I’ve always found this balance extremely interesting. I recall reading Noble Rot and how (I think) Rolland makes the comment that if only Margaux’s winemaker would use new techniques more with his terroir, the wine would be even better. It’s a very interesting line to draw between being in favor of progress yet also respecting tradition and straddling that line, especially when many of the “snobs” in wine (of which I’m certainly one) look at many of the more new techniques suspicion.
Plus, of course, progress that I suspect that many of us are in favor of is no guarantee of the wines being good. Chapoutier has been an early champion of biodynamics, including letting grass grow in the vineyards for overall biome health. Yet many old school producers have explicitly eschewed that approach (Gonon, for instance). Many years ago I was visiting an old school producer in Cote Rotie who took me on a tour of their vines. I asked why the vineyards across the slope (i.e. Chapoutier’s) looked so different, and they explained the approach very briefly, paused and said “at least the vineyards look very pretty”.
I haven’t seen the published stats for the last 7 days, yet, Sean, but as of early last week, there was not much in the way of disease pressure for the 2020s…
LOL indeed, it has rocketed in price (sadly). However, you would be hard-pushed to claim DRC, d’Auvenay, Coche or anyone else in the region is making a better white Burgundy. Given the tiny volumes. this is unsurprising.
