Burgundy and Beaujolais wines: an early and balanced 2020 vintage

Precocity and balance

2020 is a remarkable year, somewhere between precocity and balance... A promising year indeed!
For this outstanding vintage, there is no set order concerning the maturity of the plots. The terroirs found their full expression, varying with the rainfall on each plot and the moments the vines came into blossom.


After a particularly mild winter, with temperatures above seasonal norms (+1.4°C in the first quarter in Beaujolais), the vines stayed ahead of their usual vegetative cycle. The high temperatures, lack of rainfall and excess sunshine led to early budburst in spring, one week earlier than usual for Chardonnay, Gamay and Pinot Noir.

Mild temperatures persisted during April and May, leading to early blossom (two weeks earlier than the average for the last twenty-five years), placing 2020 in the top trio of the earliest vintages for that quarter-century period, in spite of a few brief episodes of cooler temperatures. Bunch closure came around June 24th, both in the Mâconnais and Beaujolais regions.

The vine cycle was not slowed by the summer conditions, marked by high temperatures and a general lack of water. Rainfall was scarce and heterogeneous; some plots being subject to concentration phenomena during ripening. The scorching heat of the second week of August (August 6th-12th) even brought some wilting and burning on certain plots depending on exposure, soil depth, etc. Ripening did not follow the usual plot order, making the choice of harvest date particularly complex this year.

The harvest was historically early, starting around August 12th for the Crémant de Bourgogne, followed by our Beaujolais Crus from August 25th! During this period, temperatures and sunshine were moderate, allowing the grapes to retain their freshness.

The harvest augured a vintage of remarkable Quality. Whilst overall the promise of generous quantities was broken by the lack of water, the berries were small and yields to the lower end of the scale. The Gamay juices have proved to be rich, with a nice structure and a sustained colour, without forcing extraction, and the tannins are subtle. The aromatic elegance is very much in the black fruits. The Chardonnays benefited from some rainfall at the end of August, enabling them to retain a nice freshness. Powerful, rich in sugar, the musts are well-balanced with an engaging mineral finish.


Rapport Vendanges Beaujolais Bourgogne Maison Trenel Chapoutier

Blackcurrant liqueur:
Blackcurrant also had a good year, both in quantity after the poor harvest of 2019, and in quality thanks to a perfectly balanced ripening process. The year brought good weather conditions: mild temperatures, cool nights, a few rains before the harvest. The harvest took place about a week earlier than average for recent years, on June 26th for the Concoeur plot (Hautes-Côtes de Nuits). The quality is definitely there, and the aromas are uniquely fresh and lively thanks to the noblest and most aromatic of grape varieties: the Noir de Bourgogne!