(Please read my overview of the 2018 vintage here.)
Harvesting began on 3 September. Except from Premeaux (Bourgogne and Côtes de Nuits-Villages), where there was hail, the quantities were very large, resulting in 42-43 hl/ha overall.
Malolactic fermentations were irregular in the sense that some were early, and others later. By March, all had finished except for the Nuits, Fleurières vineyard.
Many of the wines were made with whole clusters, as indicated below.
With respect to new oak, the Bourgogne, Côte de Nuits-Villages, and village wines have about 20% new oak, the premiers crus about 33% new oak, and the grands crus about 50%. This is in keeping with the long-term trend here in the direction of wines of more elegance and less new oak than was the case in the 1990s. Alain and Sophie Meunier’s son Louis has now taken over the fermentations and has made changes continuing in that sense — less cold maceration, less punching down, but longer macerations, and less new oak.
The highest alcohols here are 13.8º (Nuits-Boudots and Côte de Nuits-Villages). (Continue reading here.)