Burgundy Apocalypse???

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Peter Creasey

Peter Creasey
Winemakers Warn of a Coming Burgundy ‘Apocalypse’

Blame the weather or dizzying price spikes, one of the world’s most storied wine regions appears to be in a bubble—and it may be about to burst.

For years, vintages of Burgundy have been smaller and smaller, while prices have gone up and up. Rain, floods, and hailstorms have decimated vineyards since 2010, especially in the Côte de Beaune (the southern part of the famous limestone strip that’s home to the most famous vineyards). Growers invested in weird anti-hail devices, but, alas, they haven’t worked. Regional businesses are facing a crisis of how to survive.

The chardonnay grape harvest was down 30 percent in 2013, pinot noir as much as 50 percent. In 2014, which had some of the worst weather in recent memory, some winemakers lost 90 percent of their crop; 2016 is already looking to be worse, weatherwise. This means the remaining grapes are much more expensive, and businesses that depend on making wines from them will be forced to pay a premium they increasingly can’t afford.
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Burgundy Apocalypse Warning

. . . . Pete
 
I already made this (poor) joke on another board but...

"The 2103 La Romanée from Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair is nearly $3,000 a bottle."

At least prices aren't going up much in the next 900 years.
 
If the smaller domaines cannot sell at a good price and if the domaines that purchase grapes cannot buy at a good price then they will fail. The number of players in the market will shrink, and it will stay that way until either Demand declines or Supply increases.

The only apocalypse here is the re-conceptualization of Burgundy as being more like Wagyu than like Angus....
 
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