2010: an exceptional vintage in the Rhône and Burgundy
| Author | Nick Brookes |
| Published | 11 November, 2011 |
There are already loud rumblings as to just how good this vintage is in France - particularly so in the Rhône and Burgundy. I have just returned from a week in both regions and the excitement from top growers about the quality of the wines was palpable. To give you a flavour, Philippe Bravay from Domaine de Ferrand who has made fine CNDPs for the last 12 years commented that he would only rarely be able to produce wines of the quality of his 2010s again during his career. Laurent Charvin in CNDP likewise thought that his 2010 wines were the finest he has ever made, seconded by Eric Bouletin of Roucas Toumba in Vacqueyras.
The southern rhônes in 2010 have already been reviewed by Robert Parker (31st October issue) who writes: "This is a great vintage that comes close in quality to 2007 in the southern Rhône. Some producers think 2010 eclipses 2007 because of the wines' vivid freshness and focus..... The 2010s will have significant ageing potential."
The achilles heel is that yields in the southern Rhône were hit badly by coulure on the grenache (poor fruit setting after flowering) which has reduced yields by 25-35%, giving the ‘smallest harvest in the last 20-30 years' according to Dominique Ay from Raspail-Ay in Gigondas.
Eric Bouletin According to John Livingstone-Learmonth, writing about 2010 Northern Rhônes "I love 2010. It is a great vintage, truly. I recommend buying it." On 2010 Côte Rôtie, "This is where I get very jiggy, dangerously jiggy - what fruit, what balance, what richness. What an ensemble.....We will see whether 2010 can reach the heights of 1978, but it is certainly starting in the right way." Quality is due to very small grapes with thick skins and not much juice. Problems around flowering when the weather was cold, windy and wet, stripped off the pollen from the flowers, reducing yields which are on average 25-30% less than a normal vintage. The stalks were ripe, the fruit is both dense and very clear cut, the acidity and ph levels are perfect, and there is both freshness and an accurate mineral print from each vineyard.