I just popped a 2015 Bertheau Chambolle 1er. I suppose it’s too small a sample size, but I would say anyone avoiding 2015 because it’s too ripe or extracted is nuts! This is lovely.
Who said it was too ripe and extracted? Did I miss something? I’ve heard nothing but good things about 2015.
Well, I don’t know any of them, but apparently a lot of French people 
Except price…
Thanks. I actually have some of this coming.
Hello Craig, I’m French and I tasted many 2015s in barrel in June 2016 (in between a few MTB rides, as you know).
They certainly tasted very ripe, and in my opinion, overripe in June 2016. And to be honest, most of the producers we visited (very reputable ones) certainly tended to think so to. I repeat the date (June 2016) because since, many critics and wine specialists and importers I trust have been telling us that the wines dramatically changed and gained structure and focus in the subsequent few months. Your experience, and despite the small sample, goes in the same direction.
I did buy some 15 reds (very few whites) and I will be looking at how this vintage develops in the future. If the wines turn out as good as serious critics and drinkers seem to say, I will tell the story of the barrel tasting to evoke the magic of Burgundy. If they turn out to be too soft and jammy, I’ll be able to tell I knew it all along.
Thierry
Well said Thierry. Overripeness has been a problem for me in 2015, though admittedly my taste for red Burg walks a tight rope, with elevated freshness being a key. 2008, 2010 and 13-14 seem to be my favorites in recent vintages. There will be some 15’s I like but it’s not a slam dunk vintage for me.
What’s wrong with having fruit in fermented fruit juice? Isn’t Burgundy supposed to age for a decade or two? Seems to me that means there will still be some fruit flavor left after it resolves.
I’ve been a bit surprised that the prices didn’t go up more. With one exception, I believe the producers I’ve been buying went up 10% or less from 2014. I thought it would be worse. Maybe it is worse for higher end stuff.
The same thing again and again. The overripeness you are talking about is nothing else than baby fat. This will melt away with time and the underlying structure shines through. There is no difference if it´s Burgundy or Bordeaux. 2009 wines for instance are very different today than they were as babies. Way more balanced and structured. And delicious. The same will happen with vintage 2015.
Let’s hope!
The real problem with these “warm” vintages is the hype, which causes high prices and low availability.
The good thing is that lesser vineyards may give delicious wines.
I did not find the wines overripe in the two cellars I visited a year ago (Lafarge and B. Clair), but some of the usually most powerful wines (like Bonnes Mares) did seem to need to get rid of quite a bit of baby fat.
I will be glad when more 2015s arrive as it will further depress the prices of 2013 and 2014 i.e. some good buying opportunities! BTW top Beaujolais in 2015 was definitely not my thing and this has biased me against Burgs, rightly or not, as the harbinger of what’s to come.
From what I have had, I like '15 more than either '09 or '10 at this early stage…
Yep - I opened a 2009 Jadot Beaune 1er Cru ‘150th Anniversary’ in June, and it had really started to come into focus. Does it need more time? Yes! That’s OK though.
I wasn’t one who complained about the ripe fruit in 2009 and have not been disappointed with the wines. I suspect the same thing about 2015 as well. Don’t know why people are horrified at riper Burgundy vintages (for the reds), it is not a bad thing.
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2015 is easily the best vintage since 2009/10 or even 2005 … one may not like it now, which is simply a matter of taste, but to deny the obvious qualities is … well, no sign of real deep knowledge …
Fine wine is made from perfectly ripe fruit … (that´s a major difference to Balsamico 
) - and I did not find any disturbing overripeness, neither last year from barrel nor this year … there is enough structure incl. acidity in the better wines … so no doubt they will blossom, but its´a “vin de garde” …
Perhaps it is best to form your own opinion. The poster also wrote “a sommelier at le bristol in paris who was so keen on 2004s. he believed that with time they would become very classical burgundies of elegant” proportions.
i am most curious where i mentioned the terms over ripe or over extracted anywhere in my post?
way too much group think going on. i am just sharing alternative view points (which may not necessarily be my own).
Thanks Craig, I have some of those coming as well. I have bought very heavily into ‘15 and it’s taking all my willpower to keep from buying more. As a lover of California pinots as well, I’m extremely unworried about Red Burg being over-ripe!
As always the big challenge is that it’s just about impossible here in California to taste much of anything before buying. I have to rely on vintage reports and past tastings of producers to inform my buying decisions. There are far too many producers I love these days.