I have now tasted the 2013 vintage from barrel at Fourrier, Rousseau and Faiveley. It is not at all a mediocre vintage. Specially the wines of Gevrey-Chambertin are singing nicely. The wines are very fresh with sweet and chewy tannins. It is a classic Burgundy vintage. The best wines are really superb. Best wine this far is Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Béze " Les Ouvrées Rodin". This wine is simply hallelujah! The only problem is the pricing. Even more expensive than 2012 !?!? ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Hans, how would you rank this in relation to the past 5 vintages?
Well,
I´ve tasted in early September …
It is not at all a mediocre vintage.
I agree partially, but with reservations.
There are really exciting wines … and somewhat weak wines … and everything in between. There are disapointments, and great surprises.
Usually the best Crus (GCs) are successful, and the lesser wines often a bit thin and lacking sweetness and concentration. I tasted also now and then some tiny hints of green, but don´t think like green meanies, rather low ripeness and stems (but we´ll see).
I don´t think it´s a vintage to buy the bottom wines in great quantity.
The most successful wines are classic, dark berried, structured but more masculine than feminine … but not strong in the sense of 2010, not ripe and sweet like 2009, more like 1998, 2001, 2011, the best like 2008 … the sorting and selection had to be very careful … as well as the extraction to avoid harsh dry tannins …
Unfortunately again low yields - so prices won´t really drop - but if they will rise again I think I will restrict my purchases somewhat compared to 2012 (which is an exciting vintage IMHO as I wrote already a year ago).
I´ll soon be in DC - and most probably not online.
The vintage is in a similar style as 2008, but with more flesh. At least at the 3 producers I visited. The best wines are the Premier Crus and Grand Crus, whereas the lesser wines are suffering from ripeness.
Everything from Fourrier was really good. Clos St. Jacques and Griottes both 95p+.
Rousseau my favorites: Clos de la Roche, Ruchottes, Clos St. Jacques are all lovely. Bèze and Chambertin (both 95p+). Béze is decadent and showy and Chambertin is really big and broad shouldered as usual.
Faiveley: Chambolle Premier Crus are fantastic, sexy and complex. Gevery Premier Crus really chewy and nice. Mazis, Bèze, Rodin, Corton are stunning (all 95p+).
Any thoughts on the white Burgs?
I have tasted at different producers, rather in Vosne, Chambolle etc.
My impression is NOT that 2013 is on the level of 2008 (so not with more flesh), although I was never so highly excited by 08 as others (e.g. John Gilman …)
´13 will certainly be mixed … some made really fine wines, but I wouldn´t buy before tasting …
The few whites that I have tasted were excellent, fresher than 2012 but also with slightly less fat … so a question of preference …
Right up my alley. Thanks!
Gerhard,
I tasted some 2013 whites today from different lesser producers and had the opposite impression. I found 2012 better. Specially on the premier cru level.
Hans, from our barrel tastings in June, I agree with you about 2013 red Burgs. I had heard some bad things about the 2013s, compared with the excellent 2012s, but I left Burgundy confident to buy the better reds I normally follow from the 2013 vintage.
We tended to visit the better producers on our visit so I cannot comment on ‘weaker’ producers. But I agree with your comments about the top Gevreys and particularly the 2013 Fourriers. Even though it was right in the middle of malo, our tasting at Fourrier, right across the range, was outstanding. The CSJ and Griotte were other-worldly!
The 2013 reds also looked very good at Sylvie Esmonin, Bruno Clair and Drouhin Laroze, right across their ranges, for example. I didn’t feel that the 2013 reds suffered in comparison with the many very good '12s we had.
I can’t really comment on 2013 whites because the producers didn’t really have enough to show us any!
Cheers, Howard
Hans,
I didn´t say that 2013 whites are “better” than 2012 … I said fresher with less fat, so it depends on what you prefer.
The perfumes of the wines of Fourrier blew me away. Even his village wines could be used as aftershaves for wine lovers. Jean Marie even said that he preferred his 2013 to his 2012.
Cannot comment on Fourriers 2013s.
Otherwise no (red) wine-maker said to me that he preferred the 2013s to the 12s, but most were satisfied with the results, even happy because it could have been much worse, but it was a lot of work - and very difficult indeed.
What almost all wines are lacking is the sweetness of really ripe grapes (like in 2012), tannins are often quite noticable … and more on the dry side, and it depends on the overall balance how good the wines will ultimately turn out … the odds are much better for the top Crus than e.g. the Village wines.
I never tasted Fourrier in 2012, so I can not comment on that either. For me, 2012 and 2010 are the best vintage I have tasted in Burgundy.
Agree, together with (2009), 2005, (2002), 1999 and 1990
That sounds a pretty good list.
As Andrew says* a good analogy for 2012 red Burgs is a combination of 2009 fruit on classical 2010 structure.
Best, Howard
- I will soon cease this attribution and claim the point for myself.
Yep. My favorite vintages are 1990, (I have hopes for 1996), 1999, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012.
For 2013, even with ‘positive’ reviews, I can’t believe, based on the weather conditions, that 2013 can join these other 7-8 vintages over the last almost 25 years. But 2014 looks to be very good, so I’ll try to buy the ‘usual suspects’ to hold onto my allocations for just one more run (2014).
Peter way to take a stand ! Hehehe
Nick. I followed your lead and tried to minimize my 2011s. I’m down to 6 cases, only Roumier, Fourrier, Bachelet, Dujac.
I have Rousseau 2011s - and they are pleasurable now - I am scared of a creepy little 2004 character with age- drink up now and enjoy IMO
I never got offered Rousseau 2011s at anything like a reasonable price, so none for me