Two wines tasted at a bistro in Vienne made me wonder if everything is changing in Burgundy. The first was the Chablis Sereine from La Chablisienne. This is a well-made wine in the tradition of cheap and cheerful. It is a pleasant enough white wine, but it’s hard to see the typicity of Chablis. No question about authenticity of source here, and I admire the skill in winemaking, but if this is what they have to do these days to sell generic Chablis, I rather regret the change.

The second wine was a communal Burgundy from the 2020 vintage in Chorey-les-Beaune. If I had this in a blind tasting, I would have placed it well south of Burgundy, and I doubt if I would have identified it as Pinot Noir.  It has an inky purple color, massive extraction, black fruit aromatics, 14.5% alcohol, and southern flavors  If this is the effect of global warming, it’s the end for Burgundy.

I’ve had this wine (and several others, including premier crus, from the same producer) in several earlier vintages, including tastings at the producer. My earlier tasting notes on the communal wine show consistency: a light, pleasant wine, with red fruit character and good acidity, usually just a little on the thin side. For obvious reasons, I do not want to identify the producer, but tastings notes follow.

The latest vintage shows no connection with the earlier tastings. Either this wine has changed beyond all recognition, or it’s really something else. Rather belatedly, it occurred to me to wonder if the wine might in fact be a fake. I would prefer it to be a fake, because that would mean I can continue to drink Burgundy. But why would you fake Chorey-les-Beaune?

Tasting Notes

2020

Inky purple color. Spicy for AOP and producer. Smooth almost nutty palate at first, but increasingly rustic with time in glass. Far more extract than you would ever expect for the AOP or for Pinot Noir. Good acidity and a little chocolaty on finish until it turns rustic. Is the high alcohol an indication of a change in style. Massively over extracted; feels more like Cabernet Sauvignon or some southern variety grown in hot conditions.

2008

A whiff of quite well rounded fruits on the nose. Slightly austere impression with mid density fruits on the palate showing a slight lack of generosity, reflecting the vintage. Light but nice enough for the year.   Tasted 2010.

2004

Red fruits showing a little tarry on the nose. Slightly stern on the palate, a little dry and tarry on the finish, but a decent result for the year. Tasted 2010.

Very much in the light fruity style of the house, with quite a forward buttery nose showing some stern notes from new oak. Well rounded light red fruits without much stuffing show on the palate, making this a nice wine for the immediate future, but without pretensions to longevity. Tasted 2007.

1988

Developed tertiary aromas on the nose – more directly tertiary than sous bois. But nice on the palate, still good fruit concentration showing, hardening up a little in the style of the vintage. Surviving now perhaps rather than aging.  Tasted 2010.