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Inside Burgundy

  • Latest News – December 2021
    Latest News – December 2021
    December 20th, 2021
    It is cold and damp at the moment in Burgundy, but thoughts are turning to Christmas and the end of a very difficult year. A brief survey of 2021, a year with some highs and a number of very definite lows, will follow between now and the 31st. For me,...
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  • The New York Times Best Wine Book 2021 – Inside Burgundy 2
    The New York Times Best Wine Book 2021 – Inside Burgundy 2
    December 5th, 2021
    "Many books have been written about Burgundy over the years, but none currently is as useful and comprehensive a reference as the new second edition of “Inside Burgundy” (Berry Bros. & Rudd Press, $90), by Jasper Morris. The book includes all one might expect in a guide: detailed characterizations of...
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  • Inside Burgundy 2.0 – The Book
    Inside Burgundy 2.0 – The Book
    October 31st, 2021
    The Second Edition: Expanded and Completely Revised Click here to see our list of international stockists to buy your copy of Inside Burgundy - The Second Edition. Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy: The vineyards, the wine and the people has been the benchmark reference on Burgundy s wines, winemakers and vineyards...
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  • Becky Wasserman 1937-2021
    Becky Wasserman 1937-2021
    August 21st, 2021
    Sadly yesterday morning the wonderful Becky Wasserman has left us. What an amazing and fulfilling life which enriched everybody who knew her, winemakers, wine lovers, critics, importers, normal human beings. She has done so much for all of us, and had plans to do so much more. She leaves her...
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  • July in the Vineyards
    July in the Vineyards
    July 30th, 2021
    The VinesThere are a large number of very tired looking vignerons out there. We had one week of good sunny weather, from 16th to 23rd July, but apart from that the weather has been erratic with quite heavy rainfall at times. The conscientious vignerons have had to devote much more...
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  • May/June 2021: Latest News from Burgundy
    May/June 2021: Latest News from Burgundy
    June 3rd, 2021
    The month of May has been nearly as murderous in the Burgundy vineyards as April. The frost just after Easter did the worst of the damage, but once the extreme cold let up, it was replaced by cool wet weather with scarcely a sight of the sun. The already struggling...
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  • Easter Update!
    Easter Update!
    April 5th, 2021
    Here’s wishing that all our subscribers have enjoyed a refreshing break at Easter. I have managed to get in some good walks in the surrounding woods – the image is of some Paschal or Pasque flowers on the plateau above Pommard and Volnay. It is not a very optimistic time...
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  • 2020: The Year in Review
    2020: The Year in Review
    January 21st, 2021
    January-FebruaryIt seems strange, writing in early January 2021, to think that a year ago I was actually in Hong Kong and mainland China, partly accompanying the annual Pearl of Burgundy tour of the region with a group of growers, and partly working with my colleagues at the Jasper Morris Inside...
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  • Wine Blast – Burgundy in 2021
    Wine Blast – Burgundy in 2021
    January 15th, 2021
    Delighted to join the MW team of Susie and Peter to discuss the joys of Burgundy, just the thing to warm us up a cold January day. "To kick off 2021, we dive right into the fascinating, frustrating, compelling wine world that is Burgundy. Iconic - certainly. Over-priced? Plausibly. At...
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  • Happy New Year!
    Happy New Year!
    January 4th, 2021
    May we all maintain health and perhaps even find a little prosperity in the months to come. I plan to stay glued to my desk for the next few weeks in the eternal quest to catch up with all those things which I should have done, all those tasting notes...
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  • Guild of Sommeliers – Jasper Morris on Burgundy
    Guild of Sommeliers – Jasper Morris on Burgundy
    December 17th, 2020
        GuildSomm Staff Writer Bryce Wiatrak interviews Jasper Morris about all things Burgundy.   Listen below or click here: @insideburgundy @guildsomm #jaspermorris #insideburgundy #GuildSomm            
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  • Hospices de Beaune Auction – White Wine Tasting
    Hospices de Beaune Auction – White Wine Tasting
    December 10th, 2020
    The Hospices de Beaune 2020 auction with Christie’s has been reborn! It will now take place on Sunday 13th December. The delay has given me the chance to retaste all the cuvées with Ludivine Griveau, the gifted winemaker and general manager at the Hospices. Here are some short video clips of...
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  • Hospices de Beaune Auction 2020 – Red Wine Tasting
    Hospices de Beaune Auction 2020 – Red Wine Tasting
    December 9th, 2020
    The Hospices de Beaune 2020 auction with Christie’s has been reborn! It will now take place on Sunday 13th December. The delay has given me the chance to retaste all the cuvées with Ludivine Griveau, the gifted winemaker and general manager at the Hospices. Here are some short video clips of...
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  • FINE+RARE: The Root of the Matter
    FINE+RARE: The Root of the Matter
    December 4th, 2020
    This article is from FINE+RARE, titled "The Root of the Matter" by Jasper Morris MW. The full article can be read on their website here. Looking out across the Côte d’Or, the astute might notice a few more gaps amongst the rows of vines than normal. Dig a little deeper,...
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  • The 2019 Vintage: The Truth from the Man on the Ground
    The 2019 Vintage: The Truth from the Man on the Ground
    November 29th, 2020
    My marathon tasting of the 2019 vintage in Burgundy will be completed by lunchtime on Friday, 4th December, after ten weeks of tasting at 200 domaines and merchants across the Côte d’Or – preceded by excursions in the Mâconnais (report published here) and Chablis (report imminent). The full reports on...
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  • An Introduction to the 2019 Burgundy Vintage
    An Introduction to the 2019 Burgundy Vintage
    November 11th, 2020
    Hosted by myself and Stannary Wine's Burgundy Buyer, Jason Haynes. I provide exclusive insight into the 2019 Burgundy vintage. My 2019 tasting notes will be available shortly. Stay tuned! Watch the replay here! #jaspermorris #Burgundy2020Harvest #insideburgundy 
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  • Wine Lister’s 2020 Burgundy Study
    Wine Lister’s 2020 Burgundy Study
    November 11th, 2020
    https://youtu.be/Fk6AnAxrlPQ JMIB is delighted to introduce WINE LISTER’s 2020 Burgundy Study, with a topical introduction by Jasper. This survey shows a really valuable light on how the leading producers and appellations are perceived at the moment by wine professionals across the globe. WINE LISTER is uniquely qualified to dig deep...
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  • Hospices de Beaune 2020 – Tasting Notes
    Hospices de Beaune 2020 – Tasting Notes
    November 9th, 2020
    If tasting young wines from barrel shortly before they are bottled is already a challenge, the prospect of tasting 50 brand new wines just a few weeks after the latest harvest is even more daunting. It becomes a pleasure, however in a great vintage such as 2020, when skilfully made...
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  • October 2020
    October 2020
    October 5th, 2020
    As September gives way to October, late summer has definitely turned into a windswept autumn, with much cooler weather, high winds and all the rainfall, which we missed through the summer.  The turn in the weather may be a bit dreary on the human front, but replenishment of the water...
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  • 2020 Harvest at the Hospices de Beaune
    2020 Harvest at the Hospices de Beaune
    September 10th, 2020
    Picking began on Tuesday 18th August and finished on Friday 28th, the first year in which everything was picked before the end of August! Though there was a minor risk of frost at the beginning of April, the major worry was whether or not the vineyard teams would be able...
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  • 2020 Harvest Notes
    2020 Harvest Notes
    September 8th, 2020
    The grapes are almost in now, with just a few diehard late harvesters and occasional plots from backward vineyards still to be picked. It is quite a bit cooler now thanks to a short burst of the fresh north wind, but beautifully sunny again. The rainfall on Friday 28th August...
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  • 2020 Harvest Update
    2020 Harvest Update
    August 25th, 2020
    The predicted rain did indeed fall during the night of Friday 21st/Saturday 22nd August, typically about 20mm in the Côte de Beaune – enough to refresh a little bit of the vines and leave them damp underfoot in the morning – but too late for those vineyards where the leaves...
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  • Early Harvest Report 2020
    Early Harvest Report 2020
    August 22nd, 2020
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gePxej6cvcI&feature=youtu.be The harvest is well underway in the Côte de Beaune and producers are reporting fairly similar experiences. The crop which set at the outset was potentially really quite large, though slightly limited at the flowering. When they left for a well-earned summer holiday (those that did manage to get...
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  • How to Gift a Subscription
    How to Gift a Subscription
    August 6th, 2020
    Looking for the perfect gift for the like-minded individual that would appreciate what Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy has to offer? Follow the steps below on how to gift a 'Premium Subscription': Step 1: Log in and click on "My account" Step 2: Click on "Gift Subscription" on the right hand...
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  • Les Aligoteurs 9th July 2020
    Les Aligoteurs 9th July 2020
    July 12th, 2020
    As lockdown in France fades steadily away, Les Aligoteurs came out of the woodwork last night and put on an informal tasting in the sylvan settings of Le Boisrouge in Flagey-Echezeaux. It has been evident for some time that Aligoté is a changing breed. No longer something to be dismissed...
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  • Surviving The Ice Saints
    Surviving The Ice Saints
    May 13th, 2020
    May 11th to 13th are known as the Ice Saints in France, a cold snap which theoretically marks the last risk of frost damage in the vineyards. It came a little bit close this year: just 2°C on St Pancras’ Day (12th) at our house, though would have been a touch warmer in...
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  • Burgundy Domaine Updates
    Burgundy Domaine Updates
    April 18th, 2020
    Domaine de la Commaraine (Pommard): The Domaine has recently purchased some vineyards in the Côte de Nuits to add to their Monopole of the Clos de la Commaraine in Pommard. About half the new vineyards will stay with the vigneron who is currently farming them, but the Domaine will take...
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  • Happy Easter
    Happy Easter
    April 10th, 2020
    Happy Easter! Here in Burgundy we have lived through three weeks of gorgeous blue skies and sunshine. But there has been quite a difference. Now it feels like the start of the summer, since the wind moved round to the south a week ago. The two weeks before that were...
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  • JMIB and Covid-19
    JMIB and Covid-19
    March 23rd, 2020
    A day goes by and the situation changes. A week ago the biennial Grands Jours de Bourgogne were supposed to start, but were cancelled, wisely, albeit with only a few days notice. Some individual events still took place and as recently as last Thursday (12th March) I attended my last...
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  • Burgundy in March
    Burgundy in March
    March 23rd, 2020
    The blackthorn is out, and with it the risk of a blackthorn winter: the wind has just moved round to the north and we are expecting morning frosts for the next few days. Will it be the same in the vineyards? And have the vines reached the stage where they...
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  • Burgundy in Riga
    Burgundy in Riga
    March 16th, 2020
    It shows just how quickly events are moving. There was no discussion of cancelling my visit to Riga in Latvia to host a series of Burgundy events in early March, but now scarcely more than a week, later, both Latvia and France are in virtual lockdown. My trip may prove...
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  • Bourgogne in turmoil?
    Bourgogne in turmoil?
    January 30th, 2020
    The locals, especially the BIVB, get upset when we anglophones continue to call the region Burgundy, but actually I find it useful to be able to differentiate between the region Burgundy and its generic Bourgogne wines. It is Bourgogne which is a little bit in turmoil at the moment. Some...
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  • Sad news
    Sad news
    January 30th, 2020
    The year has got off to a sad start with the departure of Georges Duboeuf, Jean-Claude Bachelet and Michel Lafarge. I saw Michel just before Christmas and he was in fine form. Then when I was in Hong Kong I heard from his granddaughter Clothilde, who was representing the domaine...
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  • Partnering with Wine Lister
    Partnering with Wine Lister
    January 30th, 2020
    I am delighted to announce that this month we have partnered Wine Lister, the fine wine intelligence agency who will be using JMIB scores as part of their algorithm to assess the performance of Burgundy producers and their wines. JMIB is Wine Lister's first specialist critic alongside Neal Martin, Jancis...
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  • Upcoming JMIB reports & events
    Upcoming JMIB reports & events
    January 30th, 2020
    As well as the Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay Clos des Chênes report, I shall shortly be uploading reports on vertical tastings from the former Domaine Clair-Daü, Richebourg from a variety of producers and Domaine des Comte Lafon’s Meursault Genevrières. You will also see appearing shortly on the website several hundred...
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  • The Christmas Season: 2018 Reports
    The Christmas Season: 2018 Reports
    December 22nd, 2019
    We are coming to the end of the year and in theory it is time to wind down for Christmas – but I do still have some work to do! Having been tasting the 2018 vintage so intensely over the last six weeks I now have to fine tune my...
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  • Auction preview: Hospices de Beaune 2019 barrel tasting notes
    Auction preview: Hospices de Beaune 2019 barrel tasting notes
    November 13th, 2019
    We are gearing up for action for the 2019 Hospices de Beaune auction – number 159 in all - which takes place in Beaune this Sunday. Feel free to buy a barrel or two, or just enjoy my tasting notes on the 50 different cuvées of this superlative 2019 vintage....
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  • Harvest 2019: Picking begins
    Harvest 2019: Picking begins
    September 17th, 2019
    So what happened to the rain? For once the vignerons were desperately hoping for some instead of praying for it to stay away. At one point the remnants of the Caribbean hurricanes were expected to reach France and Burgundy early in the week. But, the weather has stayed resolutely rainless...
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  • Enjoying Burgundy in Iceland
    Enjoying Burgundy in Iceland
    August 29th, 2019
    I have just returned from a week on the north coast of Iceland where they have magical scenery, magnificent horses and some great natural geothermal hot tubs. But no vineyards, and I did not expect to find much Burgundy in this rural idyll, so I brought a few things with...
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  • Healthy looking vines ahead of summer heat
    Healthy looking vines ahead of summer heat
    July 19th, 2019
    I have just been touring some of the Hospices de Beaune vineyards in Volnay and Meursault with Ludivine Griveau (pictured below), and the good news is that the vines are looking particularly healthy. There has been some pressure from oidium this year, but the organic treatments employed at the Hospices...
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  • Testing tasting times
    Testing tasting times
    May 28th, 2019
    The Spring tasting season is in full swing with visits to the Beaujolais and Chablis, as well as keeping in touch with what’s going on in the Côte d’Or. We could do with the weather warming up a bit as the vines, though mostly saved from the frost events of...
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  • Remembering René Lafon
    Remembering René Lafon
    May 27th, 2019
    Several of those who had been there to share the happy lunch with Becky Wasserman on Saturday 18th alas found themselves again together for the funeral of René Lafon in Meursault a few days later. One of my very first visits was to the Domaine des Comtes Lafon back in...
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  • Honouring Becky Wasserman
    Honouring Becky Wasserman
    May 27th, 2019
    I attended a lunch at the excellent Caves de la Madeleine restaurant in Beaune to honour my neighbour, Becky Wasserman, who has been elected to Decanter Magazine’s Hall of Fame – what was previously known as Man or Woman of the Year – for 2019. Two former honourands, Jancis Robinson...
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  • Frost patrol: Sunday April 14th
    Frost patrol: Sunday April 14th
    April 15th, 2019
    On Friday 5th April Burgundy suffered a frost episode which has certainly caused some damage in spots all the way up from Beaujolais to Chablis. The cool north wind returned over the weekend of 13th/14th April but this time the vignerons were prepared. I set out in the early hours...
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  • Bien boire en Beaujolais
    Bien boire en Beaujolais
    April 11th, 2019
    Every year there is a wonderful tasting of Beaujolais wines mostly from the smaller producers – I think there were about 200 in all (plus 21 guests from other regions) showing across three venues, the Châteaux de Corcelles, Pizay and Ravatys. No way that anybody can get to every stand...
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  • Frost latest
    Frost latest
    April 11th, 2019
    Mixed reports are coming in about the damage from the frost last Friday, 5th April. Caroline Gagnard reports that the lower part of Chassagne-Montrachet, especially Morgeot, was definitely affected. Several growers in Moulin-à-Vent reported damage too. And now the wind has swung round to the north, with temperatures expected to drop...
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  • Frost alarm in Burgundy
    Frost alarm in Burgundy
    April 7th, 2019
    The cold night and early morning of April 5th was at least fairly well forecast, enabling producers to light their chaufferettes and groups of vignerons to set fire to their piles of straw at daybreak. The former warm the air around the foot of the vines, by 1.5 to 2 degrees, while the...
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  • Management changes in Morey-St-Denis
    Management changes in Morey-St-Denis
    March 24th, 2019
    I have mixed feelings about the news from Morey-St-Denis. Happy for Jacques Devauges who recently left Clos de Tart and has now been appointed to manage Clos des Lambrays next door. Sad for Boris Champy who has left after just one year in charge. I have not yet had a...
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  • Wine industry honour for Becky Wasserman
    Wine industry honour for Becky Wasserman
    March 24th, 2019
    One piece of wholly good news is this year’s selection by Decanter for their Hall of Fame (previously known as Man or Woman of the Year). My neighbour, Becky Wasserman is the honoured person and I am thrilled for her: she has done so much to benefit the region as...
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  • Henri-Frédéric Roch’s replacement revealed at DRC
    Henri-Frédéric Roch’s replacement revealed at DRC
    March 24th, 2019
    News from Burgundy: DRC has announced a new co-gérant alongside Aubert de Villaine to replace the late Henri-Frédéric Roch. It is to be Perrine Fenay, née Leroy. And from just down the road, we hear that Jacques Devauges has left Clos de Tart to be replaced by Alessandro Noli, who...
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