2018 Beaune Village

David Croix is a winemaker always on time, so I was a bit perturbed when there was no answer when I rang his doorbell. A quick phone call later and thankfully he rushed down from Dijon so I could taste his 2018s from barrel. "There was no rain forecasted," he explained. "Everybody was waiting [for the rain] but it never came, so I started picking the Pinot Noir on 27 August and finished on 6 September. The season was a dry and sunny year but it was stormy on occasion. There was a bit of mildew pressure at some points but the main problem with the shriveled grapes due to the dryness in August." I asked him for his own perspective on the 2018s since I appreciate is candidness. “I like 2018. It is a very good vintage, but not a great vintage because the ripeness was not fully achieved. The end of the ripening was too dry to have a great vintage. I am happy that I picked early and that kept freshness in the wines. I am not sure if there is full great balance in the wines."