BURGUNDY SHIFTS GEARS

The powerful 2020 reds reflect vintners’ adept response to warmer growing seasons

- Bruce Sanderson

OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, RED BURGUNDY HAS BEEN UNDERGOING a paradigm shift. Prior to the early 2000s, the main issue for vintners was achieving full ripeness in their Pinot Noir grapes. In the vineyards, winemakers waited as long as possible to harvest, while in the cellars they commonly practiced chaptalization—adding sugar during the fermentation process—to increase potential alcohol.

The 2003 harvest was a turning point. This was the first modern vintage to see weeks of intense heat during the summer months, taking growers by surprise and leading to the earliest harvest in more than a century. Since then, there have been six subsequent harvests that began in August.

In recent years, this trend has meant a pendulum swing when it comes to ripeness. Vintners are now seeking to avoid overripeness and high alcohol, which can lead to flabby wines, and rarely need to rely on chaptalization. Instead, the timing of the harvest has become perhaps the most important decision they make.

At their best, the resulting wines are more immediately appealing, offering expressive, fruit-forward profiles and fleshy textures coating their tannins and acid structures.

The current releases from the 2020 vintage are a case in point. Ripe, fleshy and bursting with fruit, these are big, powerful reds that deliver immediate gratification. They are the product of a growing season whose early harvest crossed a new threshold: Picking not only began in August, but also finished in August.