Wine

The best of 2010 Burgundy

The year 2010 was a terrific vintage for both white and red Burgundy. Unfortunately, when nature gives with one hand, it usually takes with the other. The trade-off here is that the yields are very small indeed (30%-60% down). This means allocations are like gold dust, so your relationships with your favourite merchants will surely be tested as collectors jostle to secure stock.

After a large crop in 2009, the vines had to survive a hard winter – the conditions were the worst since 1985/1986, with temperatures falling to a record low of –21˚C in mid-December. Low-lying ‘village’ vineyards in the Côte de Nuits were the worst hit; many vines died. Flowering came in a cold, damp June, but it was an uneven, drawn-out process. This led to a failed fruit-set (where the grape berries form), with small, thick-skinned berries, which are an indicator of quality, but not, sadly, volume.

Late June and July were sunny, but August was cold and wet. In early September, the sun shone, but then disaster struck in the southern Côte de Beaune: an electrical storm hit Santenay and parts of Chassagne-Montrachet. Some growers panicked and picked; others wisely waited for a week or more to let the grapes dry out and concentrate their sugars. The patient were rewarded with intense sugars combined with acidity and wondrous, vineyard-specific minerality. This is responsible for my favourite style of Burgundy – elegant, firm, yet aromatic and lithe.

This vintage produced some spectacular whites that resemble the sprightliest of the 2008s with more verve, and incredible reds, which some might say have more finesse than the 2009s. Either way, 2008, 2009 and 2010 is the finest threesome of Burgundy vintages in my 25-years in the wine trade. Roy Richards of Richards Walford, an eminent Burgundian importer, noted that “the reds have a concentration, freshness and sense of place which differentiates them from the bigger, more muscular 2009s… the whites are on a par with the top 2008s, but with higher acidity, and they are less austere than the fine 2007s”. These notes explain the flavours perfectly.

I love the wines from across the price and Domaine spectrum. Buy as widely as possible, from Village to Premier Cru level, to get the best value and experience you can. Nearly all of the top wines speak exactly of their vineyard origins, so you will not just be drinking benchmark French pinots and chardonnays in a few years’ time, when they are ready: instead you will find wine from precise postcodes, hand-made by some of the most gifted people on the planet. That is an irresistibly compelling proposition.

The best 2010 Burgundy merchants 

• A&B Vintners, 01892-724977, Abvintners.co.uk

• Berry Bros & Rudd, 0800-280 2440, BBR.com

• Corney & Barrow, 020-7265 2400, Corneyandbarrow.com

• Haynes Hanson & Clark, 020-7584 7927, Hhandc.co.uk

• Howard Ripley, 020-8748 2608, Howardripley.com

• Justerini & Brooks, 020-7484 6400, Justerinis.com

• Lea & Sandeman, 020-7244 0522, Leaandsandeman.co.uk

• Tanners, 01743-234500, Tanners-wines.co.uk

My ten best value 2010 whites

Wine	Price	Score
Chablis, 1er Cru Les Lys, Daniel Dampt	£118	17.5
Bourgogne Blanc, Cuvée Oligocéne, Patrick Javillier	£160	17.5
Saint-Aubin, La Princée, Hubert Lamy	£168	17.5
Maranges Blanc, 1er Cru La Fussière, Bachelet-Monnot	£190	17.5
Chassagne-Montrachet, Marc-Antonin Blain	£215	17.5
Pernand-Vergelesses, 1er Cru Sous Frétille, Remi Rollin	£265	17.5
Chablis, Grand Cru Clos, Christian Moreau	£269	18
Meursault, Les Tillets, Patrick Javillier	£300	18
Puligny-Montrachet, Etienne Sauzet	£325	18
Meursault, Dominique Lafon	£396	18

My ten best value 2010 reds

Wine	Price	Score
Bourgogne Rouge, La Croix Blanche, Cécile Tremblay	£150	17.5
Savigny-lès-Beaune, 1er Cru Les Lavières, Seguin-Manuel	£169	17.5
Marsannay, Les Longeroies, Bruno Clair	£190	17.5
Volnay, du Comte Armand	£240	18
Gevrey-Chambertin, Drouhin-Laroze	£255	17.5
Nuits-St.-Georges, Vieilles Vignes, Robert Chevillon	£290	17.5
Morey-St.-Denis, Domaine des Lambrays	£345	18
Pommard, 1er Cru Combe Dessus, Marquis d’Angerville	£475	18
Gevrey-Chambertin, En Champs, Denis Mortet	£570	18
Clos de Vougeot, Grand Cru, de la Vougeraie	£720	18

• Prices quoted are by the case in-bond, exclusive of VAT and duty. Score is my score out of 20