Description

Hot, historic and plentiful: if you had to choose three adjectives to describe the 2018 vintage in Burgundy, this trio tells you almost all you need to know. What Aubert de Villaine of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti described as an “Homeric struggle from March to September” was marked by extreme temperatures, especially in August, when thermometers hit 40°C.

Generalising about Burgundy is tricky at the best of times, but especially so in 2018. So many factors came into play in the vineyard and winery. It’s a vintage when it pays to know your grower or négociant as well as your terroirs.

This shortened, free report should be seen as something to accompany the 675 tasting notes and the more extensive vintage overview that I have published in Decanter and on decanter.com (subscription needed). The wines marked in the A-Z with a D are to be found online and in the current issue of the magazine.
All the other wines I have scored were tasted by me in Burgundy over a three-week period in October and November 2019. There are certainly some very good reds and whites on offer right now, but choose carefully and, if you can, taste before you buy.