2008 white Burgundy deemed best since 1999

Burgundy’s 2008 vintage was described as “underrated” and “the best vintage for whites since 1999” by Jean-Claude Boisset’s winemaker Gregory Patriat at a tasting of the region’s wines in London yesterday.

“If you like classic Burgundy with good concentration, this is an outstanding vintage,” he commented at the event, organised by Liberty Wines.

Continuing he said: “It will age very well, for decades, and everyone is talking about 2009 but 2008 is underrated.”

Patriat also said that within the region and across a range of vintages, Saint-Aubin offered a particularly good price-to-quality ratio.

“I think Saint-Aubin has demonstrated that it can be as good as the top Burgundies,” he said citing Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. “And although the prices have gone up it is maybe one of the best in terms of value for money for top whites,” he added.

Concluding he said that Puligny-Montrachet was his “favourite appellation”, noting that the wines from here had “a bit more ageing potential than Saint-Aubin." However, he also said that the latter area produced wines that were “not inferior in complexity.”

The morning tasting, focused on “the subtleties and challenges of Burgundy’s white wines,” and included wines from Domaine Laroche as well as Jean-Claude Boisset from the 2007 and 2008 vintages.

Patrick Schmitt, 24.03.2011