Burgundy Producer Releases Back -Vintages To Combat Wine Tariffs

Since last October there has been a trade war with Europe that was first instigated by the World Trade Organization ruling that the European Union’s subsidies for France-based manufacturer Airbus, American-based Boeing’s rival, were not up to the standards of fair trade. The U.S. was therefore given permission to legally impose $7.5 billion in tariffs on European goods. President Trump quickly implemented 25% import duties on an array of European products, including a significant number of French, Spanish, German and English wines. These tariffs have not only taken a financial toll on wine producers that have invested in exporting to the American market but it has already hit small American businesses such as importers, retailers and restaurants that specialize in the aforementioned wines.

And so these European wine producers are trying to find ways to ride out these tariffs until they can be re-accessed for hopefully a better way to handle the ruling involving the Airbus subsides and Bouchard Père & Fils has decided to release back-vintages of their Premier Cru and Grand Cru Burgundy wines onto the American market while they are also preparing to release the 2018 vintage; a heterogenous vintage where some made outstanding wines that have immediate appeal as well as a huge capacity for aging while others made wines, especially the reds, that were too rustic with too much astringent tannins.

Respect the Terroir But Also Respect the Vintage

It is no surprise that any decent Burgundy producer would want to focus on terroir especially a historical producer such as Bouchard Père & Fils that has collected some of the most sought after top sites as they have been around since 1731, but their wisdom to respect the vintage as well was key in helping them make the best of the 2018 vintage.

“2018 was a hot vintage, the winter was warm and there was a lot of rain which was important as the vineyards didn’t suffer too much with drought conditions considering the heat”, Frédéric Weber, cellar master of Bouchard, noted. He further described a hot yet beautiful summer and that they received 300 hours more of sunshine than on average and it was more like “Côte d’Azur [French Riviera] than the Côte d’Or” Frédéric joked. And although the 2018 has many of the same characteristics as the hot ‘09 vintage due to its ability for long aging and good concentration he believes that he was able to sense a better definition between the terroirs in the 2018 vintage and Frédéric explained it best by saying, “In 2009 the vintage marked the wine but in 2018 the terroir is still there.”

First Fear Then Adapt

In regards to Frédéric being afraid of too much heat during 2018 and not being that prepared to handle it he simply stated, “For the vine grower every year we are afraid because each year is different but after that we adapt.” He went on to describe how they decided to keep more leaves on the vines than in previous years to protect the grapes from sunburn and becoming too ripe as well as harvesting a lot earlier starting the 30th of August.

But Frédéric did not only just adapt the vineyards to the vintage conditions but he also made changes in the cellar with a soft extraction of Pinot Noir as the grapes had more seeds per grape in 2018, averaging around four per grape, and called his extraction more of a fusion in 2018, and so the wines would have been too tannic if he extracted too much; also the intense concentration of the grapes easily gave the wine color, aromas and flavors without forcing it too much. He was concerned about keeping as much acidity for the Chardonnay and so he slowly and carefully pressed the wines as to make sure not to extract too much potassium which would affect the acidity and he implemented a shorter fermentation which kept more freshness. In every vintage Frédéric is always looking to keep the purity and delicacy that best allow the terroir to shine and so in every vintage he needs to adapt to try to keep the same intention.

Adapting To Tough Times

Life can certainly throw some tough curves and the wine tariffs were certainly a shock considering that they were in retaliation for a trade dispute that had nothing to do with wine. But instead of giving up on the U.S. market Bouchard Père & Fils is finding ways to give their devoted customers here in America a chance to try vintages that are just starting to come into their own such as the 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011. The 2012 vintage was a rare one as Bouchard lost 50% of their yield since it was one of the most difficult vintages in recent times and due to the lose of such a significant yield Bouchard made highly concentrated wines with lots of acidity and fierce definition and it is exciting to have some of them released now on the market as they are just starting to show their potential.

There is nothing wrong with being afraid during tough times as so many are around the world now in the time of Covid-19 and fear will help people to adapt so they can find a way through it; even though there will be loss the world will hopefully find a way to make the best of this tragic lesson and ultimately realize that countries are stronger when they are working together but for now it is wonderful to see Bouchard Père & Fils taking the high road of generosity during these difficult times.