2006 & 07 Burgundy Vintages?

What are folks in the group reading / hearing about the 2006 and 2007 vintages? Clearly the 2005 vintage is a standout for vins de garde, but I am wondering if I should stock up on some everyday AOC Bourg. as well. I didn't do that with '02 or '03 and when the shelves were full of '04's, I wished I had.

I reported on Alex Gambal's notes on 2006 vintage earlier. Some rain problems but many top producers were able to harvest at the right time for red wines. He wished the official harvest starting date had been earlier for the Chardonnay grapes. I believe he said that the red Burgundies should age well.

The only bit I've heard is that Chablis grapes at harvest '06 promised great, great wines.

The only bit I've heard is that Chablis grapes at harvest '06 promised great, great wines.

Really. The offhand review of London Burgundy Week in yesterday's Observer said that Chablis was the weakest region in 06 white Burgundy.

Not that I have any reason to trust Tim Atkin more than you mind you..

[David M. Bueker]

For basic Bourgogne and Village wines '05 is about as good as we'll see. And let's face it prices are not coming down. It's like gasoline, there's only one direction. My advice (which I am following) is to load up big time.

As for Chablis I have heard very high acid and insufficient fruit. So Otto will love them. The rest of us...

I don't follow white burgs at all, the concept of prem-ox doesn't appeal to my conservative nature. The word on red burgs for '06 is that careful producers did well (producer, producer, producer, location, vintage is my mantra). I've purchased some but will most likely sit this out until the Illinois shipping issues get sorted out. That will also give me time to see if prices moderate. Some trophies will sell through right away, but I don't buy trophies anyway. I suspect some very good wines will be around while most of the money chases '05. On the plus side, '06s are being touted as wines to drink while you wait for the '05s to come around. The term "vins de garde" always makes me nervous. I've tried some '05s and enjoyed them but the structure is such that when they shut down they very well may shut hard for a long time.

The '07 red burgs are getting some bad press, although WS--in its summary way--just gave the vintage a B. Too early to tell really. I'm still in the market for some lesser cru '05s and backfilling if I find a reasonable offer ('01 Jadots last week). Village wines, especially Gevrey, may be the sweet spot for '05. I would, and did, stock up.

Overall 2006 was a rather summer followed by a bit of rain in late August and then a very hot September. The growers in the Cote D'Or had to get a move on to harvest the Pinot Noir before rot set in. All of the whites I tasted from Barrel seemed to show great promise, especially the Meursault, Puligny, and Corton-Charlemagne. The reds showed plenty of depth and good fruit, but few had gone through Malo, so I can hardly speculate except to say they probably won't have too much power, even in the Cote de Nuits. But like others have said, the great and experienced producers fared pretty well (what else is new?) The Macon did extremely well and there are some great wines being dropped on US shores as we speak. I tasted barrel samples of William Fevre at Bouchard in February and there were some impressively mineral wines made in the Grand Cru vineyards (Les Clos was a standout texturally), but the lower-end seemed to lack a little stuffing and acidity. For me, it seems to be similar to 2001 in many ways, but perhaps with slightly riper results for the Pinot Noir. As for 2007, I have heard nothing but grumbling about the difficulties and spottiness (again, what's new?) All of that said, I think it's best to not to think of Burgundy in terms of 'Great Vintage/Poor Vintage'. but to instead love and understand each vintage despite it's strengths and 'weaknesses'. The wines and winemakers all have a story to tell every year. It can be just as rewarding to pop open the vintages deemed 'less than great' and find great charm and class. Let the critics have Bordeaux and leave Burgundy to the wine lovers!

Thanks Bill. This was just the kind of feedback I was looking for.

All of that said, I think it's best to not to think of Burgundy in terms of 'Great Vintage/Poor Vintage'. but to instead love and understand each vintage despite it's strengths and 'weaknesses'. The wines and winemakers all have a story to tell every year. It can be just as rewarding to pop open the vintages deemed 'less than great' and find great charm and class.

I understand your point completely, and I agree for the most part. I definitely enjoy learning about each vintage a bottle at a time. But after about the 40th or 50th bottle from a year that isn't to my taste, I'd really rather just go back to a vintage I enjoyed more. For example, I find that the '04 reds under $30 usually are delightful on the nose but almost always more stemmy on the palate than I'd prefer. With a simple roast chicken on any given Wednesday night, I'd enjoy an '02 or even '03 of the same thing much more.

This is probably a factor of my price range, which for everyday wines is under $30; if I could afford to drink 1er and/or from the top domaines all the time, vintage differences would be a more purely intellectual exercise. Under $30, the difference between vintages is less about interesting differences and more about good vs. not-so-good.

This is probably a factor of my price range, which for everyday wines is under $30; if I could afford to drink 1er and/or from the top domaines all the time, vintage differences would be a more purely intellectual exercise. Under $30, the difference between vintages is less about interesting differences and more about good vs. not-so-good.

Well William...it's about to get worse! The French containers landing now are showing 10-20% price increases. I guess $30 really is the new $20, and Saint-Veran really is the new Pouilly-Fuisse! At least Oregon producers are keeping up with the price increases, which means that Burgundy is STILL a better value at my house. And, I'll pay $30 for Domaine Chablis before I'll drop the same for any California Chardonnay.

The French containers landing now are showing 10-20% price increases. I guess $30 really is the new $20...

Not just France. An friend who works for an importer specializing in Italian wines told me to expect the same thing.

It's an interesting situation - prices going up while I keep hearing about oceans of wine going unsold and European wine consumption dropping. For top wines, and probably all village or higher level Burgundies, demand will likely be there regardless of price. But for everything else...something's gotta give.

My guess is that in mid-late '09 we may all be enjoying some nice clearances across the board on European '06's below the top tier that came in marked up and sat unsold in distributor warehouses.

It's an interesting situation - prices going up while I keep hearing about oceans of wine going unsold and European wine consumption dropping.

Hi William,
The producers aren't raising prices (in all cases). The Dollar is just so freakin' weak v. the Euro. There isn't much Burgundy of any quality contributing to the European Wine Ocean. Most of it is southern France, Italian, and Spanish. But, I'm all in favor of 'German Grosslage windscreen-wiper fluid'.