Pressure on Burgundy 2021 allocations
Asmall Burgundy 2021 vintage may put added pressure on allocations as the traditional en primeur release season begins this month, merchants have said.
Burgundy’s 2021 growing season was marked by severe frost and mildew challenges (see ‘Vintage preview’, p40), even if there were positive early reports about the quality of fruit that survived.
Tight allocations are not new to Burgundy lovers, but buyers may see even smaller than usual volumes of some 2021-vintage en primeur wines.
‘The quantities are particularly under pressure in the Côte de Beaune, and particularly for the Chardonnay,’ said Guy Seddon, head of fine wine buying at merchant Corney & Barrow. ‘We’ve got a number of producers who are looking at losses of 70% or 80% – that sort of magnitude.’ It’s a mixed picture in the Côte de Nuits, he added, although volumes are down overall.
‘We try to be as fair as possible when we’re allocating wine and we try to spread it as far
