'14 and '15 Cotes des Nuits and Beaune Vintage Notes

Here's an excerpt from Mike McAndrew's newsletter titled "Our Man in Puligny Montrachet" http://pstruve-france2011.blogspot.co...

2014 Vintage
Last year’s product from the Cotes des Nuits and Beaune has received enthusiastic acclaim from leading authorities including Master Sommelier,Jean-Claude Wallerand. In examining wines throughout the côtes, he said that he was reminded of 1978 and thought that this vintage will be better than 2009 – itself a very good vintage. As they say “When it is good in the barrel, it is always good”. Certainly our earlier tastings from the barrel were of wines clear and rich in colour, not at all disagreeable on the nose, as incomplete wines can be and good enough to drink then and there!

A leading Puligny vigneron has stated his optimism for a good vintage in both quality and quantity. “Even though there was some loss to hail,in its gestation the wine promises great potential.” One producer of both Red and White told us that he expects his 2014's will exceed 2009 in subtlety and balance.

2015 so far
The vines are bearing good volumes of fruit thanks to the early arrival of spring and decent rainfall then. The outstanding feature of the growing season has been the prolonged period of high pressure which has meant clear skies, hot sunny days and almost no rainfall. Daytime maximum temperature has exceeded 40 centigrade several times, against the July norm of 25. Since 1st June, there has only been one day of rain. Compare that to the average of nearly 1 in 2 days and one can imagine how parched conditions have become.

And at last we are having some rain & the vines are still looking healthy. The bunches of grapes are bountiful but individual berries are small, perhaps highly concentrated?