Upcoming 2020 Burgundy vintage

I have dropped in on a few vignerons over the last few days. Many are about to take a short break now as the work in the vineyards is finished, the grapes are starting to change colour, and vintage is on the horizon.
A typical view on the Cote de Beaune, eg from Alexandre Bachelet (Bachelet-Monnot) and Dominique Lafon today, is that they are expecting to start around 25th August, but will be ready to go from 20th. Chablis wont be far behind!

Exceptionally healthy vines and grapes, somewhere between a correct crop and a slightly generous one, depending on flowering, and so far no heat spikes. For most of the season there has been enough rainfall, but it feels a bit dry now, though unlikely to be an issue except for young vines in particularly dry spots.

Thank you for the snapshot Jasper. Potential “Vintage of the Century?” JK
Appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks, Jasper, for those notes on 2020. And also thanks so much for your insights on both your webcasts and Pallmalls.

Thanks. I guess in the DC area right now we are having enough heat spikes for the world. It is estimated right now that we will have around 29 days in July where the temperature is 90 or above, apparently shattering previous records.

ouch! come and live in the vines here instead, Howard!

Now that this seems to be the new normal, here’s hoping for what seems to be a fresher, 2019 kind of hot vintage rather than 2018.

Thank you for the update!

There’s a great idea.

Jasper, do you happen to know when budbreak and bloom occurred? And historically, how typical is it for growers to be picking in August?

8’s are bad ?

Not bad, good producers still make good wines of course, but it was a dry and hot year and the wines have seemed to trend higher in alcohol and lower in acidities.

What is your sample size and from what producers?

A handful of 2018 whites and Beaujolais as well as journalist/press reports.

That was not my impression of 2018 at all.

Marcus
budbreak was exceptionally early - and some as yet unpublished research by Claude & Lydia Bourguignon seems to be pointing in the direction that budbreak is getting proportionately much earlier in recent years, more so even than flowering or harvest.
Flowering was early - late May, but a little bit held back and a little bit strung out by cooler windier weather, which was probably a good thing as a huge crop had set at bud break.

August harvests: one per century in the past (1719, 1893, 1976) now fairly regular: 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020

I have figures but not on my cellphone, will try to drop them here later. 2020 had a super early beginning, on par with 2011 (but late season was terrible in 11 so it was never ripe and waited forever to be picked) but the development is steady whereas in 2018 and 2019 we had an early budbreak followed but cool weather/frost which slowed things down then super hot summer which sped things up.
On the finish line the difference won’t be huge I believe (around a week earlier for 2020 maybe) but the growing season is (IMHO) perfect so far: cool nights, not overly warm days, open bunches, almost no disease pressure.

None of you guys will let us in!!! Hopefully, next year. [It really does not matter right now anyway. I am not traveling or even going to restaurants right now.]

However, I must admit that the last time I was in Paris and Burgundy was July 2018. It was brutal there, esp. since Europeans do not believe in air conditioning. It was also brutal there in July 2016, the time I had visited Burgundy before that. So, I don’t see France as a place for relief from the summer heat.

Since I am now retired, after my summer trip in 2018 we started traveling more in Europe in the Spring and Fall rather than in July and August.

I think it is generally accepted that picking times and viticulture practices to ensure the fruit didn’t get too much sun was the key to making fresh and elegant wines in a year that trended towards concentration.

Thank you, that’s helpful for perspective!

Good luck! It’s always great to hear of a really ideal growing season, and I hope the final month maintains that quality. We’re two months out in the Willamette Valley but also have a very good growing season so far.

It was mine, both in barrel and based on a couple of reds and whites so far.

Also what I heard from friends who visited the region to taste.