### The 2013 & 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 [2013 Red Burgundies](http://vinousmedia.com/articles/the-2013-red-burgundies-jan-2015) and [2012 Red Burgundies](http://vinousmedia.com/articles/the-2012-red-burgundies-from-bottle-mar-2015) for more on the growing seasons, and, of course, Steve’s views on the wines.

![](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.

![](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 [last year](http://vinousmedia.com/articles/2012-red-burgundy-against-all-odds-part-1-jan-2014).

**You Might Also Enjoy**

[The 2012 Red Burgundies from Bottle](http://www.vinousmedia.com/articles/the-2012-red-burgundies-from-bottle-mar-2015)

[The 2013 Red Burgundies](http://www.vinousmedia.com/articles/the-2013-red-burgundies-jan-2015)

[Domaine de la Romanée-Conti: Romanée-Conti and Montrachet](http://www.vinousmedia.com/articles/domaine-de-la-romanee-conti-romanee-conti-and-montrachet-feb-2015)

[2012 Red Burgundy: Against All Odds](http://www.vinousmedia.com/articles/2012-red-burgundy-against-all-odds-part-1-jan-2014)

-- Antonio Galloni



The 2013 & 2012 Red Burgundies

The 2013 & 2012 Red Burgundies (Apr 2015)

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