy levels, but probably not the structure for longterm keeping’
Jasper Morris MW, Berry Bros & Rudd
‘As
well as having high natural alcohol they also have high acidities. They
look to be in the mould of 2008 – perhaps a turbocharged version’
Giles Burke-Gaffney, Justerini & Brooks
Written by Decanter.com
