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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
Burgundy’s most sumptuous wine, and Anne Gros’ most sought-after cru, given both its bottomless complexity and its rarity. Poised, profound, pleasurable: an eternal wine.
Richebourg is a name that evokes richness, even a certain heaviness... which sometimes can be attributed to the confusion some people have.
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It is in fact an extraordinary wine in that it combines power with supreme elegance. We often describe it as a peacock's tail. The silky, velvetiness of the tannins is complemented by a minerality which adds powerful depth and makes this grand cru one of the most sensual and complex wines.
Its purple colour reflects like a jewel the purity of Pinot Noir. The aromas are extremely complex and express an entire spectrum. |
The exotic aspect by notes of leather and musk... notes of caramel and chocolate bring it all together. It is a wine which with age becomes more and more earthy (humus, wet undergrowth) and wild (animal fur...). The food and wine pairings are many, but a dish must never be over complicated once you decide to open a Richebourg. The simplest mix of flavours gives the best results. The fundamental rule is to avoid suffocating this wine with heavier dishes.
Red meat and roasted game with mushrooms (morels, truffles, ceps...) and onion confit, along with a dash of spice form a magnificent combination. Mild cheeses (compté, reblochon, cîteaux...) are also excellent companions.
Vuosikerta 2019
“2019 is ‘the perfect storm’ of a vintage,” said Laurent Drouhin of top negociant house Drouhin, which owns vineyards in many parts of Burgundy. “We keep smiling because some wines will be great.” The mix included the hottest temperatures since the time of the Black Death 700 years ago (!), frost in April, rain in June, and no rain for nearly four months.
Drouhin’s harvest started on time on Sept. 13, and Laurent’s winemaking brother Frederic reports, “The first reds show an intense and beautiful color, good concentration, great balance and acidity and depth. The whites also show good richness with balance.” It’s a great year for reds, with slightly higher alcohol than usual.
The downside is very low yields. In just one April night, frost destroyed about 30% of the crop in Macon, though what’s left is making wines with good acidity and aromas.
Export company Le Serbet gathered reports from 65 producers in its portfolio, and head of marketing Peter Wasserman says the loss of grapes varies from vineyard to vineyard; in some places it may be as much as 50% to 60% lower than normal. Northern appellations such as Gevrey-Chambertin seem to have done best, down only 10%.
With less wine, you might predict even higher prices, but producers worry that this would drive away consumers.
