Any buzz on 2019 white burgundy?

I’m starting to notice some prearrivals for 2019 white burgs (these offers might have been around for a while, but they only just appeared on my radar), with some relatively attractive pricing.

Anyone has a sense of the style in 2019, even second hand? Is it a leaner, brighter vintage like 2017 or a bigger, riper year like 2015? Or closer to 2018?

I haven’t tried many 2018s yet, but I’m not wild about what I have (a bit too ripe perhaps, lacking the tension of the 2017s). They’re not bad to be sure and the wine press has a lot of good things to say about many white burgs in 2018, but if 2019 is akin to 2018, that would put it in the “no need to chase” column for me.

Wait is it 2021 already??? Geez I have been asleep for a while. Had some smattering of '18’s bottom feeders and they were nice. What is available in your area?

I have a mix of 2019s I got from Maison Harbour during Berserker Day but I haven’t really thought to open any yet. I may do the BBlanc this summer but not considering the 1er crus for a few years.

Both 2019 and 2018 are defined by yields—the highest in decades in 2018; notably low in 2019. The result is that, despite both vintages being warm and sunny, the wines are very different in style. 2018s are generally average in acidity and alcohol (often lower in alcohol than 2017, which is very much not a “lean” vintage, even if it is bright and lively) and if, as a whole, they have a defect it’s a lack of concentration. I think the best examples will put on weight in bottle and show nicely, but as a set the 2018 whites showed better in barrel than in bottle. If the 2019s have a defect, it’s an excess of concentration: they can be a bit hot and high in alcohol. But the best 2019 whites are balanced and have huge amounts of dry extract that makes them very textural, structural wines. Acidity concentrated along with sugar, too, so pHs can be quite low. In any case, they are very different white Burgundy vintages that’s for sure.

Is 2019 similar to 2016 for whites?

I would hope not!

Thanks for the feedback. William, good to hear about the yields in 18 and 19. I should be careful trying to describe vintages, as I tend to focus only on a handful of producers. I agree ‘lean’ is the wrong word for the 17s — it’s just that the producers I like (in particular PYCM, Niellon, Carillon, and various Chablis) are so electric that year with a citric, minerally profile that the richness presents as secondary. At least some of the 18s of the same wines in contrast seem diffuse (perhaps from the high yields) with a more tropical or pear-infused profile than the corresponding 17. Still not sure how the 19s show compare.

Is there a prior vintage similar enough to the 19s to serve as a reasonable facsimile?

No! 2016 is a vintage defined by frost and ensuing heterogenous maturity. They don’t really have anything in common.

Exactly. There are a lot of factors that influence the perception of “freshness” in white wine, and I think it’s the lack of dry extract and ensuing softness of some 2018 whites that is leading people to describe them as “too ripe”—because pHs were generally correct. On top of that, the aromas are, I agree, a bit more sun-kissed.

For 2019, let’s say the concentration, alcohol and ripe skins of 2015; the acidity of 2017; and the glossy, hyper-concentrated texture of 2012.

At face value, this sounds pretty awesome! I’m sure balance between these elements is also key, but damn if I’m not now itching to try some 2019s!

When it’s good, it’s really good! But, you had to get harvest date, pressing, and élevage right. It was a high wire act.

First impressions of 2020 (not reviewing them yet, but I am tasting for personal interest) are very positive, btw.

I just grabbed some 2019 St Aubins on prearrival, 3 each from Hubert Lamy Les Frionnes and Marc Colin La Chatenière.

So there is buzz on 2019 White Burgundy after all.

I hear the Lamy Criots HD is pretty smart in 2019… will be looking out for case specials on that one !

Any views on Chablis, William?

Just tried the 2019s of Guffens-Heynen from bottle today and the 1er Jus de Chavigne is extra-special… Apparently I own 12 bottles, 6 magnums and 2 jeroboams, so I’m very happy. JMG sees 2019 vs 2020 as being similar to 1989 vs 1990, and I think there’s a lot of truth to that: 2019s like 1989s are muscular, richer wines whereas 2020s like 1990s are shaping up to be a bit finer-boned and more immediately charming, with a touch less alcohol.

No real views on Chablis yet, I’m going there in a couple of weeks time.

Nice choices.

Anyone looking for something that won’t take ages to come around should consider the Montagny bottlings from Bruno Lorenzon.

Prices will be higher on 2019 than 2018, at least on the wines I have purchased.

This is Burgundy, after all.

Law of nature.

I bought a couple of the 1er Jus de Chavigne pre-arrival in March. Looking forward to it.

With pricing how it is here, I am likely to focus on Chablis, Macon, and St. Aubin for 2019 and 2020. Pricing on Lorenzon is quite high from the little I’ve seen. The same for Vincent’s Santenay Beaurepaire. Hopefully, we see a normalization toward pre-tariff pricing in the US, but it’s rare that Burg prices retract. We will see.