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Vintage Report
2008 has produced forward, relatively early drinking wines with good fruit concentration and excellent acidity levels. The production was, on average, 40% down on 2007 as a result of uneven flowering, naturally low yields and rigorous selection applied by our producers.
The whites display rich texture, mouth filling fresh citrus fruit, superb minerality and excellent acidity. They are relatively developed, with components close to integration and balance. The best of them promise a capacity for mid-term ageing and will develop complexity and further depth.
The reds offer an open, ripe and aromatic character. There is a slight lack of complexity and structure across the board which prevents one describing it as a great Pinot Noir vintage, but considering the small quantity produced and the forward, delicious nature of wines, most of them will give great drinking pleasure relatively early on. As with the 2008 whites, the best reds will keep and develop happily in mid-term thanks to good concentration and fine acidity.
It is very hard to generalize in such a challenging vintage, but 2008 appears to be a very good vintage for whites and good vintage for reds. The wines are forward, but in many cases capable of ageing due to the high level of acid and ripe concentrated fruit, so the drinkers amongst you should definitely buy into 2008!
Growing Season
A cool and rainy start to the season was followed by a warm and sunny May with the highest temperatures reaching 25C. The weather changed in June, bringing low temperatures and wet conditions. The flowering was uneven. It started late and in some vineyards lasted for almost three weeks in June. Consequently the harvest was late (usually 100-105 days after flowering) with naturally low yields. July and mid-August continued to be wet and cold. Rainy and humid weather required hard work in the vineyards with coulure, millerandage, mildew and oidium all reported by producers. Luckily the weather changed on 14th September bringing excellent ripening conditions. Maturation was accelerated by sunny, warm days while cool nights preserved high acid levels. Significantly a cold Northerly wind helped to clean and concentrate grapes through dehydration so the grapes were picked with high levels of sugar and acids. The quality of wines produced very much depended on how late the growers picked their grapes and on the level of selection that they applied at the winery. The best producers kept their nerves and picked in the last week of September/first week of October.
As a result, most of the winemakers, regardless of their philosophy and style, de-stemmed or reduced percentage of stems included in fermentation. Malo-lactic fermentation progressed slowly due to the high acid levels and cold temperatures in the cellars. While we were tasting in November, some cuvees were still going through or had just completed their fermentation.
Growers fetaured in the offer:
2008 Vintage
2007 Vintage
Why buy en primeur?
Buying en primeur involves buying wines before they have been released – before they are even bottled in most cases – and taking delivery later this year. The reasons that customers buy en primeur include the following:
 It is the only time when the real gems are offered.
 We have only included wines that we think will be hard to find in the future – the rest will be offered when in bottle.
It is the cheapest way of buying Burgundy.
It is the best way to guarantee that your stock is kept in excellent condition from its release until the day you drink it.
For further information on the these wines please contact the team:
Contact The Fine Wine Team
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7232 5440
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7232 5451
Email: sales@bancroftwines.com
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