It seems like lots of growers are heading off for vacation as the veraison and ripening days of August have arrived.
I touched base with David Duband this afternoon to ask how it’s going out there.
He said that he lost 35% in Echezeaux due to the hail, but other than that, things are looking quite good in spite of the heavy amount of rain in July. It has been sunny for the past few days and looks to be so for a solid week plus. A solid size crop, harvest date 5-10 September is his forecast.
Anybody else out there have impressions?
Fwiw, I staged a tasting of David’s 2012s this past Wednesday. They universally impressed for their delicacy, precision, and true-to-terroir typicite. The NSG, Gevrey, and Chambolle villages bottlings continued to surprise and delight me with their substance and complexity, something often lacking in MANY villages bottlings. Highlights included Nuits 1er Thorey for upper slope poise and northern Nuits refinement w/ just a kiss of the wild, Morey 1er Clos Sorbe for overall complexity and harmony, and both the Charmes Chambertin and le Chambertin which were pure class.
He doesn’t have the sexiest back story, but for whole-cluster, pure, delicate, and precise Burgundies, he is on his game, hitting it out of the park in '12 (the first vintage vinified in his new facility…).
Graphic disclaimer: I import and sell his wines.