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Vintage tales about vintages in Burgundy. These Dukes were hazardous!

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On this day in 1477, the duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, (or Charles the Terrible if you one of his enemies) dies in battle at age of 43.  This legendary Burgundy has nothing to do with the Legend of Ron Burgundy, the anchorman played by Will Ferrell in 2004 (mainly because Ron Burgundy preferred Scotch instead of Pinot Noir or Chardonnay).

Although both Charles and Ron were over-confident and well-dressed, egotistical and narcissistic, Charles was far more brutal.  He had a habit of killing all the inhabitants of a town if someone made fun of him there.  Of course, this kind of behavior finally caught up with him in 1477.

Which brings us to the question: Was 1477 a good year or a bad year for Burgundy?

It all depends.  Were you a fan of Charles the Bold or not?  How was the weather that year? And are you a fan of red burgundies or white?

These questions bring us to our Wine Word of the Day: Vintage

The term vintage refers to the date when grapes are harvested.  So, if you see a date on the front label of a bottle of wine produced in the United States, the law states that 95% of the grapes contained in the wine are from that year.  This law is to help protect the consumer.  Because like for all of us, some years are better than others.

In the Burgundy region of Northern France, where arguably the best Pinot Noirs in the world are made,  it is a relatively cool climate that can be prone to damp summers.  Rain and below average temperatures can result in under-ripeness, or mold and mildew can develop on the grapes.  Thus, it is prudent for someone seeking the best Burgundian wine to consult a vintage guide to help them determine which years were best for wine making there.  Typically the warmer the summer, the better the vintage for the reds, but on the other hand, it could get too hot for the white Chardonnay.

Vintage dates do matter in the United States, but in areas like California, where the dry summers are more predictable, the resulting harvests don’t vary in quality as much as they can in many parts of France.

But again, it depends.  For instance, in 2010, the California weather was cooler than usual.  So, if a grower was trying to grow a grape that needed a lot of heat, they may have have experienced less than idea conditions.  But let’s say a grower had planted a grape that likes cool temperatures, he may have produced an exceptional crop this year.

So, you can see it all comes down to what grapes are planted where, and then the weather conditions makes them great or makes them fail.  Just like if Charles, the Duke of Burgundy, could have judged the political climate in Europe a little better, he could have been the landlord for the best Pinot Noir in the world and possibly the King of France.  But instead, he failed.

I’ll put some links in the show notes so you can learn more about the four Dukes of Burgundy.  During their reign in the 1300’s and 1400’s their courts presided over the most wealthy, cultured and artistic regions in Europe.  And if they played their cards right, they might have been able to capture all of France and possibly England.

And I got to figure, with their wealth, they must have been drinking the best wines, too.  But, I fear, Charles was probably an angry drunk.  And his dad, Duke Philip, was no fun at French parties, either.  Afterall, he was the one who sold Joan of Arc to the English who used her to roast marshmallows.  1431 was certainly a bad year for her.

Links:
http://www.burgundytoday.com/historic-places/history-of-burgundy/dukes-of-burgundy.htm

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Books recommended by Grape Stomper Todd:

	The Golden Age of Burgundy: The Magnificent Dukes and their Courts		Charles-Bold-Valois-Burgundy-History
	The Wines of Burgundy: Revised Edition		Riedel Vinum XL Pinot Noir Glass, Set of 2

Tagged as: burgundy, chardonnay, pinot noir, vintage

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