Recent white burgundy vintage experiences

WINE TALK
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It’s often an expensive affair, so why not share experiences in this community?

Personally, I have had great confidence that 2023, in many cases, is both worth storing and “fun” to drink, regardless of when you open them. But I said the same about the 2022 vintage, and now they’re starting to close down. Not as dramatically as the 2020 vintage.

It should be mentioned that my wine collection doesn’t include cult producers, as my budget doesn’t allow it, so it would be fun to hear others’ experiences.

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I’d like to add a specific experience. That is to say, it becomes a specific hope.

Over several years, I’ve had the perfect Meursault experiences with the Cuvée Fernand Boyer from Boyer-Martenot. And by perfect, I mean the classic opulent style. Some vintages have been almost vulgar (but in a good way). I really hope that 2023 returns to the norm.

2022 disappoints me by being far too tight. I understand that I’ll have an absolutely fantastic wine in 5 to 10 years. But I already have plenty of other Meursaults bought to do that job.

Has anyone by chance tasted the Cuvée Fernand Boyer in 2023? If so, it would be amazing to hear whether it’s back on track. In that case, I’ll need to stock up plenty :slight_smile:

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By popular request, will keep adding to this.

2022: I’ve found these generally underwhelming except from the very top producers, like PVG, Leflaive and some others

2021: not as good as 2020, but still quite good. The lafon and Leflaive wines were very nice and I quite liked Rougeot and Dureuil Janthial’s offerings.

2020: Loving the 20s I’ve had at this young point, with Leflaive BBM, Chevy, and Batard all singing, as was PVG Montrachet.

2017: In the zone right now, with Leflaive batard, BBM and Chevy all stunning.

2016: surprisingly good now. PYCM CC and Bouchard Chevy were both nice.

2015: more round and full mouthfeel; I’ve had the pycm cc a few times lately and it’s been great.

2014: stunning with many examples showing well including mostly recently Raveneau MDT and Butteaux. Lots of grand crus have also shown well lately.

2013: sneaky good vintage with some lovely Raveneau and pycm wines lately as well as Coche cc.

2012: some very nice wines from this vintage especially from carillon.

2011: underrated vintage with some great wines.

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We were just talking about this at lunch yesterday. I have drunk a lot of white Burg starting around the 17 vintage from all price points and levels. I have also been fortunate to drink quite a bit of older bottles, but these are generally only with blue chip Grand Cru bottles.

24 from barrel are amazing. Going to be an epic vintage. Could be better than 14, definitely should be better than 17/20 in many cases.

23 from barrel are good, but less power and structure than the best. Kind of in between 18 and 19.

22s are too young and are muted just like the 20s were at this age. But I think they have much more stuffing than 21 or 23 for longer life. Should start to come out of their shell in a couple of years. Great buying values here because nobody seems to be chasing it.

21 are easy drinking and good to very good from the right producers. A bit thin and dilute from other producers. Good buying values for earlier drinking.

20 is an excellent vintage that’s really still too young to see where it’s going to end up. But with air, some amazing experiences already.

19 has very good power and nice fruit, just a touch less chiseled than the best vintages.

18 can be a lovely vintage that is drinking fabulously right now from the best producers. Softer and ready to go. It can also be super flabby and lifeless. Variable so I avoid other than top producers.

17 is one of the best. More fruit forward and a touch rounder than 14. Always a toss up which one is going to win each time when drinking the 14/17 side by side.

16 my least favorite white vintage of probably the last 20 years. Some drank well early, but even the top wines feel like they’re already past peak.

15 is again variable and there are many poor wines. Some producers did manage to make good wine, I think because they acidified them which made them a slightly more round version of 14. But I still avoid for the most part.

14 is arguably the best vintage until '24. Basically everyone made good wines here so it’s an especially good vintage to seek out for lower tier producers where the delta is much higher. Whereas for top producers it’s typically splitting hairs between 08/10/14/17/20.

13 is variable and good to very good, but not something I generally seek out or see at many tastings. I think most were probably drunk young.

12 is also good to very good, but premox is an issue as many hadn’t switched to DIAM yet.

11 is underrated and can be absolutely fabulous. A D’Auvenay Auxey-Duresses was one of the most memorable white wines I’ve ever had.

10 is an epic vintage. Rolling the dice with premox unfortunately, but the Lafon Monty earlier this year is a top 3 lifetime experience and Leflaive Chevy can be stupendous when on, but both can easily be totally shot.

09 is not long lived enough to comment on today. I haven’t really had any that weren’t obviously better years ago and weren’t great even then.

— anything below here is only valid if a) you can avoid premox and b) have perfect provenance bottles. Also for some these are some of the best ever. I like the aged white tertiary notes, but generally still prefer the younger, more electric whites.

08 is another epic vintage

04 is a very good vintage if a bit softer than ideal at 20+ years of age and were probably better 5-10 years ago.

02 is not my favorite. Too soft and flabby usually

01 can be crazy good.

00 can be good, but not great

99 can be very good, but still a notch below the best

96 is glorious and one of the best

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Finally a white Burgundy thread! Hopefully the era of premox is over so we can enjoy more aged wines. I drink mostly regional and village level wines, so take my opinions with grain of salt.

2023 feels very lively with plenty of acidity and tension but the fruit doesn’t seem to have the depth of some recent vintages. More green apple and citrus even in CdB.

2022 I have enjoyed some balanced Bourgogne Blancs from good producers but agree otherwise that they feel a bit muted.

2020 and 2018 for me are drinking very well right now.

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Nice notes! Gonna add more to mine soon

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2016 Dauvissat Prueses was slightly advanced. drink up.
stopping to purchase.Dauvissat my last vintage is 2022
loving the following producers
JC Ramonet
Raveneau
Jacques Carillon
Buisson Charles
Morey Coffinet
Domaine Leflaive low level bourgognes and Puligny village and Clavoillon

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Some observations on vintages, noting there are many vintages where I haven’t really built up a view yet

  • 2017s really good (durr), though I’m holding off 1ers and up as they want more time, sometimes overtly closed.
  • 2016s are probably all ready to drink. Tricky, short vintage and I have yet to taste a wine I would want to rebuy or hold much longer. Many lack concentration, feel like they are falling away. Often a sort of semillon-reminiscent “canned” note.
  • 2014s most are now great, but I expect some are still too young / closed (e.g. Leflaive and Raveneau GCs). I’ll be trying the Leflaive and Roulot 1ers soon. Hope that will give me a good read.
  • 2013s include some really nice, elegant wines. 12/13/14 make for an interesting tasting set, as it’s almost like “fruit from '12, elegance of '13s = '14s” (of course, it’s not at all that simple, and '14s have much more power and structure).
  • 2012s good in a more fleshy style. Not overblown, but usually full-flavour Chardonnay rather than battery acid with lime pith. Most are ready to go.
  • 2011s are uneven, difficult vintage. Some really exciting wines with high energy & fruit, but also some wines that are falling away.
  • 2010s are great as long as you don’t have an oxidised or advanced bottle.
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Hi Michael,

you left 2018 and 2019 out. Two outstanding vintages for white Burgundy. People will say that the crop was too high in 2018, but the producers who most seem to drink on this board, made in the main splendid 2018’s and they are drinking so well now. 2019 is really good for white. There is a wonderful chalky base to many of the wines and they are deep and layered. I prefer to 2020 (especially in Chablis).

I just got back from 10 days in Burgundy. Blown away by the 2024 whites. Not as concentrated as 2007 or 2014 but some similarities to me. Electric wines with great acid drive.

kind regards
Jeremy

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Oh I left out a lot of vintages; I just haven’t had time to post all my notes yet.

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19 vs 20 in Chablis is a contentious one that I think we will continue to debate for years to come! I love both vintages, but I’m in the 2020 camp personally. Broadly speaking many producers across Chablis misjudged picking dates in 20, but I think the top estates made better wines in 20 than 19, and further I’d wager the best Chablis in 20 is better than 17. Dauvissat, Raveneau, Fevre have so much cut and mineral intensity coupled with the flesh of the vintage - best since 14 IMO. I had the 20 Raveneau Vaillons a few months ago and it was rocky, racy and almost classic with no hint of pyrazines that plague some of the machine harvested wines.

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The 2023s I’ve tried seem a bit weak/dilute, lacking midpalate. Nice and enjoyable, but kind of unimpressive relative to the price and level of the wine.

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I agree that Michael’s take is not my experience re: acidity and tension. Those are the two things that vintage is lacking compared to the best IMO. As far as your experience, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some that are dilute as it does seem to be heterogeneous and I would not recommend buying broadly, but I wouldn’t write off the entire vintage e.g. some did with '18 and many are singing today.

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@moderators pls merge to this thread: Recent white burgundy vintage experiences

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Great to see this thread! I didn’t realize '24 was being hyped as a great white vintage. I’ve barely explored the 23s but I’ve enjoyed the '22s and '20s. Many of the '20 1ers and Meursault village wines are starting to drink really well right now. I even opened a '20 Leflaive Combettes a few weeks ago that was starting to open up.

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In regards to the 2013 vintage, Coche Corton Charlemagne was excellent plus or at least the two bottle i had were.

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That’s like when I mention how Tâche was good. :sweat_smile: Doesn’t mean much about the broader vintage.

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opened a magnum for thanksgiving of 2013 Leflaive Pucelles that was fantastic.
no other bottles came close and I brought all of them
2017 Vatan Clos de Neore
2018 Tempier Rose
2019 Do Ferriero Cepas Villas Albariño

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Some recent wines drank in the last year listed in order of vintage. Caveat: I like my white Burgundy with some fruit that is not completely tertiary. Thirty years is typically (though not always) my max.

1989 Leflaive BM – Honeyed aeromatics, oily and dense, completely tertiary 5 years into a gentle decline. Drink up.

1999 Leflaive BBM – Completely in the zone and holding steady, but if I owned these, I’d be inclined to drink. Should hold fine for another 3–5 years, possibly longer, but I don’t see further improvement.

2000 Coche Meursault (Kermit Lynch bottle – Narvaux?) – Just beginning its gentle decline. Drink up.

2004 Raveneau MdT – Completely in the zone - will hold but starting to show that that savory parmesan cheese rind quality. Lovely bottle.

2005 Coche Les Rougeots – Insane d’Auvenay-style aromatics. At peak, with grand cru depth and intensity. One of my top wines of the year.

2008 Raveneau Valmur – Early peak drinking window. Will hold for 15+ more years, but if you chase Raveneau for mineral intensity, it doesn’t get much better.

2008 Raveneau Clos – Early peak drinking window. Will hold for 15+ more years, but if you chase Raveneau for mineral intensity, it doesn’t get much better. Similar to Valmur but more aromatic, less overtly rocky, and more saline.

2009 Dauvissat Clos – Defies the vintage. Electric and rocky. Right in the zone. No rush.

2011 PYCM Corton-Charlemagne (Magnum) – Absolutely electric. If opening today, a decant is a must—took 6–7 hours to open and was still ascending at the end of the evening. Early days for this wine. If you own it in large format, it’s an easy hold.

2012 Arnaud Ente Les Petits Charrons – Incredible spherical texture, great depth and intensity. In a great place, but no rush.

2012 Dauvissat Séchet – Such a perfect oyster pairing. Smells like a kelp forest. So mineral and so chalky. Early days. 2012 is a top Chablis vintage that remains overlooked.

2013 d’Auvenay Meursault Narvaux – Aromatics that blow your hair back like a jet engine and stuff your nose with popcorn. Grand cru depth and intensity. Crushed everything else on the table. Early drinking window, but in an incredible spot.

2014 Lafon Perrières – Reductive, chalky, and wound up like a spring—epic. Hold.

2014 Dauvissat Forêt – As classic as Chablis gets. Oceanic, rocky, and long. Early days and easily at the level of Raveneau. Avoid Vineyard Brands—buy with a wax top and hold.

2016 Dauvissat Séchet – A great example of how good 2016 can be, but fully developed. Drink up.

2017 Paul Pillot La Romanée – A triumph. Slightly reductive spring-water aromatics and incredibly dense. Decant if you must, but hold.

2017 Lamy-Caillat Les Caillerets – White-chocolate-and-limestone nose. Needs 4+ hours to open—grand cru depth and intensity. Decant if you must, but hold.

2018 Ramonet BBM – Coiled up like a spring but opens beautifully with time—so mineral and delicate. 2018 is underrated.

2018 Ramonet BM – Just as coiled with a similar profile to the BBM—less mineral more fruit and more aromatic.

2019 Paul Pillot Les Caillerets – Thierry really nails the aromatics. This wine is just gorgeous. Most talented white Burgundy producer in Burgundy? Possibly.

2019 Lamy-Caillat Les Caillerets – More open than the ’17 at this early stage. Wonderfully aromatic with incredible density. ’19 is not quite at the level of ’20, but as the vintage ages, some wines may surpass their ’17 counterparts. So much material here.

2019 Raveneau Butteaux - Some sea spray, but seemingly more honeyed than it’s 2020 brethren. Powerful yellow and white fruit conceals much of the mineral backbone for now, but there is impressive density here. So much dry extract. Will age beautifully.

2020 Durieu Janthial Meix Cadot – Simply stunning at this early stage. Reminds me of young Coche. Hold if you can keep your hands off it. ’20 is the best white Burgundy vintage since ’14 IMO, and the top wines may challenge ’14 in the long run.

2020 Raveneau Vaillons - Oceanic, saline, mineral, and chalk for days - classic Chablis with fruit to support. Very Chablis and Very Raveneau. No Pirazines. Seemingly controversial opinion, but I put 20 Chablis ahead of 19 and ahead of 17. Best vintage since 14. My experience is limited to Raveneau, Dauvissat, Samuel Billaud and Fevre.

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Do you regret opening those 2018 Ramonet’s? I have a couple 2019 Ramonet BM and am very tempted to open one. Had some friends run into issues with badly premoxed 2016’s…