Burgundy lovers will be guided on the best picks with over 1,700 tasting notes for the 2019 vintage and reappraisals of 2018 in bottle
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 2 February 2021 – Top-end Burgundy wines remain one of the most
sought-after wines around the world, with appreciation and investment value at
an all-time high. The Robert Parker
Wine Advocate Côte d’Or Wine 2019 Report is a timely guide to navigating the domaines, from aspiring to
venerable, in the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, where the highest
concentration of Grand Crus in the region can be found. Reviewer William Kelley says, “In short, 2019 is a superb
vintage, and these are wines that all Burgundy lovers are going to want to
secure for their cellars.”
Robert Parker Wine Advocate
reviewer William Kelley and Madam Lalou Bize-Leroy, one of Burgundy’s greatest
winemakers. (Photo credit: Gretchen M. Greer)
Highlights of the report:
- Insights into
the 2019 vintage of the top rated Burgundian domaines: Domaine Dugat-Py, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Domaine
Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier - In
depth 2019 white and red Burgundy report and reviews - Reviewer’s 10 favourites
The
Robert Parker Wine Advocate report format includes an in-depth introduction and
vintage reports that are the reviewer’s expert opinions on the vintage, based
predominately on their tastings and taking into consideration their regional
visits and interviews with winemakers / viticulturalists. The annual Burgundy Côte d’Or
report is helmed by William Kelley since 2017, who also reports
on the Mâconnais, Chablis and Beaujolais in separate dispatches. Although
tasting events were cancelled and international travel became difficult due to
COVID-19, RPWA’s global base of reviewers still enabled physical visits and continuous
coverage of this important region without interruption.
What you need to know:
Burgundy Côte d’Or 2019
Where: Côte d’Or comprises of Côte de Nuits and Côte
de Beaune, the two most important regions in Burgundy. Translated as golden
slope, it gets its name from the east-facing slopes that are bathed in
sunlight during the growing season.
Vintage conditions: 2019 was, on paper, a rather
extreme vintage, yet the vines proved remarkably resilient while the wines are
remarkably classical in profile. “We are convinced that the vines are adapting
to warmer, drier years, and we find this very reassuring,” observed Aubert de
Villaine of Domaine de la
Romanée-Conti in
speaking to Kelley, a sentiment shared by
Burgundy lovers.
Kelley summarises the 2019 vintage:
“A mild and dry winter set the stage for drought conditions later in the
season. Budbreak came early, and spring was comparatively cool. Summer was warm
and sunny, with heat waves in June and July compounding with hydric stress to
slow ripening. August and early September were cooler and sometimes cloudy,
though sunny conditions returned for harvest; but it was a dry north wind,
rather than excessive temperatures, that concentrated both sugars and acidities
alike in the final weeks before picking began.”
Grape performance: Says Kelley, “This is a
thrilling year for Pinot Noir, delivering wines bursting with head-turning
perfume and fresh, succulent fruit. Supple and enveloping, they are
simultaneously serious and immensely charming. In Chardonnay, 2019 is more heterogenous. The small crop ripened
rapidly, and the results are invariably muscular and concentrated; but the
year’s best white Burgundies are as incisive as they are powerful, with bright
acidity to balance their undeniable weight, and attentive producers excelled.”
Ten favourites that show the 2019 vintage at its best:
2019 Domaine
Arnoux-Lachaux Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru (RP 97-99 points)
“One of the wines of the
vintage, Lachaux’s 2019 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru soars from the glass
with a kaleidoscopic bouquet of raspberries, blood orange zest, peonies,
violets and exotic spices, complemented by subtle hints of coniferous forest
floor and raw cocoa.”
2019 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes (RP 95-97 points)
“The 2019 Volnay 1er Cru
Clos des Chênes is a magical bottle in the making…. Medium to full-bodied,
layered and complete, it’s elegantly powerful, with lively acids, powdery
tannins and a long, perfumed finish.”
2019 Domaine Guffens-Heynen Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Jus des Hautes des Vignes (RP 94-96+ points)
“A cuvée composed of the
free run and first press juice from Guffens’s best parcels in the appellation,
the 2019 Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Jus des Hautes des Vignes is showing beautifully.”
2019 Domaine Jean-Claude Bachelet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Blanchot-Dessus (RP 94-96 points)
“Full-bodied, layered and
concentrated, with chalky structuring extract and racy acids, it’s long and
resonant.”
2019 Domaine Jean et J L Trapet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Prieur (RP 92-94 points)
“Fleshier and more
enveloping than the Petite Chapelle, the 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos
Prieur exhibits notes of plums, sweet wild berries, rich soil tones, mandarin
orange and raw cocoa.”
2019 Domaine Simon Bize et Fils Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses (RP 93-95 points)
“The 2019
Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses is a striking wine…. Medium to
full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it’s vibrant and velvety, with
lively acids and a long, perfumed finish.”
2019 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny Village (RP 91-93 points)
“The 2019
Chambolle-Musigny Village is superb, mingling aromas of cherries and
raspberries with hints of dark chocolate, potpourri and spices.”
2019 Domaine Henri Germain Meursault Le Limozin (RP 91-93 points)
Medium to full-bodied,
textural and precise, it combines impressive mid-palate volume with terrific
cut.
2019 Domaine Duroché Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Etelois (RP 91-93 points)
“It’s a terrific cuvée
from this optimally situated parcel that borders Griotte-Chambertin on one side
and Charmes-Chambertin on the other.”
2019 Domaine
Dureuil-Janthial Rully Blanc (RP 89-91 points)
“Medium-bodied, chiseled
and concentrated, with tangy acids and a mouthwateringly saline finish, this
will be delicious out of the gates–though don’t discount its capacity to age.”
The full report is available
on http://bit.ly/RPWA2019BurgundyReport
Full press kit with images is available on: 
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ght5waom3bbj0cc/AACvlpgRXBmZWr-eHKWGunida?dl=0
About Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Robert Parker Wine Advocate is the world’s premier independent wine buyer’s guide and website with more than 450,000 tasting notes, scores and reviews from professional critics around-the-world. For over 40 years, Robert Parker Wine Advocate (a part of the MICHELIN Group of companies) has been the global leader and independent consumer’s guide to fine wine with its 100-point rating system and in-depth coverage of major wine regions.
For more information, visit www.RobertParker.com.
