Three Chassagne-Montrachet parcels compared (2020)

Having posted a little bit about viticulture in Burgundy and its impact on wine quality, I thought it might be interesting to share some pictures from Chassagne-Montrachet today. Here are three clusters of grapes, from three contiguous parcels of vines: they share the same geology, soil hydrology, exposition etc.

Three clusters in Chassagne-Montrachet by WilliamGFKelley, on Flickr

From left to right, the first is a a low yielding selection of Chardonnay with small, open clusters, farmed with high canopies: the grapes are characterized by high levels of dry extract, and are already fully mature at >13% potential alcohol. This year, the parcel has suffered with sunburn, like many along the Côte, but the grapes that have been spared are tasting great, with ripe skins and seeds. From a potential yield of around 45 hl/ha, sunburn has reduced the crop to around 30-35 hl/ha. Here are the vines in question (note that the photo probably doesn’t convey quite how high the canopies are):

Cluster 1 vines by WilliamGFKelley, on Flickr

In the middle is a higher yielding selection, heavily fertilized, that has been trimmed short: this has prompted lateral growth and vegetative vigor. Potential alcohol here is barely at 10%, and the fruit tastes notably herbaceous. The yields are high, but almost entirely hidden behind the profusion of leaves:

Cluster 2 vines by WilliamGFKelley, on Flickr

On the right is a higher yielding selection (young vines, too), but with a better balanced canopy. The skins-to-juice ratio is evidently considerably lower than the cluster on the left, and the wines that result will be softer, rounder, and more open-knit: especially if they see are short, gentle pressing. In 30 years, of course, with diminished vigor, they may deliver excellent results… Potential alcohols here must be around 11+%

Cluster 3 vines by WilliamGFKelley, on Flickr

To me, this emphasizes what a pity it is that viticultural differences are largely subordinate to “terroir” in discussions of Burgundy’s wines. It’s also evident that it’s entirely fatuous to judge producers based on when they harvested: cluster number one was being picked today, number two might need to wait until September (even if it’s unlike its owners will), and number three will be ready around Wednesday this week. This is why I never even ask producers when they picked when I am reviewing their wines…

Very interesting stuff. What is the intended aim of high canopies in this context?

More William Kelley awesomeness! Love it when critics actually take us inside the physical process of winemaking and how it affects the final product instead of just coming up with more abstruse adjectives.

This is probably an elementary question, but what is meant by a “high” canopy here? It’s not immediately obvious from the photos. Are the vines being trimmed such that the grapes are less shaded by leaves or something?

A more practical question—who (if any) are the young, under-the-radar producers farming grapes like #1?

Great stuff. Thanks, William.

Though I still suspect pick date matters, maybe it matters less than I thought, especially with good producers.

Yes, really great, really helpful, thanks!
William discussed high canopies in a previous thread; it gives more natural protection to the grape, if I understood properly. At the same time, never being involved in viticulture, I would not have said the first bunch were the pick of the litter, but it made sense in light of William’s commentary.

Great post William.

As important as the pick date is, you are 100% correct in that the right choice is relative to each site(and vines).

Regarding the canopy differences, green vigor and laterals preventing sunshine from touching the fruit typically seem to produce greener/leafy flavors and have higher levels of malic acid. And one of the big impacts of no-till farming has been to shorten cane growth, cutting the number of hedging passes, and definitely leading to lower alcohols and earlier flavor development.

Really a great post, and very clear illustration of how varied a grape cluster can be.

What a concise, persuasive exposition, William. Thanks for sharing it here with us. Brilliant! (as you folks say)

I’ve wondered about this one in light of warming climates. The few viticulture books I’ve read state that phenolic development, within a given clone, is fairly constant and is just a function of time whereas sugar development is both time and temperature dependent. So interesting (but not surprising) to hear that phenolic development can be affected by viticultural practices.

++++1

I didn’t know this either. One of the big challenges of global warming in regions which were already warm is underripe phenolics, owing to misalignment between phenolic and sugar development, and judging from some wines I’ve had, quite a few growers/producers have reacted by simply shrugging their shoulders.

Wondering here why William seems to so strongly favor the high-canopied grapes which are already at 13% alcohol in mid-August of a warm year. Wouldn’t there be an advantage to the more shaded grapes which develop sugars more slowly? Even if they are tasting herbaceous in August they might be more balanced out by September, and some herbaceousness can add complexity. At least it seems like the issues might be complicated.

Thanks for posting this William, it’s fascinating.

(This is very informative stuff. Super fascinating.)

Not William, but look at what he said. Grapes came from a low yielding selection of Chardonnay. High levels of dry extract and, most importantly, perhaps, the grapes are TASTING GREAT.

Of course they taste better now. They ripened faster and are ready to pick now, while the others were more protected from the sun and are not yet ready to pick. I’m wondering which is the best approach for the final product

Yields are a different matter

Great photos, thanks for posting.

Annoying pendant alert - I think you meant contiguous not contagious!

Brodie

What an informative post. Thanks so much William.

did he get spanked for stealing grapes?

Super informative post William. That third bunch could pass as table grapes.