Robert M. Parker, Jr. of The Wine Advocate asked Peter Weygandt to report on his recent trip to Burgundy and the Rhône river valley. The following is his account:
On September 15, I arrived in Burgundy and for a few days witnessed and participated in a very beautiful harvest there. The morning of September 16th, I heard on the weather news that the night before in Chateauneuf it had rained. I arrived in there mid-day on Friday the 18th. It had rained a little that morning and then it rained again that afternoon. On Saturday the 19th,it rained a little, over an area that stretched from Courthezon to Chateanueuf, but missed the northwest section of the appellation entirely. All told, the rains together totaled about 70-75 mm over 4 days, with the biggest coming the night of the 15th (around 60 mm).
Prior to this time there had not been any rain in Chateauneuf since mid-June (and then very little). July and especially August had been very hot. By late August some vines were showing stress. September turned cooler, which helped. Many growers started to pick around the 10th. In fact, many got their entire harvest of Chateauneuf in before the night of the 14th, when the first rain in 3 months came. These producers, depending on how much they had worked, produced, in many cases, wines of exceptional promise–great concentration and intense flavors that I tasted from the juice. The key was how much they had worked the soil, which had helped the vines mature and minimized any stress. For those who picked just because the grapes had high alcohol, their wines might not be successful (but I did not visit any domaine such as this). On the other hand, for those who had maturity (those who practice “bio” culture and who work the soil), the “First” harvest of 2009 should be exceptional.
Then comes the Second harvest: post September 15. Here there are two possibilities—those who started to pick right away the following Monday, and those who waited till the week of September 28. The week was significant because not only did it not rain for the rest of the month, but the weather was perfect–sunny days, cool nights, and starting the 21st, a week of mistral.
In this group I can report, from my own knowledge, Clos St. Jean, Stephane Usseglio, and Baptiste Grangeon for his Grenache in sandy soils (sand drains especially well). They did not start until the week of the 28th. These producers could possibly make extraordinary wines for several reasons–the skins on the grapes were very thick and hard when the rains came, so the skins never swelled (plus the vines were so starved for water that even the quantity that fell was not too much). The additional two weeks
enabled the vines to fully complete their maturation, boosted by re-started photosynthesis, and complete the softening of tannins. Finally, there was mistral and cool nights the last two weeks, to further concentrate the grapes, while preserving acidity.Whereas Burgundy, Beaujolais, and the northern Rhône are unquestionably potentially great (and easy) harvests, 2009 has presented a fascinating scenario in Chateauneuf for comparisons that will surely go on for years–the Tale of Two Harvests of 2009.
– Peter Weygandt – October 1, 2009
