Dealing with the New Paradigm: Burgundy 2018 

BY NEAL MARTIN | NOVEMBER 22, 2022

“Burgundy is dead,” announced a provocateur during a recent soirée. I enquired whether his ex cathedra statement stemmed from market prices or global warming. Maybe both, since they each overhauled how we perceive the region’s wines and the princely sums paid to enjoy them. Prices aside, nobody will deny that the succession of warm and dry summers has presented winemakers with a novel set of challenges. Whereas once they aspired to reach phenolic ripeness and chaptalized any shortfall, nowadays the aim is to contain sugar accumulation to mitigate against high alcohol, protect the sensitive Pinot Noir from hydric stress and capture all-important freshness in bottle – there’s nothing worse than a flabby Burgundy of either colour.

The 2018 vintage was the first in the trio of unseasonably hot vintages that introduced a new paradigm, a new normal. It posed a conundrum for winemakers: try to maintain some semblance of their signature style or acquiesce to the meteorological conditions that Mother Nature sets out, uphold the moral duty of translating the season into bottle? Being the first, 2018 arguably came as a significant shock, the steepest learning curve for vine and vigneron. Burgundians just had to wipe the sweat from their brow, keep calm and carry on.    

I took this photograph in Chassagne-Montrachet, just down from Montrachet, during the harvest. Athleticism is on display.

The Growing Season

I refer readers to my original barrel report for a detailed rundown of the 2018 growing season. However, a brief summary is helpful. Winter was mild, with rainfall in the early months that replenished underground moisture reserves that would prove vital later in the year. Warm temperatures in April provoked rapid budding, turning the vines’ ignition on a fortnight earlier than usual. Thankfully, 2018 was not another addition to the roll call of frost-affected vintages; only minor episodes took place in Puligny and Chassagne-Montrachet. Rainfall was average through June, which led to some mildew pressure. July was hot and dry, punctured by a severe hailstorm on 15 July, centered upon Nuits Saint-Georges, so powerful that it caused mudslides in steeper vineyards, most dramatically at Domaine de l’Arlot. Some growers reduced yields, for example, Domaine Leflaive and Armand Rousseau. In contrast, others believed that a large volume would disperse ripeness and keep a lid on alcohol. August was particularly dry with around 20mm of rain, perhaps just enough to stave off hydric stress; however, the final two weeks saw torrid heat up to 40° Celsius.