Introduction

Burgundy has had a difficult time in the past few years, with yields significantly down in 2010 and again in 2011; with the prospect of record lows in 2012. Thankfully quality has not been affected and the wines produced have been showing very well in terms of their balance, fruit and freshness.

The 2011 vintage is a real Burgundy drinker’s vintage, with fresh, approachable wines that will be excellent in  the short to medium term. It is also looking like the last chance to pick up truly well-priced Burgundies before the inevitable price hikes that the low yielding 2012 vintage will bring.

The Vintage

As was the case in the Rhone, the 2011 growing season in Burgundy was marked by unpredictable and unusual weather. Rather than a cool Spring, Summer arrived in its place, with temperatures close to 30 degrees and very little rain. Except for frost in some areas of the Côte de Beaune, the fine weather held in May, bringing with it a successful flowering, and then continued through to July when much needed rain arrived, but also brought unseasonably cool temperatures.

While helping limit the occurrence of rot following the rain and maintaining good levels of acidity, it also slowed ripening in many areas until the arrival of good weather in the middle of August.

Other than two days of wet weather, when some growers were expecting to start harvesting towards the end of August, Summer then arrived in earnest and continued through until the end of September.

As you might expect in a region with so many micro-climates, not to mention fragmented vineyards,  the challenge for the best growers was to anticipate and  respond to different levels of ripeness in different areas. In the Côte Chalonnaise and Côte de Beaune, some  growers picked early, on finding that maturity levels had peaked and would not progress further, but others, particularly in the Côte de Nuits, harvested late and  benefitted from the warmth and sunshine of September.

The Wines

Tasting the wines from the best growers - who worked hard in the vineyards to limit yields, had the flexibility to treat individual parcels differently, harvested at the right time and who selected their fruit carefully - a pattern quickly emerges. Both the whites and reds are forward, fresh, and supple, and have lovely purity of fruit. This is also a vintage where the terroir of individual plots of vines shines through. Whilst the wines are not as concentrated as in 2010, with lower levels of alcohol than in both 2009 and 2010, they have a lovely balance of freshness, fruit and texture.

With the reds, we were struck by the sheer purity of Pinot Noir fruit. As with the whites, they are forward and accessible, with good colour and remarkable freshness. Yet many of the best also have the depth to keep well in the medium to longer term. The whites are instantly appealing with bright, crisp fruit, freshness and a supple  textured feel.

Recommendation

After the richness and weight of the sun-kissed 2009s (which were not to the taste of many), and a return to the classic tautness and concentration of 2010, 2011offers something different - wines that are beautifully balanced, with plentiful fruit, freshness, and soft supple tannins that are accessible when young.

Having tasted extensively, we can heartily recommend the 2011s for their quality and style. These are wines to enjoy now and in the medium term, while waiting for the 2009s and 2010s to show their full potential. The one caveat, which sadly seems to be ever more the case in Burgundy, is availability.

Across 2010, 2011 and 2012 most of our growers have lost an entire harvest in terms of their production. The rows of empty barrels in 2012 in particular tell their own story - growers in the Cote de Beaune are down by as much as 75% and in some cases by even more, and those in the Côte de Nuits by 30%.

In such extreme circumstances, price increases for 2012 are inevitable, in many cases significantly so. This makes the 2011s, whose prices remain stable and benefit from a relatively favourable exchange rate, particularly good value and a must have for anyone looking for affordable Burgundy in the coming years.

Stuart Rankine.

December 2012

We are extremely pleased to offer the new and outstanding vintage from Domaine Didier Dagueneau.

If there were ever any doubts that Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau, son of the late Didier, could carry on his father’s brilliant legacy, these were well and truly quashed by the continued, superb quality of the 2008 and 2009 vintages. Louis-Benjamin’s 2010s have only served to concrete that impression, with all accounts hailing these wines as every bit the equal of any previous great Dagueneau vintages.

After the hot 2009, the 2010 vintage in the Loire saw a return to normality with a cool start leading into a mild summer that seemed to peak at just the right time for harvest. In consequence, the vintage looks to be excellent and comparable to the legendary 2002s.

Although allocations are down this year, exchange rate fluctuations mean that we are able to keep the prices for these iconic wines either static or, in some cases, actually pass on a small reduction.

“We are very satisfied with 2010. We have not too high alcohol degrees and very nice acidities” - Charlotte Dagueneau

NB. This year will be the first that the wines are labelled as being from Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau.

2010 Blanc Fumé de Pouilly - £175.00 per case (6x75) in bond

“Fresh lime and lemon – along with the bite of their pips – render Dagueneau’s 2010 Blanc Fume de Pouilly (just before bottling) refreshing and invigorating. Cut, bell-like clarity, and shimmering interchange of citrus, herb, salt, and stone lead to a ringing persistence that reels you in for the next sip, an appeal that I don’t expect will fade for at least the next half dozen years”

91-92+ David Schildknecht (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate)

1 Cases available.

2010 Pouilly Fumé Buisson Renard - £250.00 per case (6x75) in bond

“Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau’s 2010 Blanc Fume de Pouilly Buisson Renard displays prominently piquant nuttiness along with pronounced bite of citrus rind and pineapple core, all of which guarantee a stimulating experience from what he calls “the style of wine I adore” for its density, richness and amplitude. That said, I personally much prefer as well as find more remarkable the clarity and vivacity of the estate’s “regular” 2010 Pouilly. There is certainly impressive grip to the peat- and stone-tinged finish of this Buisson Renard and I don’t doubt it will remain a formidable libation for at least the next half dozen years”

90-91 David Schildknecht (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate)

0 Cases available.

2010 Pouilly Fumé Pur Sang - £230.00 per case (6x75) in bond

“Musky, faintly fusil, smoky, and pungent citrus oil aromas introduce the Dagueneau 2010 Blanc Fume de Pouilly Pur Sang, all of which have their piquant tactile and flavor counterparts on a dense but bright palate. Maritime saline and alkaline notes stimulate the salivary glands; nut oils add deep richness to a juicy matrix of grapefruit and lemon; while chalk, stone, and smoky black tea serve inform a dynamic interplay that lingers long and deliciously. This is one of those Dagueneau wines that display a hint of spice and sweetness borne of oak, but this is well-integrated into the superbly complex whole that is this outstanding (immediately pre-bottling) performance. I would expect to derive excitement for at least the next decade”

92-93 David Schildknecht (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate)

0 Cases available.

2010 Pouilly Fumé Silex - £310.00 per case (6x75) in bond

“A pungent suggestion of diverse hedge flowers and high-toned herbs rises from the glass of Dagueneau 2010 Blanc Fume de Pouilly Silex; then migrates to a palate dominated by succulent grapefruit, white peach, and cassis. Breadth, opulence, sheer extract, a silken texture, and high glycerin, all seem to enhance this Sauvignon’s sense of sweet ripeness, though citrus zest and berry skin lend satisfying counterpoint. There is resonance and depth to the finish here, and if for now not quite the dazzling complexity of the corresponding Sancerre Monts Damnes, then certainly a compelling performance that promises to be worth revisiting over the next dozen or more years.”

93-94 David Schildknecht (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate)

5 Cases available.

As well as the world beating Pouilly Fumés, Domaine Didier Dagueneau have a sister estate in Jurançon; this slightly less famous (but no less superb) estate produce truly world-beating sweet wines from this classic region.

2009 Jurançon Les Jardins de Babylone -  £345.00 per case (6x50cl) in bond

Having always been interested in producing sweet wines, in 2002, Didier Dagueneau sought out an area that in his opinion, was not fully realising its potential. In Babylone, at the foot of the Pyrenees south of Pau, he found a few hectares located in a natural amphitheatre. Dagueneau's approach there is to produce wines that bring out the natural minerality of the soil and have, above all else, balance, harmony, and longevity. 

3 Cases available.

These wines are offered En Primeur and are due to be shipped early in 2013. As ever these wines are in extremely short supply so please either contact us HERE.

Introduction

The Vintage

The Wines

The North