2015 Burgundy

WINE TALK
21

Just buy the wines you like in every vintage and savor the special years when they come along.

22

It’s good to see Robert Parker posting here! :wink:

I’ve only tried a few 15s, and have found them less interesting than some other vintages. Not the ripeness or roasted qualities of 03, but there is a definite sense of a warm vintage. If you like that, more power to you. I tend to like cooler vintages. I’ve actually loved a lot of 13s and 14s. Obviously it depends on the producer, I have no doubt there are plenty of outstanding wines in 15. But I think it’s a vintage not to be bought blindly.

23

The ripe side of things wasn’t my take on, granted, not that many tastes back in May when I was there. My thoughts at the time:

“2015—also difficult to assess for reds in that a lot of them are 1-3 months in bottle so still may be in shock-and-lock stage. Although there was a spread and I had trouble nailing it down, I probably in the end would agree with winemaker Vincent Bottreau at Domaine D’Ardhuy—09 with more acidity. The Clos De Beze from Marchand-Tawse was easily the best red Burg of the trip. The whites I tried show a surprising level of sophistication and lovely mouthfeel this early—I may be buying.”

Sante,

Mike

24

Is there such a thing as a Burgundy vintage that can be bought blindly?

25

I think 10 was pretty good across the board. But yes, you’re right. 15, however, seems like a vintage to be even a little more selective. I was already not buying as much, due to both price and the fact I have little room for more wine. But the vintage itself has made that an easier decision for me. There are several producers whom I trust who have told me it is a great vintage, but I heard that in 09 as well, and I’m not fond of 09.

26

Fair enough. It’s interesting to contrast Doug Barzelay’s notes: “while there are few poor wines in this vintage, and many that will give pleasure to those who are happy with lush, fruity Burgundies (not that there’s anything wrong with that!), finding the wines that will epitomize the magic of Burgundy at maturity–balancing the ripe fruit with enough acidity to provide terroir transparency, and with silky textures–requires a bit more effort.”) with William Kelley’s broader endorsement: “The red wines are truly great: rich, powerful and statuesque but almost always underpinned by juicy acidity.”

But that said, I’m always pretty selective about what I buy. Are there wines/producers that you bought in '13 and '14 that you are not buying in '15 because you think they’ll be too ripe? (as opposed to just too expensive)

27

[crazy2.gif]



Fine - your personal opinion …

I wish we could open some top 2015s and some (fill in a vintage you prefer … 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011 …)
in 20+ years … THEN we talk again.

28

Well, the truth is that Burgundy has gotten so expensive that I’m not buying much either way. But some examples off the top of my head: PYCM - I had largely stopped buying due to price and availability, but his wines tend toward the riper/richer side, particularly in warmer vintages. So there’s one. Pousse d’Or I find to always lean toward the more lush/rich side, so 13 was a perfect vintage for them, I wouldn’t buy those wines in 15. Same with Ponsot (forget price). I did buy my Henri Boillot allocation in 15, but haven’t sampled any of the wines yet. I’ve bought a tiny smattering of Rossignol, Bouley, Faiveley, Hudelot-Noellat, Drouhin, but I figure if the wines aren’t to my liking they are easy enough to sell. I haven’t bought any Chablis, and almost no White Burgs.

29

I wish we could do that too!

Of course it’s opinion, that’s what the internet is for [cheers.gif]

30

I was really talking about 2015 reds, which is where the hype is.

31

The more people who write off excellent Burgundy vintages, the happier I am.

32

2015 is going to need time to shed some baby fat and come around. I believe that most wines will shut down pretty hard and need longer to come around. Say around 15 years for Borgogne and 17+ for Village,20+ for premier cru and Grand Crus could be misunderstood for a long long time. The great thing about 2015 is the lesser terriors really performed and I have loaded up on good value (IMHO) borgogne, village and lesser premier cru that I feel have outperformed their origins in this vintage.
Yes I like the edgy nature of 2013 and I like the relaxed balance of 2014 and I like the sunshine in a bottle that is 2015, at certain times in the future each of these vintages will drink better than the others, but if I make it to my 75th birthday in 2046 I will be drinking 2015 Burgundy

33

Could 2015 turn out like 1995 or 1997, being under appreciated early but eventually all that ripeness and structure creating some very nice juice in 20 years?

34

I dont think anyone is under appreciating 2015, most people think its a great vintage, but yes its going to need a lot of time, 20 years is a bit optimistic, I think they are going to need longer

35

2015 has almost nothing to do with 1995/97 (except the Pinot noir …) - more a mixture of 1990 and 1999 … or 2005 and 2009 …
It´s also not under appreciated … only that some like to do some “vintage bashing” due to a warm summer and ripe grapes …

2015 WILL BE very nice in 20 years … for the top wines better 25+ …
(yes, it´s a matter of patience , absolutely not for “I wanna enjoy my Burgs right now - otherwise it´s BS” …

36

Vintage bashing?!?! [scratch.gif]
I haven’t seen any here. Just some people politely expressing their taste preferences about a vintage which otherwise seems to be generally considered to be a great one.

37

Just to be clear, in my earlier post I mentioned my impression about tasting the wines in barrel and was not making any pronouncement about the inherent quality of the vintange. I know better than that especially when so many people I trust are positive about the vintage. That’s the beauty of wine. I’ve tasted from barrels in Burgundy in five separate vintages. Another forty five and I might start knowing what I’m talking about.

38

Ripe vintages in Burgundy and the northern rhone always get bashed for not being classic and transparent when they are young, You can tell a lot about a persons taste preference by their favourite Burgundy vintage IMHO

39

If the Bourgogne blanc I had last week was any indication, buying Boillot’s '15s was probably a good move.

40

I was in burgundy in July 2016 and tasted 2015 red barrel samples at Mugneret-Gibourg, Hudelot-Noellat, Rossignol-Trapet, Dublere, Chandon de Briailles and Alex Gamble. Tasted a lot of fabulous wines.