2020 Bourgogne Chardonnay

I spent a Saturday with Thibaut Marion at his winery in Beaune, opposite Albert Bichot. I have been following Seguin-Manuel for a few years now, and Marion always comes across as a very conscientious vigneron. “We had a bit of everything in 2020, but nothing heavy. A bit of frost, a bit of drought, a bit of rain. The exceptional number of sunshine hours made it the earliest vintage ever – we finished harvesting by the end of August for the first time ever, after beginning on August 20. It was easy to get the pickers, as we had a mixture of students and friends. The big surprise is that because of the high temperatures, we expected a vintage like 2003, but the general balance, especially in terms of acidity, is not like that. That is because the nights were not that warm and we did not have a long heat wave. So the ripeness is there, but it’s balanced with the tannins and the acidity. It is a classic structure of Burgundy with the aromas of a sunny summer. Production was affected for the reds, around two-thirds of the crop, more than the whites, due to a bit of coulure and échaudage. I lost some of the contracts for the red wines this year, such as the Echézeaux and Chambolle-Charmes, but the whites are expanded with new contracts." Generally, this year I preferred the reds to the whites, the latter at times just denuded of some tension and mineralité by the growing season, especially with the Mâconnais wines. The reds have much to offer, particularly the Beaune Champimonts and Savigny Les Lavières.