The 2013 &amp; 2012 Red Burgundies

Readers will find two very different vintages in the 2013
and 2012 red Burgundies. The 2013s are aromatic, pliant and quite classic in
feel, while the 2012s are big, powerful wines that will require considerable
bottle age to truly shine.

My fall tour of Burgundy was a bit shorter than normal, as
Steve Tanzer took over principal responsibility of reviewing the wines of
Burgundy. The main purpose of my trip was to visit estates Steve has
historically not covered, but I also visited a handful of reference-point
estates to give Vinous readers some additional data points during this year of
transition. I encourage readers to check out Steve’s articles on the <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/the-2013-red-burgundies-jan-2015">2013
Red Burgundies</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/the-2012-red-burgundies-from-bottle-mar-2015">2012
Red Burgundies</a> for more on the growing seasons, and, of course, Steve’s
views on the wines.

&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1428073214700-RedBurgD%27Angerville.jpg">

Tasting the 2013s at
d’Angerville, Volnay

I arrived in Burgundy in late November. As it turns out, I
had been in Piedmont earlier in the fall tasting Barolo from cask, so I was not
at all surprised by what I found. The 2013 red Burgundies are aromatic,
invigorating and wonderfully translucent. A long, cold growing season led to an
October harvest, something most estates had not seen since the late 1970s or
early 1980s. Ripeness levels were lower than what is the norm these days, but
that has not had a meaningful impact on quality. The 2013s come across as a
more accessible version of the 2010s, with less concentration of fruit and less
tannin, but, in the best cases, fabulous balance, tons of appeal and the sense
of transparency that is such an essential part of what Pinot Noir and Burgundy
are all about. In case you are wondering, 2013 is a vintage I personally like very
much, especially in the Côte de Nuits, which, aside from a poor flowering, was largely
spared the hail that was so devastating in the Côte de Beaune.

&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1428073204059-Burg1_LesReignotsVosneRomanee.jpg">

Les Reignots, Vosne-Romanée

Most of the 2012s I tasted are painfully closed at the
moment. The signature of the vintage is abnormally tiny yields that resulted in
thick-skinned grapes, high skin-to-juice ratios in fermentation and powerful,
tannic wines that will require considerable patience. At the same time, the
best 2012 possess striking sweetness and density, but those qualities are in
many cases quite hidden at this stage. Once again, the vintage is stronger in
the Côte
de Nuits than the Côte de Beaune, where the miniscule yields resulted in wines
with almost freakish levels of concentration. For more on the 2012 growing
season and wines readers might want to take a look at my report from <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/2012-red-burgundy-against-all-odds-part-1-jan-2014">last
year</a>.

You Might Also Enjoy

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.vinousmedia.com/articles/the-2012-red-burgundies-from-bottle-mar-2015">The 2012 Red Burgundies from Bottle</a>

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.vinousmedia.com/articles/the-2013-red-burgundies-jan-2015">The 2013 Red Burgundies</a>

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.vinousmedia.com/articles/domaine-de-la-romanee-conti-romanee-conti-and-montrachet-feb-2015">Domaine de la Romanée-Conti: Romanée-Conti
and Montrachet</a>

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.vinousmedia.com/articles/2012-red-burgundy-against-all-odds-part-1-jan-2014">2012 Red Burgundy: Against All Odds</a>

-- Antonio Galloni

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