It was our pleasure to host the Burgundy 2017 Vintage Review here at The Wine Company and are grateful to all of you in the Minnesota wine trade who made it -thank you!

Nothing short of tasting the myriad domaines of Bouchard Pere et Fils and William Fevre provide one with the ability to know a vintage. In our preview with winemaker Frederic Weber, we explored the nuance of every site from their appellative bottlings and 1er Crus to the Grand Crus and Monopoles.

Read on to learn more about the 2017 vintage in Burgundy and Chablis and be sure to ask after these wines from your trusty, local bottle shops -some of whom also took advantage of the Library Offerings on offer at the recent vintage tasting.

For more on the 2017 vintage, we turn to Frederic Weber, Cellar Master at Bouchard Pere et Fils, and Didier Seguier, Winemaker at William Fevre.

 

2017 VINTAGE IN BURGUNDY
No Better Time than the Present!

2017 was a vintage with good growing conditions where our decisions in the vineyard transformed it into a compelling vintage. Deciding when to harvest the grapes proved to be the most important but stressful decision as we were seeing acidity decrease while grapes had not yet reached the concentration and maturity we were looking to achieve. We waited a bit longer and the results really paid off. We ended up with elegant reds with soft tannins in the Côte de Beaune – similar to vintage 2000 – and powerful, very promising whites – similar to 2015, but with higher acidity. A truly pleasurable vintage ready to enjoy now.

– Frederic Weber, Cellar Master Bouchard Père & Fils

 

2017 VINTAGE IN CHABLIS
A Vintage Full of Elegance

2017 started cold with dry, bright weather. In April, cold weather for 2 weeks led to morning frost which affected all areas of vineyards. Summer was warm with just a few showers leading to uniform bloom and fast ripening due to a heat wave in August. The crop was perfectly healthy, and the wines are very fruit-forward showing excellent minerality with a lot of freshness, purity and precision. Low yields resulted in great concentration. A classic vintage comparable to 2014 and 2010.

– Didier Seguier, Winemaker