The blissful richness of a good Burgundy

The 2010 Burgundys are not as immediately attractive as the lush 2009s, but they are as good, writes JOHN WILSON

OF ALL THE great grape varieties, Pinot Noir is the most fickle. Thin-skinned and sensitive to any attempt at over-cropping, it is also very choosy about where it is grown. If the climate is too hot, the wines will be jammy and clumsy; too cold and they will be harsh and green.

Almost all great Pinot Noir comes from Burgundy. This region is small, less than half the size of Bordeaux. The most sought-after wines come from a much smaller sub-region, the Côte d’Or, two strips of land barely two kilometres wide and 50 kilometres long. Individual land-holdings are very fragmented and most domaines produce tiny quantities, sometimes a tenth of their counterparts in Bordeaux, made up of half a dozen or more wines from vineyards scattered across one commune or village.

As one of the world’s best-known wines, Burgundy is always in great demand. Greedy or incompetent producers can get away with selling inferior wines at high prices. There is huge vintage variation. Expensive and inconsistent, confusing and frustrating: why should you bother? Because of all the wines of the world, I can think of few that give so much pleasure.

Pinot is never powerful nor full-bodied, although alcohol levels can be as high as 14.5 per cent. It is pale in colour and low in tannins.

But great Burgundy is a complete wine, one that pleases the mind and senses. Those prepared to put up with a life of frustration and penury will, from time to time, receive the greatest rewards of all. Great Burgundy is vivid and pure, fresh and aromatic in its youth, becoming softer, gamey and beguiling with age. It has a perfumed delicacy that entrances and thrills. It is the ultimate aesthete’s wine.

It is also the ultimate anorak’s wine. Pinot Noir reflects the local soil and climate more than any other grape, with the possible exception of Riesling. Every scrap of soil has been carefully analysed for centuries, and its potential is understood. Visiting a small producer, you will typically be offered wines from five or six different vineyards, often within a kilometre of each other, and made in exactly the same manner. Each wine will taste distinctly different, yet have a common thread.

The Côte d’Or is divided into the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. Wines from the Côte de Beaune tend to be lighter and more elegant with fresh summer fruits, those from the Côte de Nuits fuller and richer. Yet even then it is hard to generalise. Chambolle-Musigny, in the Côte de Nuits, is one of the most exquisitely delicate wines of all, and Pommard, in the Côte de Beaune, produces robust, tannic wines. It all depends on the soil and exposure, and the soil changes every few metres in Burgundy.

Last year, I recommended buying red Burgundy en primeur, or before it is bottled. I bought some myself, and don’t regret it, although I wish I had put a little money aside for the 2010s currently on offer. They are not as immediately attractive as the soft, lush, ripe 2009s, but from what I have tasted, they are certainly as good, if not better. The growing season was cooler and longer than 2009, but the grapes seem to have reached a perfect balance of ripeness and acidity. Yields are down, in many cases by 30 per cent or more, on 2009.

I travelled with wine importer Cabot Co to Burgundy last November, and tasted a wide range of wines from both vintages. Several producers also paid a visit to Ireland in January, for tastings in Dublin and n Westport. I found the (unbottled) wines to be beautifully aromatic, fresh and refined with a wonderful purity of fruit, good acidity (essential in a Pinot Noir) and good length. They appear to have more structure than the 2009s, although they are precocious too, and many tasted ready to drink now.

I started putting the pennies away over Christmas. I would love to buy some of the top wines, frequently unavailable later, but they are not cheap. However, for those of us on a limited budget, a Bourgogne Rouge from a top producer is frequently a better buy, and less expensive, than a great name from an average house. These wines are sometimes made from the “leftovers” of the posher wines, but more often they come from vineyards lying just outside the appellation border. They will rarely have the same class or staying power as their big brothers, but they mature earlier and can offer great value.

WINES OF THE WEEK

As I only had the opportunity to taste the wines imported by Cabot Co, they feature as my wines of the week.

Guillot-Broux Bourgogne, €19.99 per bottle –available now Although based in the Mâcon-Lugny region, the wines of Emmanuel Guillot-Broux bear no resemblance to their neighbours. Based on higher slopes, these are amazingly fresh, crisp, mineral red wines made from organic grapes. The Bourgogne Rouge 2010 is wonderful, light and refreshing with elegant, pure summer fruits.

Côte de Nuits Villages "Aux Faulques" 2010 Domaine Millot, €170 per case excluding dutiesJean-Marc Millot is a quiet, introspective man, who makes winemaking seem deceptively simple. His wines are clean, savoury, structured and elegant. You would do well with a case of his Vosne-Romanée, but his Côte de Nuits, from a single vineyard close by, is a very finely crafted wine with pure Pinot fruits.

Vosne-Romanée 2010 Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg, €490 per case excluding dutiesThe Mugneret sisters run this superb estate together, one looking after the vines, the other in charge of the winemaking. Vosne-Romanée is in the heart of the Côte de Nuits. This is a smooth, opulent wine combining meaty, rich fruit with great finesse. It needs five years, but is well worth waiting for.

Where to buy

A number of importers will publish offers in the coming weeks, including specialists Burgundy Direct (info@burgundydirect.ie), making their 28th consecutive offer of Burgundy, surely making them the most experienced in the country. From here the names Dancer, de Vögue, Grivot and Gros are top of my list, although there are plenty of others.

Cabot Co ( cabotandco.com) has the voluptuous yet elegant wines of Mugneret-Gibourg (as recommended for Christmas), Millet in Vosne-Romanée, and Guillot-Broux, from the Mâconnais.

Berry Brothers Rudd ( bbr.com) made an offer in January, and still have some left.

Greenacres ( greenacres.ie) has Robert Chevillon and Robert Groffier amongst others.

Mitchell Son will shortly have some less expensive wines in bottle