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The whites are difficult to assess at this stage. The degrees are around 13.5 pH, and a 3.20 pH before malo with a total acidity of 4.90. When malo ends the wines should be around 3.30 pH with an acidity of 4.00g, which is better than in 1989. The wines have a lovely density and one would assess that 1990 will be somewhere between 1988 and 1999.
A great vintage for red Burgundy.
The mild winter caused the vines’ vegetation to spring to life earlier than usual. April to June was cool, slowing down the flowering and reducing the bunches. Summer was hot and dry, with just enough rain to keep the vines from going into hydric stress. Harvest commenced early on 20 September.
The whites were very concentrated with fine acidity; the fairly large crop of Chardonnay meant that the 1990 whites are just behind the 1989s. A striking feature of the Pinot Noir grapes that came in was their thick skins, not so common in Burgundy, resulting in wines with a lot of colour and extract. The 1990 reds are impressive, complete wines with charm and backbone, and extremely well-balanced.
Wine Description
The Story
The vines were planted in two stages by Auguste and Pierre Morey. They are old, weak vines producing little (between 20 and 35 hl/ha). Badly affected by fan-leaf degeneration, they have improved considerably since the application of biodynamic preparations. The parcel is situated at the far south of Montrachet also facing south. The soil is fairly dark, quite deep and stony. It consistently produces wines rich in alcohol, balanced out by their marked acidity. A great deal of substance, these are wines to keep for a long time.
The Montrachet family consists of grand five Grands Crus grown in the two villages of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. These two share the Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet appellations. Chevalier and Bienvenues belong to Puligny, Criots belongs to Chassagne. These Grands Crus are the most southerly of the Côte-d'Or, and lie between Meursault in the north and Santenay in the south. Their origins go back to the Middle Ages - the work of the Cistercian abbey of Maizières and the Lords of Chagny. The wines of Montrachet (pronounced Mon-rachay) came fully into their own in the 17th century. There is no argument : this is the finest expression of the Chardonnay grape anywhere on earth. The Grand Cru appellations date from 31 July, 1937.
The underlying rocks date from the Jurassic, 175 million years BC. Exposures lie to the east and the south. Altitudes: 265-290 metres (Chevalier) ; 250-270 metres (Montrachet) ; 240-250 metres (Bâtard, Bienvenues, Criots). In the " Climat " of Montrachet, the soils are thinnish and lie on hard limestone traversed by a band of reddish marl. In Chevalier, the soils are thin and stony rendzinas derived from marls and marly-limestones. In the Bâtard " climat " soils are brown limestone which are deeper and, at the foot of the slope, more clayey.
The power and aromatic persistence of these lofty wines demands aristocratic and sophisticated dishes with complex textures : « pâté » made from fattened goose liver, of course, and caviar. Lobster, crawfish, and large wild prawns, with their powerful flavours and firm textures, pay well-deserved homage to the wine and match its opulence. Firm-fleshed white fish such as monkfish would be equally at home in their company. And let us not forget well-bred and well-fattened free-range poultry whose delicate flesh, with the addition of a cream-and-mushroom sauce, will be lapped up in the unctuous and noble texture of this wine. Even a simple piece of veal, fried or in sauce, would be raised to heavenly heights by the Montrachet's long and subtle acidity.
Serving temperature : 12 to 14 °C.
Wine Information
Lafon Le Montrachet 1990
In November 14, 1918 a large parcel of Le Montrachet belonging to Charles Draper of Puligny was sold at auction. The nearly hectare of vines was divided up equally amongst three bidders, one of them was Jules Lafon. The estate is known today as the Domaine des Comtes Lafon, still retains this plot (0.32 ha). The vines were planted in two stages by Auguste and Pierre Morey. They are old, weak vines producing little (between 20 and 35 hl/ha).
Badly affected by fan-leaf degeneration, they have improved considerably since the application of biodynamic preparations. The parcel is situated at the far south of Montrachet also facing south. The soil is fairly dark, quite deep and stony. It consistently produces wines rich in alcohol, balanced out by their marked acidity. A great deal of substance, these are wines to keep for a long time.
In 1990 winter was very mild, vegetation started very early (March) followed by cold weather in April which slowed down growth. There was a risk of frost in the spring but there were no problems after all. Fruit set was very heavy, which forced Lafon to remove part of the crop in the spring. Flowering went reasonably well and Lafon discovered a lot of millerandage when it came to harvest-time. Summer was very dry, probably the driest over the last three years: no rain from 15/07 to 30/08. Botrytis presented no problem. At the end of August the excessive drought blocked ripening. Fortunately, three consecutive days of rain, followed by continuous sunshine up until the harvest started vegetation up again. Grapes were healthy on the eve of the harvest.
Harvest started on September 21st for the whites. The entire period was sunny and the harvest lasted quite a long time (until September 28th). Despite the presence of millerandage and the fact that Lafon had reduced the number of grapes, yield was extremely high: Montrachet 30 hl/ha
Vintage 1990
1990 VINTAGE in Burgundy
This is probably the vintage of reference for many people in Burgundy. Exceptional climatic conditions allowed an abundant crop to mature perfectly and yield some most sensational wines in both red and white. The white wines have maintained their elegant aromas and freshness which has made them even more appealing, whilst the reds are concentrated and well built with tannins which remain firm but smooth. To be enjoyed for many years to come.
The drought that had plagued farming in 1989 again took its toll in many parts of France in 1990 with the notable exception of the best vineyards in France, including those of Burgundy.This year in the vineyards of the Côte d'Or the weather conditions resembled those of the French Riviera.
At this time, the natural sugar level in the Corton Charlemagne was 14 degrees and in the best vineyards of Corton Grancey the famous "degré 13" was consistently attained. Monsieur Duvaud-Blochet, a famous wine-grower of the 19th century, theorized on this rarely obtained level of sugar declaring that it was undeniably the bench-mark of quality.
A long awaited brief period of rain at the end of August really saved the vintage. The return of sunshine after this short spell of bad weather allowed an already abundant crop to perfectly mature and to yield a considerable quantity of very high quality wines in both reds and whites.
This however does not mean that all 1990 wines will be good. Over-production in some cases, picking prematurely in others, and also the consequences of drought on some slopes had an effect on quality.
The fact remains that all regions of Burgundy have benefitted from three successive fine vintages. 1990 is surely the biggest in size and of a quality which is at least equal to that of 1989.
It is not impossible that in due course we will see the best of the 1990 being of the quality of some of the excellent vintages of the past like `64 and possibly even `59.
It is of the utmost importance for Burgundy to be in a position to offer such a selection of fine wines from recent vintages. The 1988's are still a little austere but are beginning to show all the qualities of a classic vintage. The 89's are plentiful and rich for the whites, charming and easygoing for the reds and the 90's could well be a combination of both.
Nobody knows as yet what will be the effects on prices. What is sure is that any expectation of further price increases is obviously denied by the wine- growers. A healthy decline in the prices compared to those paid last year would be welcomed by the Trade and accepted by them. In due course this will be reflected in the quotations and will help Burgundy to recover its share of the world fine wine markets.
The reds are superb, the colour intense and true, the degrees around 13.5, the pH before malo around 3.30, the total acidity 4.90 which should bring us up to a pH of around 3.45 and to a total acidity of 3.80 to 4.00g at the end of malo. The tannins are high in quantity but very fine. They seem to be very balanced with a lovely density, definitely destined to be another great vintage, a little softer than in 1988 and 1989.