White Burgundy

Question 1

1983

Answer 1

Huge and alcoholic, the few with acidity to balance were spectacular.

Question 2

1985

Answer 2

Beautifully balanced, expansive wines.

Question 3

1986

Answer 3

Not as consistent as 1985, but great from reliable growers.

Question 4

1988

Answer 4

Pretty lean and astringent.

Question 5

1989

Answer 5

A medium-sized crop produced spectacularly rich and horribly expensive wines.

Question 6

1990

Answer 6

Very ripe but yields were just too high for profound wines. Chablis best.

Question 7

1991

Answer 7

Rain reduced acidity and concentration, some were delightful but many were dilute.

Question 8

1992

Answer 8

Balanced, elegant and refined: best from the Côte d’Or rather than Chablis.

Question 9

1993

Answer 9

A large, ripe harvest struck by rain, so concentration was a problem.

Question 10

1994

Answer 10

Generally better than the reds and certainly more consistent, especially the Mâconnais.

Question 11

1995

Answer 11

Very small crop producing wines with real concentration.

Question 12

1996

Answer 12

As with the reds, acidity is the keynote. The best-balanced are stunning but some are a bit meagre.

Question 13

1997

Answer 13

Charming wines for relatively early drinking.

Question 14

1998

Answer 14

Everything went wrong: frost, hail, powdery mildew. Respectable, considering.

Question 15

1999

Answer 15

Large crop ripened by fine weather in late August and early September. Generally slightly crisper than the 2000s and the best may last longer - if they are allowed to.

Question 16

2000

Answer 16

Extremely ripe, sometimes too ripe, healthy grapes with fairly good acidity that were able to charm even in their youth. Especially good for Chablis and the Mâconnais.

Question 17

2001

Answer 17

Erratic weather produced some rot but also some surprisingly good white wines, if not for the long term, as well as some rather thin, disappointing ones. A variable vintage that rewarded those who limited yields. Devastating hail in parts of the Côte Chalonnaise.

Question 18

2002

Answer 18

Good quality and quantity.

Question 19

2003

Answer 19

A very difficult year with exceptionally low levels of acid, some of them made from grapes that shrivelled rather than ripened. Curious.

Question 20

2004

Answer 20

Acid levels are relatively high and these are not massive wines so are best for classicists who like their white burgundy to be quite angular.

Question 21

2005

Answer 21

Very concentrated wines that should last much longer than most white burgundy vintages. Promising indeed.

Question 22

2006

Answer 22

Poor summer was followed by much-needed fine weather in early September producing a relatively consistent crop of early-maturing, quite fleshy whites.

Question 23

2007

Answer 23

Another challenging summer with no shortage of rain but for once Chardonnay flowered after Pinot Noir and was more reliably saved by the drying winds that arrived in late August. Crisper whites than in 2005 and 2006.

Question 24

2008

Answer 24

Challenging climatic conditions abounded throughout the season, leading to high acidity that gives these whites a particular freshness. Challenging, then, but as ever the best producers have made some spectacular wines.

Question 25

2009

Answer 25

Good, healthy and high quality across the region. Warm conditions and fairly large yields have given balanced grapes, and most agree 2009 whites are at least on a par with 2005.

Question 26

2010

Answer 26

High acidity, after the more opulent style of the 2009s. A small, ripe crop - although a storm in early September did produce some rot, so sorting was crucial - as ever.

Question 27

2011

Answer 27

Less ripe than the previous two vintages, needing chaptalisation in many cases. Chaotic weather made this a tricky vintage overall.

Question 28

2012

Answer 28

Produced very low volumes of Chardonnay in Burgundy. What there is, however, is being welcomed with cautious enthusiasm. As with the reds, poor quality was expected after such challenging weather conditions, but the first tastings indicated the wines are very good. A triumph against adversity, perhaps?

Question 29

2013

Answer 29

A disappointment to Burgundy’s Chardonnay growers who had hoped for higher volumes than 2012. Instead, a short crop thanks to the cold spring was diminished still further by the careful fruit selection required after an erratic summer. All in all, producers intent on quality have acquitted themselves well.

Question 30

2014

Answer 30

Rather promising wines have emerged from a season that started unusually early after a mild winter and usefully wet early March followed by a very dry spring. Weather during flowering was almost too hot and dry. A cool, damp summer slowed ripening so that a fair quantity of grapes with good acid levels were picked at the usual time.

Question 31

2015

Answer 31

An early vintage with a very warm, dry summer. Chablis was affected by hail in early September, damaging 300 hectares of vineyard. Lower acidity levels make the wines richer but less precise than the 2014s.

Question 32

2016

Answer 32

Damaging hailstorms and frost meant that yields are down across the region, by as much as 50% in Chablis. However, what remains is considered good quality in a classic style – that is, without any particular extremes of acid, alcohol, body or fruit concentration.

Question 33

2017

Answer 33

Chablis suffered greatly from frost in 2017, resulting in very reduced volumes. As ever, the irony seems to be that what remains is very good quality, as it is in the Côte d’Or. Cooler nights across the region have resulted in higher-than-usual acidity, with good conditions throughout the harvest season allowing for ripe, healthy fruit.