Herding Cats: Burgfest 2020 – The Reds

BY NEAL MARTIN | OCTOBER 30, 2024

Burgundy covets caprice. Tasters, critics and even winemakers can only approximate how its wines evolve. Predicting Burgundy is like herding cats–it’s just a more enjoyable undertaking with less meowing.

This article focuses on the 2020 Pinot Noir Premier and Grand Crus of the Côte d’Or: some 250-odd wines all appraised blind within their peer groups, an exercise that lends itself to highlighting virtues and shortcomings. Minor faults are mercilessly exposed, while the most successful wines reign victorious. Not so many moons ago, scores were fixed for the banal reason of communication via ink on paper in all its immutable glory. The Internet invites alteration. Critiquing becomes more like a rolling review, signposting a wine’s evolution, recording consistencies and quirks alike. Accordingly, the raison d’être of a tasting like Burgfest is not to validate prior judgments but to prove a taster’s prowess in their miraculous nailing of every unfinished wine from the barrel. Rather, it is an invaluable opportunity to monitor changes or inconsistencies. Moreover, it is a chance to self-assess my own palate.

This edition saw an unprecedented number of deviating scores and “?” - wines deemed unrepresentative. Thankfully, a majority did fall within my original banded score, so there is no need to give up the day job just yet. However, to reflect the reality that Burgundy evolves to varying degrees of (un)predictability and can differ enormously between one bottle and another. It can suffer off-days due to extraneous factors such as barometric pressure or a waxing gibbous moon. Scores are obliged to diverge. They live in parallel to my scores from barrel, impressions taken in a different context, at a different time.

It begs questions…

What happened in the interim?

Is it a unique aberration?

Or is there a common cause that can be observed in other bottles?

Are those causes natural, human or both?

Concentrating on the current flight of wines at the Hameau de Barbaron.

Having read this far, you might assume I am about to scorn the 2020 Pinot Noirs. No, I still like them. A lot. Just not as much as I thought from barrel. There has been no slackening off in winemakers’ hard work or talent. Quite the opposite. Global warming is rewiring Pinot Noir, reconfiguring its DNA, making it richer with exotic leanings and more alcoholic as one would expect with such a sensitive variety. It’s old news. It is a testament to winemakers' revised and prudent approaches that they avoid the flabby, cooked, monotonous reds that hamper the 2003 vintage. However, it can make wines less stable. It makes them more susceptible to infection, and one in particular…

Brettanomyces

The cause célèbre used to be TCA. Now, it is Brettanomyces or “Brett”. In 2020, only a couple of bottles showed cork taint, but a number showed signs of Brett. At worst, this spoilage deprived potentially excellent wines of freshness, terroir expression and typicité. It’s like listening to an orchestra with the strings playing in the wrong key. It can throw a blanket over a wine. Complicating matters is how perception differs between individuals with differing thresholds and sensitivities. Brett is mostly, though not purely, subjective observation.

A quick primer. Brett is a yeast found in many wineries that can microbiologically spoil wine by infecting it with volatile phenol compounds. It feasts on glucose and fructose but manifests gradually and overcomes wine by stealth, the infection undiagnosed as it produces enzymes that break down esters and compromise fruitiness. There are different types of Brett: 4-EP (ethyphenol), 4-EG (ethylguaiacol) and 4-EC (ethylcatechol). Let’s not go down a scientific rabbit hole today, but basically, 4-EP leads to the “Band-Aid” aroma, 4-EG smokier and 4-EC the barnyard/sweaty saddle scent. Most infections will be a combination of types that influence the aforementioned sensitivity thresholds.

I must stress that there is a fraction of Brett compared to bygone years. Once little understood and unchecked, winemakers would irreverently pass it off as “…part of our terroir…” and there is a semblance of truth inasmuch that Brett exists naturally in the vineyard’s microflora. “Most old Bordeaux has Brett,” quipped Lilian Barton-Sartorius at Léoville Barton recently. “I’m rather partial to it.” It can be interpreted as a result of lackadaisical practices or an intrinsic, even enhancing part of wine. Improved winery hygiene since the mid-nineties and the attendant cleanliness mantra have greatly reduced spoilage. There is also a case for conversion to glass and ceramic vessels reducing Brett, albeit to a small percentage, but all this means that wine has benefitted enormously.

Against this backdrop, the incidences for Brett seem to be ticking upwards due to global warming. Higher temperatures lead to more sugar. Higher residual sugar levels and higher pH levels manifest more welcoming environments for Brett to bloom, not least in Pinot Noir, whose virtue is purity and transparency. Consequently, Pinot finds it more difficult to mask Brett than, say, Cabernet Sauvignon. Research by the AWRI showed that it takes just 0.3g/L of residual sugar to produce 1,000µg/L of 4-EP. The highest level of infection, the so-called “Brett zone,” occurs between primary fermentation and the moment that sulfur is added during barrel maturation.

The trend towards minimal sulfur means that this bulwark against spoilage can be either weakened or removed. It invites trouble. The onus is upon maîtres-de-chai to monitor gestating wines by laboratory analysis, which can be prohibitively expensive if you seek to identify precisely which type of Brett is prevalent and more economically viable for large-volume producers such as those in Bordeaux. Alternatively, one must keep a beady eye on free SO2 levels, as well as the use of CO2 to protect wines. Some do it better than others. Another trend has been to reduce or eliminate filtration before bottling, which may further create ideal conditions for spoilage. Another knock-on effect can be oxidation, which I notice is also increasing amongst the reds. This is partly due to Brett being able to convert low levels of glucose into acetic acid and VA and, secondly, higher pH levels that reduce the effectiveness of SO2 as an antioxidant, leaving more unbound oxygen.

All this underlies why this tasting revealed more wines affected by Brett than in previous years. It is often overlooked in the real world. Order an expensive bottle in a restaurant, and you might choose to ignore suspicions of Brett because of the amount paid, or maybe you simply do not detect the flaw. Is the sommelier going to notice and lose his employer's money pouring it down the sink? Brett and, indeed, all manifestations of spoilage are exposed by juxtaposition with cleaner wines assessed within a more “sterile” environment such as the one here.

Another factor discussed during the tasting, which I feel is crucial to understanding contemporary Burgundy, is the differences between bottles. One could be obviously Bretty, and the next could be clean as a whistle. A fellow Burgfest attendee reasoned that this is because of differences in micro-oxygen ingress between the corks and also, as mentioned before, levels of dissolved oxygen at the time of bottling. Higher levels might be desirable to create softer and more approachable wines, especially within relatively tannic varieties, to appease critics and merchants. But bacteria and Brett can flourish, not least if oxygen is unintentionally introduced at the bottling stage and inhibits the effectiveness of SO2. The problem is that it is virtually impossible to detect in barrel, so it acts like a timebomb. That is why Burgfest is a valuable litmus test. Though Brett is interpreted differently, nobody disagreed that incidences appear to be ticking upward. I anticipate less prevalence within the less alcoholic 2021s, though a winemaker recently told me that Brett levels don’t adhere to rules. He had encountered low alcohol vintages with unexpected high incidences of Brett.

The Wines

The tasting got off to a stuttering start, a bit of a comedown with memories fresh from the 2020 whites that exceeded expectations last May. The Côte de Beaune reds, culled from Beaune, Volnay and Pommard, were a little patchy, the imprimatur of the growing season erasing some terroir expression. It augured for concentrated and generally higher alcohol wines as expected, but at worst, it was a bit blowsy with flat-footed finishes when Pinot Noir should finish a balletic en pointe. Oenophiles that seek “transparency” and “Pinoté” might be disappointed. Immediately, I noticed discrepancies with assessments from barrel, for example, David Croix, whose 2020s had excelled, seemed out of sorts. Fingers crossed that these were just errant bottles. Even Frédéric Lafarge’s wines lacked some luster, prompting discussion about how his Volnays shine in barrel before shutting down, then reopening and blossoming with age. Such is the caprice of wine from even its most respected producers. Matters improved when we broached three promising flights in Corton. Historically, one of the Côte d’Or’s less favored appellations with too many mediocre vineyards classified Grand Cru, the 2020s demonstrated more brightness and tension, testifying improvements taking place.

The Côte de Nuits was a more fertile hunting ground compared to the Côte de Beaune. But similar to the Côte de Beaune, it began inauspiciously in the southern sector of Nuits Saint-Georges around Prémeaux-Prissey. The Premier Crus from Domaine de l’Arlot were very reductive and unsettled when they had shown so well in barrel. The Clos des Porrets-Saint-Georges from Henri Gouges? That was a wine that set my alarm bells ringing from barrel, and this confirmed my wariness, though the Les Pruliers made amends, even if not top-drawer. Would Les-Saint-Georges, a Premier Cru in search of promotion, be better? Marginally. While Faiveley did admirably well, others did not pass muster in this vintage. Matters got slightly better as we broached the vineyards closer to Vosne-Romanée. In particular, the Les Chaignots from, who else, Mugneret-Gibourg ostensibly stepped forward as if to show how it’s done. Prices for the sisters’ wines have risen in recent vintages…but you taste and understand why.

I signaled readers to pay attention to Clos de Vougeot in my original barrel report, and now the wines are in bottle, and there is no reason to alter that view. The most famous walled vineyard in the world contains some gems: Domaine de la Vougeraie, Berthaut-Gerbet, Grivot, d’Eugénie and Comte Liger-Belair all fashioned top-grade wines worth seeking out. My highest score went to Château de Marsannay, without disrespect, something that I would not have predicted. I wonder whether their training technique is making a difference, as this producer was one of the first to introduce Poussard in the area.

Unsurprisingly, an appellation such as Morey-Saint-Denis fared better in this hot season than Chambolle-Musigny, whose rounder and more sensual style in warmer seasons can tip over towards wines deprived of precision and nervosité. That’s not to say there are wines that showed extremely well. Perhaps in terms of value-for-money, Drouhin’s Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru, a blend of several lieux-dits, surpassed its showing from barrel. Hudelot-Baillet’s Les Borniques proves that it is a very capable Premier Cru and surpassed their rather bombastic Les Carmes, while Roumier’s Cras does not disappoint. Yet Mugnier’s Les Fuées, one of his finest cuvées, had a vegetal finish that I found off-putting and Groffier’s Les Sentiers, a little slender.

At the Premier Cru level, Morey-Saint-Denis can represent better value vis-à-vis Chambolle-Musigny and appears to have prospered more. The standout was Pierre-Vincent Girardin’s exceptional Les Monts Luisant. (Girardin is the son of Vincent Girardin, who sold the domaine in 2011, which makes it a little confusing!) Also, seek out Dujac’s outstanding Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru, their blend of Les Charrières, Les Millandes, Ruchots and Clos Sorbé – four for the price of one, Heresztyn-Mazzini’s Les Millandes or Roumier’s Clos de la Bussière, a cuvée often overshadowed by his roster of Chambolles. Not on this occasion. A Morey-based producer that had a “good Burgfest” is Taupenot-Merme, with three or four cuvées performing extremely well. Bravo to Romain and Virginie Taupenot.

Morey’s Grand Crus are among the high points of the vintage, though who foresaw Domaine Castignier’s Clos Saint-Denis trumping the Clos de Tart and Clos des Lambrays, owned by Artémis and LVMH, respectively. That said, all these wines rank among the best I tasted during the entire week. Likewise, Domaine Hubert Lignier’s Clos de la Roche is among their finest– kudos to winemaker Laurent Lignier for overseeing a fabulous wine that will give 20 to 30 years of drinking pleasure. The following flight of Bonnes-Mares did not quite reach the peaks of the Morey side, though there are excellent wines from Domaines Groffier, the group winner, Roumier and Bruno Clair. Also, a shout out to Domaine de la Vougeraie. In recent vintages, their wines have received criticism from this writer; however, their Bonnes-Mares is superb. Indeed, they enjoyed one of the best Burgfests in recent years, befitting a producer with a foothold in many of the Côte d’Or’s most esteemed vineyards.

Gevrey-Chambertin is more comprehensively covered than Morey or Chambolle-Musigny, which permits more vineyard-specific flights. The Lavaux Saint-Jacques was rightly applauded, advantaged by its cooler meso-climate with impressive showings from Domaine Tawse. I should also mention a fantastic Estournelles Saint-Jacques from Charles Magnien (Domaine Henri Magnien) that was secreted into this flight. However, I did not find his Les Cazetiers representative and declined to score this. Likewise, Faiveley’s Cazetiers displayed some Brettanomyces – a pity because some lovely fruit was behind it.

For the first time in a few years, I managed to identify the five Clos Saint-Jacques. Sadly, there is no prize. The two that stood out in the most famous quintet after the Simpson family are Armand Rousseau and Bruno Clair, the latter enjoying a glorious run of form in recent vintages and well…Rousseau is Rousseau. There were several flights of Grand Cru. Charmes-Chambertin was inconsistent. Much better were the Clos-de-Bèze, Rousseau, Faiveley and Duroché showing extremely well, but on the other hand, Groffier’s oxidized in the glass while Bruno Clair’s seemed out of sorts after such a great showing from barrel. The Chambertin Grand Crus were bejeweled with gems from Domaine J-L Trapet, a grower who excelled in 2020, also an outside bet…Château de Marsannay (again). They have really ratcheted up quality in recent vintages. I am overdue for a visit. I wasn’t quite convinced by the Rousseau here and favored their Clos-de-Bèze, though a scintilla of TCA might have played its part.

The final day focused on Vosne-Romanée and commenced with Les Suchots and Malconsorts. A solid start with exemplary showings from Hudelot-Noëllat, de Montille and Dujac, though the tasting was plagued by vexing wines from Domaine du Clos Frantin and de l’Arlot. It was the same for the Les Beaumonts/Aux Brûlées flight. For every wondrous Grivot, for example, the next bottle, such as the preceding Brûlées from d’Eugénie, left me scratching my head. But as we moved on, there was a clutch of sensational wines: Comte Liger-Belair’s Les Petits Monts and Aux Reignots proving that “the man in red trousers” (Louis-Michel) is crafting better wines than ever, even though they are not exactly cheap. Also, kudos to Amélie Berthaut, whose Les Petits-Monts is quite brilliant, a genuine long-term prospect. The nine Echézeaux were a slight comedown despite outstanding wines from d’Eugénie’s Grands-Echézeaux and Pascal Mugneret’s (Domaine Gérard Mugneret) Echézeaux, perhaps the pick of the crop given the price. We finished in bravura style with a stunning final flight of Grand Crus. After what had been an up-and-down week for Domaine de l’Arlot, their Romanée-Saint-Vivant was breath-taking and vied with Comte Liger-Belair’s La Romanée for top honors. It was as if these wines were saying that 2020 can match the pinnacle of Burgundy, but you take your chances.

Final Thoughts

Another year, another Burgfest. Another crop of answers that spawned twice the number of questions! Hey, that’s Burgundy. It is a region that keeps you on your toes and is the source of endless fascination.

Entering this tasting, I wondered how 2020’s warm summer would affect the Pinot Noirs. Perhaps these wines proved predictions correct insofar that some bottles overcame the challenges while others succumbed. It is miraculous that such wines can manifest in such a growing season. Go back in time to 2003 and ask winemakers if it would be feasible to create great Pinot Noir in a season like 2020, and they would have laughed. Vine adaptation, winemakers altering their modus operandi, accumulating know-how and foresight combine to make the finest 2020 reds possible.

At the same time, it cannot be denied that warm temperatures and dryness denude many of transparency and Pinoté, attributes that many seek and pay handsomely for. These diminished facets are compensated by the purity of fruit, lushness and a sense of “luxuriant” Pinot Noir robed in silky textures that disarm the senses and, at their peak, can leave you starry-eyed. It is Pinot Noir reconfigured. What some dub the “new norm”. The pitfall is growing unpredictability not just between cuvées but between bottles. Due to the reasons outlined at the beginning of this piece, spoilage is an ever-present threat, and it can rear its ugly head after the wine is in bottle. It’s like driving a Rolls Royce off the forecourt and finding the clutch is faulty on the way home. I suspect, in many cases, it goes unreported due to its subjectivity, fear of being wrong and making a fool of yourself. To reiterate my earlier point, that is precisely what makes this blind tasting invaluable, and in terms of scale, Burgfest is unique.

What is the takeaway from all this? I remember discussing the subject of bottling with Marie-Christine Mugneret, a winemaker with a scientific background. She emphasized the importance of diligence throughout bottling, as fundamental as the date of picking or fermentation temperature. Given changes in the constitution of Pinot Noir due to global warming, higher pH levels, alcohol and so forth, that final stage is even more fraught with peril and, similarly, reward.

Perhaps it would be prudent to undertake more frequent, rigorous testing throughout barrel maturation?

Maybe vintages could be held back longer before being released onto the market to double-check any spoilage, something that may transpire anyway, given volumes of 2023 and 2024?

Or is it such a small percentage that it does not really matter? Buyer beware.

Because at the end of the day, despite recent falls, these wines continue to command huge prices; ergo, expectations are sky high, and disappointment is more acute. What I previously called the “fetishization” of blue-chip Burgundy and, it must be said, the occasional God-like tendencies of a handful of winemakers side-tracked by wealth and fame combine to give a mirage of infallibility and indisputable greatness. Tastings such as this bring these beatified wines down from their lofty perch. It puts them on a level playing field. Under the glare of blind tasting, we strive to discover who truly warrants adulation because, whisper it quietly, it is not necessarily the most expensive or illustrious.

Now, back to something easier…where are those cats?

© 2024, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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