Any buzz on 2019 white burgundy?

[William_Kelley]

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.

If you see how their vineyards compare to the average in Montagny, Santenay and Mercurey, you would be happy to pay the premium, trust me! Pay for the work, not the appellation.

[Matthew_King]

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.

If you see how their vineyards compare to the average in Montagny, Santenay and Mercurey, you would be happy to pay the premium, trust me! Pay for the work, not the appellation.

I love aphorisms like this. Mind if I steal it?

[Jayson_Cohen]

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.

If you see how their vineyards compare to the average in Montagny, Santenay and Mercurey, you would be happy to pay the premium, trust me! Pay for the work, not the appellation.

A few weeks ago, I did buy a bottle of Vincent’s Beaurepaire to try. 2017. That will go into the queue soon. Lorenzon pricing has been surprising and retail-aggressive, but I’ll look again.

I saw the video with J-M Vincent. Seems stand up.

[William_Kelley]

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.

If you see how their vineyards compare to the average in Montagny, Santenay and Mercurey, you would be happy to pay the premium, trust me! Pay for the work, not the appellation.

I love aphorisms like this. Mind if I steal it?

I would consider that the sincerest of compliments.

[William_Kelley]

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.

If you see how their vineyards compare to the average in Montagny, Santenay and Mercurey, you would be happy to pay the premium, trust me! Pay for the work, not the appellation.

A few weeks ago, I did buy a bottle of Vincent’s Beaurepaire to try. 2017. That will go into the queue soon. Lorenzon pricing has been surprising and retail-aggressive, but I’ll look again.

I saw the video with J-M Vincent. Seems stand up.

Who is importing Lorenzon, do you happen to know? I’m doing a vertical with Bruno next week. (Did one with Jean-Marc Vincent and Thomas Bouley last week (since they are friends, I suggested they both might to attend each other’s tastings, and it made for some fascinating exchanges, running from 9am to 9pm, one of the longer but also most stimulating working days I’ve had for a while.) Hopefully the ensuing article will be interesting!

[Matthew_King]

If you see how their vineyards compare to the average in Montagny, Santenay and Mercurey, you would be happy to pay the premium, trust me! Pay for the work, not the appellation.

I love aphorisms like this. Mind if I steal it?

I would consider that the sincerest of compliments.

As we are on the topic of Volnay and aphorisms, here is my favorite:

Chambolle is the Volnay of the Cote de Nuits!

[Jayson_Cohen]

If you see how their vineyards compare to the average in Montagny, Santenay and Mercurey, you would be happy to pay the premium, trust me! Pay for the work, not the appellation.

A few weeks ago, I did buy a bottle of Vincent’s Beaurepaire to try. 2017. That will go into the queue soon. Lorenzon pricing has been surprising and retail-aggressive, but I’ll look again.

I saw the video with J-M Vincent. Seems stand up.

Who is importing Lorenzon, do you happen to know?

Don’t know for sure. Google suggests Elite for the DC area. Not sure for NY.

[Mike_Evans]

In March I ordered an assortment of 2019 Lorenzons from Robert Panzer at $49/bottle with 2 each of:

White:

2019 Mercurey 1er cru Clos des Barraults

2019 Mercurey 1er cru Champs Martin

Red:

2019 Mercurey 1er cru les Champs Martin

2019 Mercurey 1er cru Carline Clos des Champs Martin

I have no prior experience with the producer, but William’s enthusiasm persuaded me to give them a shot.

[William_Kelley]

In March I ordered an assortment of 2019 Lorenzons from Robert Panzer at $49/bottle with 2 each of:

White:

2019 Mercurey 1er cru Clos des Barraults

2019 Mercurey 1er cru Champs Martin

Red:

2019 Mercurey 1er cru les Champs Martin

2019 Mercurey 1er cru Carline Clos des Champs Martin

I have no prior experience with the producer, but William’s enthusiasm persuaded me to give them a shot.

Definitely wines I am happy to stand or fall by! Hope you enjoy.

[Robert_Panzer]

Calling the Lorenzon’s expensive at $49 is a bit laughable to me (insert Lebowski Jesus’ “laughable, man!” gif here…).
I am glad to be bringing in his “couture” (Bruno’s choice of words, not mine) Montagny 1er Choix du Roi '19.
All '19s arrive to me in two weeks or so…

Disclaimer, I am one of Bruno’s US importers.

[Robert_Panzer]

Fwiw , the Choix du Roy is priced higher ex cellars than all wines except the “Piece” wines…most people ignored it entirely, waiting for William to tell them they should buy it…

[Tom_G_l_a_s_g_o_w]

Fwiw , the Choix du Roy is priced higher ex cellars than all wines except the “Piece” wines…most people ignored it entirely, waiting for William to tell them they should buy it…

So not on the website yet?

[Phil_T_r_o_t_t_e_r]

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

William, I may be too impatient but did you have the chance to visit the region yet? I only tried the Gilbert Picq Chablis and found it a little on the ripe side for my taste: lots of fruit but less acidity and freshness. They are starting to trickle in (Piuze, Brocard, Picq, Droin, etc.) and I’d be interested in your overall appreciation of this vintage and any domaine/cuvée specific recommendations.

[Howard_Cooper]

In March I ordered an assortment of 2019 Lorenzons from Robert Panzer at $49/bottle with 2 each of:

White:

2019 Mercurey 1er cru Clos des Barraults

2019 Mercurey 1er cru Champs Martin

Red:

2019 Mercurey 1er cru les Champs Martin

2019 Mercurey 1er cru Carline Clos des Champs Martin

I have no prior experience with the producer, but William’s enthusiasm persuaded me to give them a shot.

Because of William, I bought a 2017 Bruno Lorenzon Mercurey 1er Cru Champs Martin Cuvée Carline. Need to open it.

[William_Kelley]

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

William, I may be too impatient but did you have the chance to visit the region yet? I only tried the Gilbert Picq Chablis and found it a little on the ripe side for my taste: lots of fruit but less acidity and freshness. They are starting to trickle in (Piuze, Brocard, Picq, Droin, etc.) and I’d be interested in your overall appreciation of this vintage and any domaine/cuvée specific recommendations.

I was with Gilbert Picq yesterday (who suffered very badly in the 2021 frosts) and tasted the 2019s and 2020s. The 2019 Chablis is indeed quite concentrated and ripe, though for me it remains recognizably Chablis and is brighter than the 2015 was at the same stage. In 2019, if you are looking for a more chiseled wine in the Picq range, I’d suggest the Dessus la Carrière and Vieilles Vignes cuvées, which are both more tightly wound.

Overall, 2019 Chablis is looking good; and much like the best Côte de Beaune whites this year, the best 2019 Chablis are very concentrated, with lots of chalky structuring extract, good acids, and aromas that are more typically Chablisenne in profile than 2015 or indeed some 2018s; and while alcohols are above average they are infrequently heady. Patrick Piuze talks of “the aromas and flavors of Chablis but the texture and structure of the Côte de Beaune”, which is not far from the mark, and Vincent Dauvissat agreed with me in struggling to find any recent parallels in terms of style: we settled on a tighter-knit version of 1989 in the end (though Benoit Droin disagreed when I suggested the comparison to him, saying 1989 was softer and sweeter). The best 2019s were often the result of very low yields (20-25 hl/ha in the grand cru in many cases) and are some of the most intense, structured young Chablis I have ever tasted; and they will be long-lived wines that I suspect will shut down quite hard in some cases (given how much dry extract the wines are carrying). I would single out Fèvre, Dauvissat, Bessin, Samuel Billaud and Piuze (Isabelle Raveneau was bottling her 2019s when I visited, before anyone reads anything into the omission) as especially successful but beyond that you’ll have to wait for my TWA report, where I will expand on these first thoughts at length.

[Phil_T_r_o_t_t_e_r]

<…>I would single out Fèvre, Dauvissat, Bessin, Samuel Billaud and Piuze (Isabelle Raveneau was bottling her 2019s when I visited, before anyone reads anything into the omission) as especially successful but beyond that you’ll have to wait for my TWA report, where I will expand on these first thoughts at length.

Thank you for the preview! I will wait for the full report to be out for sure but this already gives me direction. It must be a tasting season on a sad note considering the recent loss of crop. Heart-breaking.

[William_Kelley]

<…>I would single out Fèvre, Dauvissat, Bessin, Samuel Billaud and Piuze (Isabelle Raveneau was bottling her 2019s when I visited, before anyone reads anything into the omission) as especially successful but beyond that you’ll have to wait for my TWA report, where I will expand on these first thoughts at length.

Thank you for the preview! I will wait for the full report to be out for sure but this already gives me direction. It must be a tasting season on a sad note considering the recent loss of crop. Heart-breaking.

Yes. And Chablis was hailed the day before yesterday also, in the sector around Lignorelles that was largely spared by the frosts…

[Peter_Chiu]

Chablis g-crus and Chablis from vintage 2017 and 2018 are not moving…in SAQ.

[J_Slawney]

Some generalizations: Of the recent triad of hot season vintages (2018/2019/2020), 2019 is my favorite. The 2019 wines have a silkiness and vibration about them. Too bad 2019 had very low yields. 2020 is a little more refined than 2019, crystal clear and elegant, but with less dry extract overall. 2018 had tremendous high yields, and is also a very exciting vintage, in parts grandiose, but some of the wines suffered from the heat and have a range of very odd faults: you need to be selective. In any case, everybody I know is grabbing up 2018/2019/2020s right now, anticipating 2021 will have very low yields because of aberrant weather.