Burgundy Feels the Heat
In 2009, Greenpeace published a lengthy report on the future of Burgundy. Suitably pessimistic in tone and content, it predicted that climate change would eventually obliterate the fragile terroirs of Volnay, Montrachet and Meursault. As a result, a group of 50 winemakers, writers and sommeliers wrote to Le Monde to voice their concerns over global warming to the then French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Nine years later, it appears little has changed. Climate change deniers continue to "question the science", while journalists continue to fret over Burgundy's demise.
More accurately, they fear a catastrophic loss of Burgundian typicité, which shone through in the 1990 vintage.
A 1990 Musigny is still the finest red Burgundy I have ever had the good fortune to taste. It epitomized everything that makes Pinot Noir so irresistible – a merging of ripe fruit and textbook acidity, of profound flavor and finesse that will age for decades.
Yet, according to a recent column by Tim Atkin MW, such wines may never be seen again. He reports that 2018's exceptionally hot and dry summer has translated into undesirable levels of alcohol in the fermenter – typically 14.5 percent for the red grand crus, and sometimes higher. "Not everyone made such full-bodied wines in 2018, of course, but it's getting harder and harder to make elegant red Burgundies," said Atkin.
Globally renowned for the elegance of its wines – that word beloved of winemakers and critics – Burgundy is admittedly no stranger to the demands of a changing climate. Growers faced a 30 percent lower yield during the 2003 heat wave compared with the previous year. Around the historic wine capital of Beaune, reports document significant changes with grapes harvested 13 days earlier from 1988 to 2006 than from 1973 to 1987. Between the same periods, grapes would on average reach maturity in 40 days while historically 50 days has been the norm. Today there is no other subject that arouses such passions as rising alcohol levels in the Côte d'Or.
It's perfectly understandable, of course – no one wants Chambolle-Musigny to start churning out Napa-like Pinot Noir. It is of fundamental importance to the Burgundians that the influence of terroir be enhanced rather than diminished, and that typicité is sacrosanct. Only then can the special monetary value attached to the appellations of Chambertin and La Tache be justified. But if the Côte d'Or eventually becomes synonymous with super-ripe, anonymous Pinot, why should collectors pay top dollar anymore?
It's also a question of context – lower-alcohol fascism is on the rise and winemakers are repeatedly told that today's sophisticated consumer demands fresher wine styles.
"A sizable chunk of the wine media and the majority of sommeliers (especially the younger ones) actively reject Barossa, and wine shows such as the Melbourne Wine Show routinely reject Woods Crampton as 'over-ripe', despite being on the more elegant side of the classic Barossa style," observes winemaker Nicholas Crampton.
Unfortunately, this global paradigm of "less is more" increasingly finds itself struggling against the reality of climate change – winemakers are increasingly exploring new sites, just to keep a high pH at bay. Atkin notes that the Burgundians may have to do the same, or even start flirting with Rhône varieties such as Syrah or Grenache in the decades to come.
"The region hasn't seen a vintage like 2018 for over 50 years," says Laurent Delaunay, president of Badet Clement. Optimistic over the potential of 2018, Delaunay does concede that in some cases alcohol levels went through the roof. "It is true that there were some very high levels of alcohol this year (15 percent in some very rare and specific cases). This situation is due to multiple reasons, among others: global warming and a general move in Burgundy over the last 20 years to reduce yields and work more precisely in the vineyards in order to improve quality, which also results in more concentrated wines."
But is increased ripeness (depending on your definition of excessive) and concentration really something to fear in Burgundy? Delaunay argues that as vintage expression is paramount across the region, winemakers shouldn't try too hard to reign in the natural power of the 2018s.
"In Burgundy, compared to other regions in the world, the trend is to be as minimally interventionist as possible and to try to respect the specific characteristics of the vintages, instead of trying to minimize them by enological technology," he says.
"Therefore, it is true that some of the 2018 wines are going to show more alcohol and be less elegant and fresh, but this is a way of respecting the vintage authenticity."
Benjamin Le Berre, CEO of Maison François Martenot, adds: "There's less and less chaptalization required in Burgundy, or even none at all – this is going in the right direction. The wines from Burgundy and Beaujolais are therefore more naturally balanced. The winemakers and growers can increasingly choose the date to harvest in terms of the maturity of the grapes, rather than just because of climatic problems which can ultimately bring about diseases in the vines."
Indeed, Delaunay and others I spoke to are seemingly unconcerned about global warming's ability to destroy Burgundy's unique flavor profile. "The important things are to avoid over-ripeness (by adapting the date of harvest) and over-extraction – by adapting the winemaking: very gentle maceration, limited pumping over and pigeage," advises Delaunay. "This way, balanced wines can be made at higher alcohol levels."
He also dismisses the idea that higher alcohol – over 14.5 percent, for sake of argument – and elegance are mutually exclusive qualities, a sentiment shared by many in the trade. "Higher alcohols do change the profile of the wines, however, balance between pH, tannins and richness is the key to good Burgundy and even in the riper vintages, the wines still have a feel and texture to them that sets them apart from the more glycerol rich new world examples," argues Layton's wine buyer Peter Mitchell MW.
He continues: "Obviously this is not the case for all producers and I have noticed some that seem to have lost the typicité of the region with excessive ripeness and extraction, but these are still in the minority. Higher alcohols and elegance are not mutually exclusive and Pinot as a grape can wear high alcohol better than many."
Nevertheless, there is arguably a tipping point of ripeness when the wines lose the freshness and fruit profile for which Burgundy is famous. By 15 percent, it is doubtful that elegant Burgundy is being made.
"There is more to elegance than alcohol, and there are many winemaking tools that can help or hinder that," answers Cedric Nicaise, wine director at the Eleven Madison Park hotel, New York.
"Ripeness is just one part of the recipe, along with extraction, concentration and oak usage (amongst other elements). But far as typicité goes, that remains to be seen. To say that alcohol will take away from a sense of place is saying that Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford at 15 percent alcohol will have no difference than Napa Cabernet from Stags Leap at 15 percent alcohol. I am not sure you can make that statement."
Nicaise underlines the point that concerns over rising alcohol levels and a subsequent loss of finesse are hardly unique to Burgundy. It's just that we care about preserving the signature style of the Côte d'Or – albeit taking into account the variations between different crus and villages – more than any other region. I always imagine critics, upon discovering that a meteorite fragment is heading for Vosne-Romanée, begging NASA scientists to deflect its path towards Paris instead. "Killing millions of Parisians is a small price to pay for saving Domaine de la Romanée-Conti," they'd shout.
But remember In Pursuit of Balance, the now defunct organization determined to bring elegance to the US West Coast? Sommelier Gianpaolo Paterlini does, although he's in a minority.
"I think In Pursuit of Balance had great intentions but I don't think it had much of an effect," he says. "I think it did have a negative effect on a handful of wineries (they shall remain nameless) who were making balanced wines from their warm vineyard sites before IPOB and have been making green, austere, hard-to-drink wines since IPOB. It's like they think balanced wine has to be a particular style (high acid, low alcohol) but it's important to remember that balance comes in all forms."
Not that Paterlini is an advocate of uber-ripe Pinot Noir, he just questions whether the hysteria over the demise of Burgundy (as we know it) is justified. We're always told that Pinot Noir simply will not tolerate excessive warmth – it ripens well enough, growers admit, but produces an utterly nondescript wine devoid of that crucial ability to age. Which is why I've always admired Au Bon Climat and their ability to make Pinot that is both ripe and delightfully fresh. The 2015 (13.5 percent alcohol) is a real gem and ironically a style that, compared to some top-heavy grand cru wines from the 2018 Côte d'Or vintage, may be considered superior in every way.
Still, Burgundy nuts should not lose heart – 2019 could be the vintage that returns to alcohol levels of around 13 percent. This is the inherent problem with making any prediction about Burgundy's future – climate change is nothing if not capricious. A student of the 2003 vintage would conclude that fresh, elegant Burgundy is no more. Yet the 2004 crop produced generally crisp wines of crunchy fruit and moderate alcohol, as did (at least in my tasting experience) 2006, 07 and 08. In addition, when you look at 2012, 2013, and 2014 vintages, most wines still range between 12.5-13.5 percent alcohol. Fans of contemporary Burgundy should probably count themselves lucky, at least in the short to medium term.
In the 1980s they were just three good vintages. Since 1990, the only really drab vintages have been 1992, 1994, 2000 (2003, if you hate that kind of thing) and 2011, my least favorite. Having succumbed to the allure of high-yielding clones in the 1960s through to the mid-1980s, Burgundy is now making wines of unprecedented quality and style. Cleaner, often richer and yes, riper.
Or as the intrepid Laurent Delaunay puts it: "Ultimately, as we do in Limoux, maintaining some elegance and balance may require to look for cooler places (higher altitude, like the Hautes-Côtes in Burgundy) and plant more adapted clones. But I believe that, even in warmer conditions, and even with reasonably higher alcohol levels, it is possible to keep the elegance and balance that everybody loves in Pinot Noir."
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