Variations on a
Theme: Burgundy 2020 Whites 

BY NEAL MARTIN&nbsp;|&nbsp;JULY 09, 2024Once
more, unto the breach, we go. Glutton for punishment that I am, it was time to
head back to Savigny-lès-Beaune, drive up the long meandering lane through
dense woodland patrolled by wild boar until I reached the isolated converted farmhouse,
Hameau de Barbaron. Once here, I left my ego at the door, tied on my metaphorical
blindfold and tasted 226 white Burgundy wines that, this year, were the 2020
intake.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1720537090617-burgfest+room.JPG">The
tasting takes place in a converted outbuilding on the farm, away from any
distractions. This was taken between flights as wines, which are double
decanted, are poured. 

It
bears repeating that this five-day tasting is easily the most educational of
the year. I often think such a test should be compulsory for any professional
critic, irrespective of experience. The amount learned by listening to fellow
participants, understanding their perspective and discovering what might evade
your own senses is an invaluable tool, to wit, an exercise in self-improvement.
This annual tasting was incepted many years ago under the auspice of the late
Clive Coates MW. It was less formal in its early days, though the format has
settled and been maintained over the last decade. This group of experienced
palates comprises predominantly of the UK’s major Burgundy buyers dotted with a
couple of scribes. Members do not change, abiding by the rule that the seat is
yours unless you resign or die. Thankfully, unlike “Southwold,” Burgfest has
only seen resignations, graciously making way for younger blood and, long
overdue, women. Bottles are donated by participating domaines; Premier and
Grand Crus only due to time limitations. Flights are arranged per climat
with more or less one appellation broached each day. What I particularly like
about this tasting is the pace. We take our time, sufficient to re-taste and
comprehend Burgundy’s mercurial nature. Crucially, it allows intra-group debate
about the wines before they are revealed to customary oohs and aahs.

It is a
comparative exercise taken to its zenith. Ceteris paribus, variations between
wines within flights are influenced by natural differences in terms of terroirs
(soil type, altitude, orientation, vine age, rootstock) and human differences (pruning
method, canopy management, hours spent in the vineyard etc). One must not
overlook the imprint of important decisions: date of picking, sorting, whole
bunch addition, alcoholic fermentation and élevage. Given this array of
influencing factors, it is remarkable how flights can taste like variations on
a theme and therein lies our fascination with Burgundy.

This
year, I have decided to split the report into white and red, the latter penciled
in for early September as usual. This is partly because I am slammed with the
marathon of domaine visits later, and it relieves some of the pressure both for
myself and the editorial team towards the end of the year.

Readers
should click <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/dance-the-quickstep-burgundy-2020-dec-2021">here</a>
for a summary of the 2020 growing season. So, without further ado, let’s talk
about the wines…<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1720537113658-meursault+bottles.JPG">The Wines The
headline?

I was
immensely impressed by the quality of the 2020 white Burgundies. They surpassed
expectations, a sentiment that was shared by the group. Generally, these seem
superior to their 2019 counterparts thanks to, at times, their spine-tingling nervosité
that was presumed impossible given that year’s heat. Whoever claims that
modern white Burgundy has lost its typicité and edginess should taste
the wines instead of theorizing. As I wrote in a <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/2-2-5-bordeaux-2021-in-bottle-feb-2024">previous
report</a>, two plus two does not necessarily equal four. In vino veritas and
all that. As a consequence, you will find upgrades in my scores vis-à-vis in
barrel back in 2021, wines that have gained complexity and terroir expression.

Nevertheless,
the proceedings got off to a stuttering start. The fifty-odd Chablis were
variable compared to the Côte d’Or. Some of the sunnier, southerly-exposed
vineyards seemed to lose their typicité during the warm summer. This
resulted in more blowsy wines amongst the Premier Crus, more reflective of
sunshine than soil. Only once we reached the Grand Crus did the wines deliver
more consistency and gravitas, which is not a given since, in theory, their advantageous
orientation and exposure can be upturned and rendered a disadvantage. Some
producers that I admire and praise in barrel, like, for example, Didier Picq,
inexplicably never seem to perform well at Burgfest.

Perhaps
that is due to the wines closing down after bottling?

Maybe
because without wood contact, they tend to be steelier and less flattering when
walking down the proverbial catwalk with their more oaky peers?

As
usual, Jean-Benoît Droin’s wines performed well, albeit not the royal
flush of wins witnessed in recent years, while it should be noted that the
co-operative La Chablisienne showed admirably, courtesy of their Les
Grenouilles Grand Cru. Readers should note that neither Raveneau nor
Vincent Dauvissat are included in the line-up.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1720537157091-puligny+bottles.JPG">On the
second day, we moved to the first of the appellations in the Côte de Beaune and
half a dozen flights from Meursault. The first flight focused on Premier Crus, located
on the lower sectors of the slopes. It augured for what followed: a raft of
splendid wines, especially from Porusots. I also applauded the Meursault
Caillerets from a new grower, Éric Boigelot, who I will have to keep
an eye on. The selection from Meursault Genevrières produced some gems,
not least the first from Michel Bouzereau, who, in this tasting’s
parlance, had “a very successful Burgfest”. It’s perplexing how his wines do
not attract the same reverence as his peers, not that I feel it bothers the
self-effacing winemaker. The next flight switched attention to Les Charmes,
and there were impressive showings from Vincent Girardin, Alvina Pernot,
Olivier Leflaive and Bitouzet-Prieur. As expected, these 2020s are a
little fuller and rounder than the Genevrières, perhaps relishing the warmer
summer that year. I wondered whether that would erase the signature mineralité
that defines Les Perrières? Not so. This was a sterling set of wines, not least
a spectacular example from group winner Michel Bouzereau. There were additionally
excellent examples from Jean-Marc Roulot, though frustratingly, the Les
Perrières from Domaine des Comtes Lafon did not shine as it did out of
barrel. Finally, it was also a pleasure to reacquaint myself with Albert
Grivault, a grower I once visited regularly and am overdue a return. 

Wednesday
commenced with two flights of Saint-Aubin. Perhaps this was the weak link in an
otherwise strong week of wines. There were exceptions such as the En Remilly
from Domaine de Montille, who, like Bouzereau, enjoyed a successful
Burgfest. Still, otherwise, the warmth and lower percentage of clay denuded
these wines the terroir expression of a cooler season.I
anticipated a similar tepid reception towards the Puligny-Montrachet, whose
success is founded upon nerve and mineralité. I found these in situ out
of barrel, so the question was whether they remained in bottle? 

There
was nothing to worry about. I particularly admired the terroir expressions of
the Champs Gain from François Carillon, the Les Referts from
J-M Boillot and Les Perrières from Etienne Sauzet. Things
clicked up a gear with some wonderful Les Combettes where hardly any grower
seemed to put a foot wrong, shading the following flight of Folatières that
finally started to merit praise courtesy of de Montille, Bachelet-Monnot and
Olivier Leflaive Frères. Some of the highlights from the appellation
arrived with de Montille’s Caillerets, which gained incredible focus and
delineation in the glass; kudos also to Philippe Colin’s&nbsp;Les Demoiselles.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1720537203998-chassagne+bottles_copy.JPG">But if
I could repeat tasting one appellation, then it would be Chassagne-Montrachet. These
2020s attest to how young blood has rejuvenated what was once an appellation
that played second fiddle to Puligny or Meursault. Bruno Colin’s Les
Vergers was an omen of things to come, likewise the La Boudriotte from
Fontaine-Gagnard. Coffinet-Duvernay’s Les Fairandes almost
hummed with vibrancy, Thierry Pillot’s (Domaine Paul Pillot) La Grands
Montagne communicating its terroir with aplomb, his Les Grandes
Ruchottes candidate for the best Premier Cru in the entire tasting. These
are wines that have developed a real identity of their own, slightly fuller in
style yet suffused with remarkable raciness given the warmth of that year.
Moreover, these are just wines that I would love to drink, as banal as that
reads. 

Our
final day was dedicated to the Grand Crus. We began with two flights of Corton-Charlemagne,
always an intriguing prospect because, unlike nearly all the other flights, the
wines are located on various altitudes and perhaps even more influential,
different orientations, Pernand-Vergelesses or Ladoix-facing. Compared to
previous Burgfest tastings, I found this a more consistent series of wines. The
standout surprised some attendees, the Corton-Charlemagne from Domaine
Tollot-Beaut. Quantities are so small, one or two barrels, that I rarely
ask Nathalie Tollot to taste it. I will ask her in the future because this has
all the hallmarks of a great “C.C.” I will also mention Domaine de la
Vougeraie because some of their 2020s did not entirely pass muster; this
was splendid.Afterward,
it was essentially a tour through the more prestigious enclaves of
Puligny-Montrachet: Bâtard-Montrachet, Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet,
Chevalier-Montrachet and finishing with a quintet of Montrachet. I
was smitten by two of the three Bienvenues from Domaines Jean-Claude
Bachelet and Jacques Carillon. There were more 2020s from
Bâtard-Montrachet as you would expect given its larger size, though this did
not quite deliver as many great wines as expected, though Domaine Jean
Chartron and Vincent Girardin were both a cut above. We moved up a
gear with no less than ten 2020s from Chevalier-Montrachet. The terroir appears
to have relished the challenge of the warm summer and triumphed with some
stellar wines from Domaine Bouchard Père &amp; Fils, Domaine Leflaive
and Domaine de Montille. Were they better than the Montrachets? I am not
sure. Perhaps global warming evens out the top vineyards, however, the
Montrachet from Domaine Marc Colin is stellar, likewise from Olivier
Leflaive Frères. I did not quite engage with Dominique Lafon’s Montrachet, which
showed brilliantly from the barrel, although it often takes a few years to show
its mettle. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1720537179977-montrachet+bottles.jpg">Final Thoughts What an
enjoyable week of tasting. Though, believe it or not, it is a mentally taxing
week, so many of these smiles elicited smiles. You can gauge the quality of the
wines by the ambiance of the room, the frisson in the air and the fomented
positive energy that left me salivating in anticipation for the next flight. While
I envisage the wines maturing well in bottle, it is easy to see why many broach
them young, not least with the specter of premature oxidation never far away.
That said, there were fewer incidences than in previous editions of Burgfest, indicating
growers are actively addressing the situation, even if a) nobody can fully
explain its cause(s) and b) it is not completely eradicated and may never be.
When a wine costs so much money, it is no wonder that many erstwhile buyers
move on to alternatives. Russian Roulette gets tiresome after a while.

On the
other hand, despite negativity towards white Burgundy either in terms of
expenditure or faults, there were times when the 2020s were reminders of why,
when it is on form, nothing compares to a Chassagne-Montrachet or a
Chevalier-Montrachet in full flight. Their sheer complexity and nerve, the
kaleidoscope of aromas, and the tantalizing aftertaste can elicit tears of joy.
After tasting these wines, you had to marvel at the array of styles that were
collectively variations on a theme, a quite delicious theme at that.© 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.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/2-2-5-bordeaux-2021-in-bottle-feb-2024">2+2=5: Bordeaux 2021 In Bottle</a>, Neal Martin, February 2024<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/pump-up-the-volume-2019-burgundy-blind-dec-2023">Pump Up The Volume: 2019 Burgundy - Blind</a>, Neal Martin, December 2023 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/dealing-with-the-new-paradigm-burgundy-2018-nov-2022">Dealing with the New Paradigm: Burgundy 2018</a>, Neal Martin, November 2022 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/back-to-burgfest-2017-reds-blind-jan-2022">Back to Burgfest: 2017 Reds – Blind</a>, Neal Martin, January&nbsp;2022 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/dance-the-quickstep-burgundy-2020-dec-2021">Dance the Quickstep: Burgundy 2020</a>, Neal Martin, December 2021 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vinous.com/articles/back-to-burgfest-2017-whites-blind-aug-2021">Back to Burgfest: 2017 Whites – Blind</a>, Neal Martin, August 2021

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