COTEAUX BOURGUIGNONS > BOUCHARD Ainé & Fils

COTEAUX BOURGUIGNONS 2020

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2023 2024

Varietal

100% Gamay.

Tasting notes

Visual: ruby red, with violine reflections.
Nose: very fruity and nicely powerful, showing red and black berries aromas (burlat cherry, blackcurrant, blueberry) together with delicate spicy and woody notes.
Palate: a pleasant, fruity and well-balanced wine, with a nice complexity and very soft tannins.

Food and wine pairing

Ideal with a plate of charcuterie, pasta, couscous, beef stew, grilled or roasted meats, and cheese such as the French Camembert and Brie.

Serving suggestions

Ideally served at 15-16°C. (59-61°F.) as an aperitif or at 17-18°C. (62-64°F.) with food.

Ageing potential

Ready to drink now, can be kept 2-3 years.

Origins

The Coteaux Bourguignons appellation area merges with that of the Burgundy appellation. It covers around 300 hectares and 384 communes, stretching from the Chablis and Auxerrois regions in the north to the Mâconnais region in the south, via the Côte d'Or and Côte Chalonnaise.

The Coteaux Bourguignons appellation exists for red, white and rosé wines. The special feature of this appellation is that it can be produced from a blend of grape varieties. Our grapes come from the Côte de la Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise and the north of the Mâconnais.

- Terroirs made up of clay and marl with hints of granite.
- Hilly terrain.
- South-east and south-facing.
- Altitude: 250 to 600 metres.

Vinification and maturing

Grapes were fully de-stemmed. Maceration and fermentation under controlled temperature with cap-punching twice daily. Two weeks in fermentation vat with average temperatures of 30°C.

After pressing, the temperatures are lowered in order to preserve the fruit aromas. The wine is transferred to stainless-steel vats to keep maximum fruit flavours. Malo-lactic fermentation took place to enable the wine to soften.

Vintage : 2020

The current public health crisis has certainly marked this year’s harvest, which nonetheless has been able to go ahead! Despite the year’s record temperatures and lack of rainfall, there is been no lack of quality, although yields are down, with an especially mixed picture with regard to reds. However, these have generally been very well-balanced. Overall, we have seen nice levels of acidity, promising good aging potential…

All over Burgundy, 2020 was notable for its mildness and low rainfall. After a winter with no serious frosts, we went straight into a spring dominated by sunny, dry weather, resulting in very early bud break. Infrequent outbreaks of rain in June and July were not enough to stave off water shortages. Very high summer temperatures combined with intense sun exposure levels led to the vines gradually falling prey to hydric stress, causing delays to fruit ripening before harvest-time.

Once again, the vegetative cycle was shortened, being almost three weeks ahead of 2019’s. Thankfully, the harvest was saved by the relative cool of the nights. The harvest was of marvellous quality but there was very little juice in the red grapes (reduction of 30 to 50%), and reasonable potential alcohol, despite the heat. The whites, on the other hand, coped very well with these extreme conditions and yields were very good.

Relatively poor yields for the reds, normal yields for the whites. Some appellations achieved excellent levels of optimal ripeness, with 50% of grapes harvested with the ‘vendange entière’ (no destemming) approach.

Harvest started on the 21^stAugust for the Côte Chalonnaise, more specifically, the Givry reds and then on the 23^rd of August the first Chardonnay grapes were hand picked in the shape of the Beaune 1^er cru Les Marconnets.

Winemaker Laurent Mairet's first tasting impressions of the 2020 vintage :

‘A very promising year for the whites with a fine balance between acidity and alcohol and intense white fruit aromas. Alcoholic fermentation in barrels lasted four weeks. Millerandage affected the reds leading to less juice but nice colour and distinct red berry aromas. With its generous tannins, this year looks set to be one to cellar.

However, there are some small variations from terroir to terroir. Côte Chalonnaise reds are characterized by jammy notes while the Côte Beaune have good aromatic intensity and nice colour. The Côte de Nuits is giving us some lovely cuvées just now with summer fruit notes and wonderfully velvety tannins.’