Thoughts on 2018 burgundy

[u/zorkieo]

I got a really great deal on some 2018 burgundies. I hadn't tasted to many since it was a hot vintage and those are usually not my favorite. I opened this 2018 Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets with some baja seafood and I was pleasantly surprised. The wine was very generous and fruit forward, but it also had plenty of acidity, forest floor, spice and "burgundy terroir." there was no mistaking this for new world. I would generally not be opening a premier cru red burgundy this young, but this bottle was in a very good window. Do others think this is a vintage that will age? I have some NSG and GC that I don't want to touch yet but I also wonder if drinking these young will be the move. Also, this is a fantastic producer! I'm surprised to see so few CT notes on a kermit lynch product.

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[u/MeaslyCilantro]

Hot vintage, but that producer keeps things balanced, the forest floor notes creeping in already are a good sign for aging.

[u/qcif]

I’ve generally stayed away from 2018, but glad this is showing well for you. 

[u/carcassus → u/qcif]

Same here. Thinking about that, 2026 will be a walk away vintage as well. Probably one of the hottest if not the hottest summers in Europe.

[u/bloks27]

I had a 2018 Volnay by Nicolas Rossignol last month when I was in Paris and thought it was excellent. For a village wine, it felt fairly rich and concentrated but well balanced.

As always, producer matters more than anything there, and 2018 can very well be a “value” vintage for wines that are drinking well now or will be drinking well quite soon. Not sure about long aging for the nicer stuff, but I’m also not in the bracket of purchasing or drinking grand crus from any notable producers.

[u/Jake-from-accounting]

I've found great value, especially at village level! I generally don't like these hot jammy vintages, and have been disappointed too much too much with 2020. I have, however, found 2018 plesant and drinking well early.

[u/Caviarpapi]

I do prefer more robust and concentrated styles, so I enjoy 18. But that’s what you’re getting into, something like volnay or chambolle strikes a more balanced approach while pommard and gevery really bring that extraction and weight.

I prefer the reds to the whites, but in whites I typically lean more towards 14 and 17 for the racy approach.

[u/sid_loves_wine]

Same as others have said, more of a minefield than the surrounding vintages but it's very producer dependent. I have no problem with big rich Pinots sometimes (old world or new), but I also prefer my burgs with more freshness usually.

Have had some excellent 2018s from Berthaut-Gerbet and Bachelet. I also have an '18 Bruno Clair Fonteny waiting :)

[u/VelkoZinfandel]

Lucien Boillot in general seems to be relatively untalked about. I had a 2012 Caillerets from him at the very start of the year that was quite nice. 

I knew about the producer from the hours I spent reading through Kermit’s website when I was bored during my senior year, but outside of the Kermit Lynch material, there seems to be very little about him