Much has been written about the 2020 vintage in Burgundy. The weather was warm and dry and has produced wines of power but also with freshness and acid balance.
The biggest issue is volume. Many vineyards produced a fraction of their normal bunches and the quantity produced and therefore allocated to importers is typically down at least 20%, sometimes more than 50%. You will read in the tasting notes of single barrels being produced instead of the usual 5-10.
One recent report of interest was from The World of Fine Wine who set out to compare 2020 with vintages of the past. They said...
"The best expression of red 2020 Burgundy is not unlike that of the 2010s—elegant, fresh, and vibrant—but richer and more concentrated. Actually, the 2020s seem to have more of everything—which is hardly surprising, given that it was a half crop. So, maybe 2010 with higher acidity and a touch of the riper 2015, or indeed 2015 with more purity and acidity?
The reds also bear comparison with 2005, and would do so even more closely if 2005 were made today. Both had dry growing seasons, producing wines with high acidity, concentration, and plentiful tannic matter, but in 2005 extraction was higher, whereas today a lighter “infusion” approach is widespread. “We saw the fruit and the tannins and went for maximum extraction in 2005,” recalls Christophe Drag at Domaine Jean Chauvenet. “We only really understood about stepping back and doing less extraction with the 2009 vintage, but this is heavy and nothing like 2020.” He is right. 2020 is much fresher and more energetic than 2009, and there is greater similarity with 2012 in the Côte de Nuits, for its combination of freshness with ripeness, though 2020 has more intensity. Aromatically, 2020 can have a peppery spiciness reminiscent of the slightly underripe 2008 vintage."
It all sounds very promising!
