Back to Burgfest: 2017 Reds – Blind 

BY NEAL MARTIN | JANUARY 18, 2022

In this second part of my look at the 2017 Burgundy vintage, after examining the whites back in August, I turn my attention to the reds. Travel restrictions eased in the interim, so we had a full complement of participants, and there was a much-needed sense of “back to normal” as we prepared to taste around 250 top-flight red Burgundies, all blind within their respective climats, over five days.

I will not go over the growing season; if you would like a refresher, feel free to read my summary included in the white Burgundy report. But I will return to my conclusion based on barrel tastings conducted in November 2019. In a vintage that I called a “modern classic”, I wrote: “Generally, while the 2017 reds might not be as concentrated as the previous two vintages, there is no way you can claim the wines are light. Not only are they imbued with real fruit intensity, but they also seem to be gaining density during their élevage, especially after their malolactic fermentation as they enter their final months in barrel. Who knows; the 2018s may well end up being less consistent and less dependable than the 2017s. Perhaps one disadvantage facing the 2017s is the scarcity of superstars or showstoppers like 2015 and 2016, and potentially 2018 also. It is not that kind of vintage. A benign season is not going to single out a particular soil type, vineyard, appellation or grower and elevate them to an ethereal plane that gets everyone excited. That lack of ‘headline action’ or ‘100-point stars’ ought not to devalue a growing season. Quality is evenly spread, and the winners are the consumers gifted more choice.”

Now that the wines are in bottle, there is inevitably going to be some discrepancy between barrel and bottle assessments, since every wine undergoes a different élevage, all wines have a proclivity to shapeshift during bottling, and, of course, this time, I am appraising them blind. But overall, most of the 2017 reds were consistent with my scores from barrel. Overall, they will appeal to those who appreciate leaner, more transparent Pinot Noir, those who suffer sleepless nights fretting that Burgundy will never be the same again after the hot summers of 2018 and 2019. The 2017s are generally fresh and vibrant, sometimes with crunchy textures, and certainly for the most part approachable, implying that this might not be the longest-lived vintage in recent years.

One of the aspects of this tasting that I like is the seclusion. Out in the middle of nowhere, you can really focus on the wines without distraction, apart from the scruffy old dog that occasionally wanders in to say bonjour.

There were a few growers who really impressed. I have followed the wines of former jet pilot Xavier Horiot at Domaine Launay-Horiot for a number of years. I am long overdue a return, not least because all three of his wines, two from Pommard and a stunning Latricières-Chambertin, trumped stiff competition. A trio from Jean-Pierre Guyon, based in Vosne-Romanée, also showed that this under-the-radar grower deserves attention, especially for his excellent Clos de Vougeot. Among the most established producers, there was a very consistent and strong showing from Domaine Bruno Clair, his Clos-Saint-Jacques beating the four others for the second consecutive year, while his Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze was one of my wines of the entire week. Chapeau, Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun! One useful aspect of Burgfest is that I can taste some domaines that are unavoidably omitted during my autumn marathon. For example, I was impressed by the consistency of Domaine François Buffet, now run by Buffet’s son Marc-Olivier from their Volnay-based winery. I would happily see all five of his 2005s on my dinner table. (I visited Buffet in October 2021, and a full complement of his 2020s will be included in my forthcoming report.)