Burgundy (Cote d'Or) - 2001

Relatively crisp wine with good mineral definition.

Generally speaking 2001 was a wet, cool and cloudy year in Burgundy. The flowering was late and drawn out, leading eventually to uneven ripeness at the time of the harvest. July was miserably cold and wet, only drying up at the end of the month. There was then a hailstorm on August 2nd. This affected parts of Auxey, Monthélie and Meursault, but had an even more devastating effect in Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise. The rest of August was fine, thickening the skins of the grapes. But September was grey and cool, with intermittent rain during the harvest. This began in the Côte de Beaune on September 17th, six days later in Chablis. Despite the weather conditions, the yield was higher than the five year average, though a lot less than in 2000.

Mâconnais (inc. Pouilly-Fuissé) – Good crisp, clean, flowery wines for the medium term. Only the best Pouilly-Fuissés will last beyond the end of 2005. Côte Chalonnaise – Medium weight, fruity wines with good acidity. Côte d’Or – Heterogenous, especially in Saint-Aubin, and to a lesser extent in Chassagne and Puligny. Best in Meursault and Corton-Charlemagne. The wines vary from the merely fruity but fragile (drink sooner), to those which are both concentrated and have good vigour and acidity. These will be at their best between 2005 and 2010. Chablis – While 2000 was a potentially fine year which has produced a lot of disappointments, 2001 is unexpectedly good in the best cellars. The first growths and grands crus will be at peak between 2005 and 2010.