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Wine Information
The vintage year for white Burgundy in 2002 was a great one. Save those few pro- ducers who can’t ever get it right, it was a relatively easy year for harvesting and vinification.
The winter was dryer than normal, about half the rain that the region received the previous winter. Temperatures were also quite warm. From January 23rd to February 17th the temperature did not drop below freezing. It only went below freezing one other day February 22nd - that was it, so vegetative growth started early, announcing an early flowering.
Rainfall during the spring was again low, under 3 inches in April; a bit more in May, then back to approximately 2 inches in June, pretty much drought conditions. Temperatures in the spring were normal so flowering started at around the 7th of June and lasted for longer than 3 weeks and went in waves. It became very hot during the third part of flowering, the hottest weather of the summer.This heat wave ended the flowering cycle. The hottest weather of the season in Burgundy took place between June 12th and the 23rd. The temperatures during that time were only exceeded by those during a four-day period in August, the 15th through the 19th. The shatter that occurred during the cool part of flowering cut back the production in the region by 20% in most regions and as much as 30% in some appellations. The size of the grapes was also smaller, the skins were thicker and there was not a lot of juice when the grapes were finally pressed. Some growers, in their premier cru vineyards, made only two tons per acre. Since the summer was cool and very dry the vines matured but acids did not drop resulting in wines with perfect balance and nice acidity.
In early September the mood was quite pessimistic in Burgundy since the ripeness of the grapes was quite low and the weather report was not very encouraging. However, miraculously, it became very sunny around the 15th of September and the wind kicked up from the north and this kick started the ripening. The levels went up very quickly. The ban des vendanges was September 14th and those that started harvesting right away picked at the lowest sugars. Those that waited a couple of days were rewarded with perfect sugars, most between 125 to 135 natural with levels of acidity at around 5.5, one degree higher than last year. The harvest lasted for about 10 days; most people finished harvesting the whites by September 23rd.
This might be a vintage that even the most doubting of journalists will like since production is down and it didn’t rain.
Vintage 2002
2002 VINTAGE in Burgundy
A Great Year
The trade is unanimous: the harvest was exceptional and 2002 is destined to be a great vintage for Burgundy. A dry summer, a sunny September, splendid grapes with highly concentrated sugars - everything came together to produce structured and complex wines with outstanding aromatic potential.
As early as the beginning of September, the sugar content in the grapes was often at exceptionally high levels and they had attained a degree of maturity indicative of a good balance between sugar and acidity in both the Chardonnay and the Pinot Noir, as well as in the Gamay and Aligoté.
Well-matured grapes have produced - on the evidence of early tastings - deeply-coloured red wines with a garnet tint, and with really well-structured tannins. Depending on degree of maturity, the wines evoke sustained aromas of red and black fruits. Thanks to yield control and careful harvesting, they present a wide diversity of expression.
The white wines are intense and heady, richly fragrant in their blend of fruit and mineral components. They are rounded, long in the mouth, balanced and harmonious.
Both reds and whites of the 2002 vintage fully express their respective terroirs and promise fine ageing potential.
As Hubert Camus, President of the Interprofession and himself a wine-grower at Gevrey-Chambertin, puts it: "In 2002, Burgundy's growers and négociants have every prospect of obtaining remarkable wines."
Growing conditions during the year were characterised by low rainfall. Maturation took place in warm and sunny weather punctuated by occasional rainstorms. These weather conditions aided concentration in the grapes and kept them healthy. The harvest period enjoyed an ideal combination of sunshine and cool temperatures.
