If you are wondering what vintage of to pull out of the cellar at the moment, I can confirm that the 2013s are beginning to show very nicely.
2013 was a late harvest and one growers described as “a vintage of the soil or terroir”. Later picked vintages always produce wines with a great level of authenticity, reflecting their origins and purity. We said on their release in January 2015 that this vintage will have two phases of drinking; with their lovely purity of fruit, they will drink extremely well young, but I suspect that, with their excellent freshness, they have the propensity to make old bones. We are still in phase one.
At the Bourgogne Rouge level in recent weeks I’ve had examples from Méo-Camuzet, Hudelot Noellat, Christian Serafin, Ponsot (Domaine) and Sylvain Cathiard. I know this is a pretty good line up of growers, but all the wines showed nice sweet fruit, with some good freshness too.
At the village level there are quite a lot of 2013s on the wine lists in and around Beaune currently, so we got to try a few during our recent visit to taste the 2018 Burgundies. They all pretty much echoed my feelings based on the Bourgogne Rouges, just with that extra dimension of sweetness, fine silky tannins and good length. Standouts included Gevrey Chambertin from Serafin, Vosne Romanées from Cathiard and AF Gros, Morey St Denis from Fourrier and Chambolle Musignys from Drouhin Laroze and Hudelot Noellat. Two other Chambolle Musigny Villages needed a bit longer to show their stripes; namely Barthod and Roumier.
As you would expect at the 1er Cru level there is a step up and, while the wines have a bit more complexity and length, there is plenty to admire right now. In recent months I have had Nuits St Georges 1er Crus from Chevillon, Hudelot Noellat and Arlot, Gevrey 1er Crus from Mortet, Serafin and a Vosne Romanée 1er Cru from Roche de Bellène. All showing very nicely but with plenty of life ahead. The nice thing is that at the moment they carry a bit of puppy fat which makes them so attractive. In time that will fade and be replaced with secondary flavours and more savoury notes.
I have not had many Grand Crus recently (or many wines from the Côte de Beaune which was affected by hail) but I will report back on those when I have tasted enough of a range to make an informed judgement.
Tom’s Top Five Picks from the 2013 vintage currently available at Goedhuis & Co for drinking this Christmas and beyond:
– Marsannay Les Favieres Charles Audoin £27.98 per bottle inc VAT;
– Gevrey Chambertin Christian Sérafin £35.00 per bottle inc VAT;
– Chambolle Musigny Drouhin Laroze £49.68 per bottle inc VAT;
– Vosne Romanée Aux Réas Anne-Francoise Gros £52.68 per bottle inc VAT;
– Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Clos des Forêts St Georges Domaine de l’Arlot £67.68 per bottle inc VAT.
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What else to drink now, a general guide as this obviously varies considerably from wine to wine:
– Red Bordeaux: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, some less grand 2005, 2006, 2007
– Red Burgundy: anything pre-2010, village 2010, village and lesser 1er Cru 2012 & 2014
– White Burgundy: anything pre-2014, 2015, 2014 you can either drink or hold longer
– Rhône: 2009 and older
Order cut off dates if you want to organise delivery of your 2013 Red Burgundies from Private Reserves:
- London – Wednesday 18th December
- Country – Monday 16th December
- Scotland – Thursday 12th December
To request delivery: email info@privatereservesltd.com or call 01604 743916.