2020 all day. 2021 is decent but the pricing is offensive. I haven’t had any 2022s yet but would have a hard time justifying buying them in quantity right now when there are still plenty of 2020s floating around in the market.
2020 have been drinking well from the CdB - lots of character and full-bodied without being huge wines. 2021 was a difficult vintage in the CdB with huge losses due to frost and weather. Some have been absolutely brilliant, some have appeared quite worked over and certainly came out alright on the other side. 2022 I have limited tasting of finished wines, but having tasted in Chablis in October 2022, the wines were quite nice with good weight - most had moved through ML already by then! 2020’s almost across the board are satisfying. 2021 good producers made precise wines that are delightful (hard to begrudge price hikes when you’re looking at 20% of a normal crop). 2022’s are a wait and see!
1 Like
my experience can fit in a thimble but I was recently in Chablis and everyone was waxing poetic about the '20 vintage.
I have limited data points to provide (and limited white Burg experience), but here you go:
I thought the '21 PYCM collection was excellent. En Remilly and the Chassagne 1er Cru (I believe PYCM had to blend most of his Chassagne 1er Crus into a single cuvee because of the short vintage) were standouts, just beautiful tension in both wines with the CM 1er Cru having just a touch more amplitude and weight. Champlots was also good – still a touch round and oily for my taste, but enough acid to balance that out (much better than a fatter and broader '16 Champlots I had a couple of months ago). Bourgogne Blanc and Monthelie also good and relative values, though I was a little underwhelmed by the village Chassagne.
I also really liked the '21 collection from Sylvain Pataille. The Chardonnay Rose (not a rose wine, just the name of the chardonnay variety) was racy, mineral driven, and concentrated, with a long, saline finish. His aligotes were also excellent, and remarkably different from each other (some more fruit driven and powerful while others were leaner, linear, and mineral driven), but all having a pronounced saltiness on the finish like the Chardonnay Rose.
A '21 Jadot Clos de la Garenne (Domaine Duc de Magenta) was also wonderfully balanced, lively, and delicious.
I enjoyed the '22 Paul Pernot collection, though they definitely seemed richer and less acid-driven than the '21 PYCMs and '21 Patailles (though this could just be a producer thing – I don’t drink that much white Burg). The '22 Batard-Montrachet, unsurprisingly, was a standout and was the most complete of the wine, with power, concentration, yet balanced with elegance, with the oak well integrated. Folatieres, in comparison, opened beautifully, but kind of felt a little short on the finish, while the Champs Canet and Clos de la Garenne were slightly less impressive, but still good (a bit on the richer side, but still decent acidity – I lost my notes so this is all from memory at this point). The oak on the village Puligny stuck out too much for my taste (I preferred the Bourgogne Blanc).
'20 Genot-Boulanger Puligny 1er Cru La Garenne was beautifully balanced and lively with delicious stone fruit, minerals, and acidity. I don’t drink much white Burg, but a generous friend opened this for me and it got me reconsidering that position.
Maybe I just lucked out, but I haven’t really had a '21 I disliked – perhaps they are a bit leaner than the '22s and '20 I have had recently, but they seem very energetic in comparison. I’ve really liked them.
1 Like
Just got back from Burgundy and 2022s are gorgeous and there are more of them. I’m buying Chablis and CdB equally. I had a lot of good 2021s too, but there is more variability - a classic vintage, however.
I like 2020s too - I think the 2022s are just better - maybe one strategy is to buy 2020s at better prices once people get a wind of 2022s.
1 Like
For more on 2020s, see
Grand Tasting at the Paulee - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers
Relatively short visit to Burgundy - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers
Good luck!
Hey, I got an offer for Raveneau 2020 MdT yesterday for only $399 - so prices are PLUNGING!
that’s pretty good!
i have been seeing a lot more sales recently at retail. 2nd tier burgs are out there for release pricing
I have more experience with Chablis from 20 and 21 than CdB, but frankly I think both vintages are very worthy. I’d focus more on producers and particular bottlings you like, from either vintage. No experience yet with 22.
Yes, I’m only half kidding - it is the lowest price I’ve seen in some time. I have seen lots of sales recently too. Three good vintages in a row. The 2022 reds are quite good too. I would buy them over 2020 in a heartbeat. There were reds I tasted that were just bottled and I thought - I could drink this tonight - the fruit was that good.
1 Like
Hi Yaccov,
If focusing on 1er cru in CdB and then wines from Chalonnaise and Macon, 2020 is a wonderful, deep and dense vintage that should age well. 2021 is much more variable. There is a strange, almost tropical/gooseberry note in some of the wines, so try before you buy. The good wines are really good. 2022 is the vintage that could surprise on the up-side, much like 2018. There was a lot of wine made and they are ripe. I do like the balance of the wines I have tasted, and I suspect these wines will tighten and be more expressive with a year or two in bottle. Buy plenty of 2022’s.
cheers
Jeremy
2 Likes
I liked the few red Burgundies I have had from 2022 much better than those from 2020. The wines had a lot of richness, but also had good balancing acidity.
From only a thimbleful of experience, I really like 2020 white Burgundy. I just might like 2021 even better. It seems like a throwback vintage to the 70s, when white Burgundy had acidity. The very few 2022s I’ve had have seemed a little soft and overripe. OTOH, I’ve really liked the few 2022 reds I’ve had; opulent and balanced. I’ll be buying 2022 reds of 2020s or 2021s (but I’ll take 2019 reds over any of the three).
1 Like
Had my fair share of ‘20 whites CdB and they have been excellent. Was in Burg last year and was able to barrel sample ‘22s and bottle sample ‘21s (some were still in barrel). ‘21 is very heterogeneous to the point there are few great, some good and the rest… I would opt for ‘20 or ‘22 (unless the ‘21 style is your jam and then focus there but price and scarcity you could probably do better). The ‘22s I had were fantastic, and like Bordeaux, more dense but more acid than one would expect. Is ‘20 white better than ‘22 white- I just don’t know yet as the samples were excellent but not yet in bottle. I came away with the impression to go full budget and based on allocations ok to exceed.
Even though ‘22 was one of the hottest, it was also one of the driest and I would guess across the board picked one of the earliest, yet phenolic ripe and freshness. Keep in mind there wasn’t the heat spikes of 2003 or 2020 allowing them the time and learnings to take hold.
Good luck!
For what it’s worth, a buzzy, noted White Burg producer told me recently that privately most vignerons agree that 21 made great/very good wines, and better than the very good/good 20 or 22.
Yields were very low in 2021 but what berries remained were excellent. They had to work hard and show deft care to squeeze the best out of a tough vintage.
The more solar years were a bit “easier” and a shade lense tense.
He also noted ironically that prices went up in 21 because of short crop. But producers bumped prices yet again in abundant 2022.
I will say I’ve enjoyed the 21s and 20s I’ve had … but for different reasons .
'20 Guillot-Broux’s are pretty great!
1 Like
Tasting descriptors are very subjective, but in my lexicon gooseberries — which are puckeringly tart and acidic — are almost the diametric opposite of tropical.
PS Which probably illustrates yet again why tasting notes full of standard fruit descriptors are kinda worthless (one man’s strawberry is another man’s raspberry or even rhubarb).
21 Chablis I’ve had from reliable producers are excellent. For me that is Droin, Louis Michel, Bessin Tremblay, La Chablisienne. I prefer 21 over 20 and 19; the vintage is more “classical” in style and less ripe. Prices did spike for 21 and consensus is to tread deliberately. But the highs are high
If you’re going with 2020 Chablis, make sure you’re not highly “green” sensitive:
Personally, I haven’t detected any so I seem to be a lot less sensitive but other berserkers have had issues with this (@IlkkaL).