Oh! Pray do tell … talk about burying the lede! … 
I know you are speaking to William, but I think there are two kinds of wines in the world that you are asking about. The best aren’t going to over due it because they are trying to make a masterpiece.
It’s not a question of any particular “gotcha” technique. But I would say that, for example, doing a post-fermentation maceration at 35C for a week and then barreling down warm into new oak with immediate warm malolactic will impart a much stronger terroir-effacing stylistic signature on a wine than a well-judged chaptalization of some lots of Cabernet. And I think extraction enzymes, enological tannins and other additives are much more “manipulative” than a bit of sugar.
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Not particularly. Barring an exaggerated or miscalculated chaptalization (I was amused to see that one Burgundy’s estate’s highest abv of the 2000s was their 14.3%-alcohol 2007, clearly a case of a miscalculated addition), it is rarely obvious. As some of the examples such as the 1982 Cheval Blanc make clear, many of us have been drinking chaptalized wines without knowing it.
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I remember bottles of 1982 Cheval Blanc during its evolution that were closed as Fort Knox. Unusual for a 1982. Not so the 1985 which was always open and putting a smile on the face. I guess not only different growing conditions/vintage but also different handling and a learning curve.
Sometimes - in warm years - wineries fear grapes got/get too ripe, acid to low. But picking too early makes additions in the cellar a necessity (chaptalisation/acidification). I.e. 1990 de Vogue and Roumier Musigny were hard as nails when I tasted them at age 25 more or less. I read reports little has changed. A pity.
Forget wine is made by itself. That is a myth.
Winemakers are more or less talented, educated, experienced and open minded. Every vintage is different. The world is changing, the climate especially.
Maybe the comparison is to simple for some. But if a sauce is to salty the cook made a mistake. Winemaking is not that different.
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For me:
1982 Pichon Lalande
1959 Haut Brion
1989 Haut Brion
1982 Lafleur
1985 Cheval Blanc
I am guessing that all of those bar possibly the Lafleur would have been chaptalised. No big deal in my opinion. As you say - there are some processes which are much worse.
Something else to keep in mind about chaptalization, now that you are aware that it is much more widespread than you had previously considered.
It’s not a simple one-size-fits all, so that even if I thought the stats were interesting to enough people, (which I don’t) it’s a lot of work. Too much work for me.
For example, only some parcels or select vats are chaptalized, others are not. Every parcel or vat does not have the same level of chaptalization, they vary widely from .5 to 1.5 degrees.
Some chaptalized lots enter the Grand Vin, but my guess is more enter the second and third wines.
However. it gets more complicated. This is what takes place. Each appellation petitions the INAO for chaptalization. In 2024, it was easy, every appellation was allowed a maximum of 1.5 degrees. This changes every vintage meaning that in some years, select appellations are allowed for example, .5. while others are permitted up to 1.5 degrees.
From there, after each appellation has submitted a request to the INAO, wineries must declare their first enrichment 48 hours before doing so. After that, any additional enrichments are recorded in a specific notebook that is provided to customs.
The only thing sugar coated here are some lots of wine. I’m hoping this answers all your questions regarding chaptalization, and why I personally only cover it in my opening vintage report, and not on a vineyard, by vineyard basis.
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The fact that it’s widespread (I had no preconceived notions as to how widespread it was/is) eases my heart and mind not in the least. What does help me is the idea that it’s like adding a bit of salt to food. I love cooking — do it nearly every day — and am keenly aware not only of salt’s utility, but also its necessity; I don’t look down upon food that has been appropriately salted. I’m trying to get myself to the same place with chaptalization — if producers were more forthcoming about the extent to which their wines have been chaptalized that would help a lot.
If it’s too much work for you, or any reviewer, to include in their reporting both (1) if a wine has been chaptalized, and (2) the extent to which the finished wine has been chaptalized, then that’s fine, but it doesn’t change the fact that said reporting is then deficient in this regard, and is missing an opportunity to be helpful to certain audience members in this regard. Obviously, this is up to the reviewer to decide if it’s “worth their time and effort.”
I don’t care if only some parcels are chaptalized and others are not. All I care about is the extent to which the finished wine is chaptalized, as that’s what matters in the end.
I don’t care about the petition/application process. Again, all I care about is the extent to which the finished wine is chaptalized.
And I don’t care if chaptalization information is shared with the government — I care about whether it is being shared with me. If the government knows the information I want to know, but I don’t, then I am still without the information.
No, all of my questions regarding chaptalization have not been answered. I have been quite clear on exactly what information I am looking for: I want to know the extent to which the finished wine has been chaptalized.
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For the last 18 months (approx) EU labelling requirements (and the UK followed suit I think) are such that sugar additions (and others) must be mentioned on the label or via a qr code.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/C/2023/1190/oj/eng
It doesn’t require the amount to be mentioned though.
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Any requirements, expectations, etc regarding acidification, sulfur addition, or anything else?
Yes. All in the link above. But no quantification. Binary reporting.
Canon’s price somehow disappointing.
My summary of what would be worth considering (somehow) would be Figeac, Carmes and Beau-Sejour Becot.
The 2023s are landing in the UK. Prices seem pretty good; if I were younger, I would take the 3 magnums of Haut Brion for £1500
It’s a great price if you look at historic release prices and ignore the secondary market…
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Shouldn’t be yet, not all 22s are here yet. Should be next Xmas to summer I think?
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Mmmm. Figeac’s 2024 EP price is well below the secondary market price for vintages like 2017, 2021 or 2023. And Carmes’ and BSB’s price for those vintages is about 10% higher too, isn’t it?
Yep, sorry my comment was specific to Canon
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This is a very interesting article on EP24 from Colin Hay at TheDrinksBusiness:
His conclusion, with some caveats, is that ‘2024 looks like a very interesting proposition, whether today or at some point in the not-too-distant future.’ There’s quite a lot of data in his report so I’ll be interested to see what @HenryB makes of it.
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I actually wrote a comment to a different article which they didn’t approve
It’s funny. If you take vintages as fungible (broadly) with small permutations for quality, I can see why 2024 is a compelling purchase. It “looks” cheap.
If you care for scores - not all do - 2024 is the worst value for money vintage in the last X many years. You get significantly higher quality wine, for the same price, in 2022 or 2021. That’s considering release prices, not even their current/likely secondary market price. Of course this is broadbrush advice, there are definitely pockets of gold out there. BSB is one example that at least interests me in that regard.
My personal speculation is that we haven’t found the bottom of the Bordeaux market yet. I expect we will see things continue to decline. Distressed sales of retailers, merchants losing money, etc, all points to this. It’s been speculated on discord that we could soon see, barring state intervention, a negociant fold which could put some fire sales out on 2022/2023.
I’m not particularly a betting man with wine, nor are most people here, but if I was, I would take 10:1 odds that in five years time we don’t look back at 2024 as an amazing, once a decade buying opportunity.
Just my view. As an amateur with more than a decade of en primeur.
That’s not withstanding ones own stylistic preferences, obviously. I don’t mind when my wine drops in price, either, I just get a bit pissed off when it costs more than £400 for a case of 6 that then drops in price and is widely available down the line.
I know I sound like a Bordeaux hater but it’s actually the majority of my cellar and I think it’s a shame it has such a commercial, commodity lens on it, but at the same time I think one crafts their own fate…
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@HenryB That’s an interesting and credible counter-perspective, ta. Interesting too about a negociant in trouble - yes one could pick up fine bargains while also lamenting having paid much more previously.