Vintages

2010

A truly great vintage! But not as well recognised as it ought to be because it comes after the 2009 vintage … No notable climatic events; a rather cool summer and a harvest that started late on 23 September and ended in October. The wines are powerful, but round and structured. Great laying down potential.

2011

Plenty of sun again; harvest began on 30 August. Round and silky tannins. The fruit is exceedingly powerful. Wines to drink with pleasure.

2012

The start of our troubles … significant events this year: first came coulure, followed by two bouts of hailstones (30 June and 1 August). A low yield, but of high quality, harvested on 17 September. The resulting wines are good due to the hard work carried out during sorting and vinification. These wines are concentrated and frank. A very good vintage for laying down.

2013

More hail, followed by a rainy and cool summer. The harvest was finally started on 1 October! The grapes were sorted, allowing us to make powerful and highly coloured wines. Patience was required to achieve phenolic ripeness. The results are modest in quantity, but we managed to achieve good quality through hard work. A wine for laying down.

2014

Two further episodes of hail that will impact the 2014, but also the 2015, harvest as the wood was quite severely affected. Clement weather after the storms meant we were able to bring in the harvest from 19 September. Yield was cut by more than a half. The wine is supple and pleasant to drink or can be laid down for a few years.

2015

A perfect year for Simon, Lydia Joillot’s son, who was at the helm of the vinification process. He is passionate about the profession and graduated from the Beaune wine school to begin working with Jean-Luc Joillot in 2015. He decided to change the style of the estate’s wines. A new identity was born. He aimed to create more supple and less astringent wines that would be more balanced and easier to taste, making it possible to drink them sooner. These days, the wines should be drunk within 15 years maximum. This vintage was affected because of the harm done to the vines over the last three years. The quantity achieved was therefore not great, but the wines are concentrated, powerful and of high quality. Made for laying down due to their excellent balance.

2016

The winter is very mild … too mild. The vines developed too quickly and black frost struck on the nights of 26 and 27 April. The whole of the crop on the plains was lost. The vines on the slopes of Pommard and Beaune remained unharmed. The delay was such that we started the harvest on 26 September. The wines are concentrated and very balanced; the fruits are pleasant and the tannins silky. A vintage to drink straight away, but there’s also the surprising possibility for laying down some of our better crus.

2017

As is often the case, nature regains a balance after a year of frost to produce impressive growth of clusters. This time the frost was present only in areas known for the cold. Fortunately, the weather that followed was perfect, without storms. Harvesting began on 4 September; it was therefore early and of high quality. A good crop that arrived the same year as Agathe, Simon Goutard’s daughter, and Léonard, Jeanne Joillot’s son – a new generation to take over the estate.

2018

A dream vintage: 2018 offers generous volumes and superb quality. Water played a major role in 2018 and was a constant over the winter, allowing the vine to build up a reserve, before a particularly dry and hot summer. The plants thrived, boosted by the clement spring, and flowered perfectly, with abundant and large clusters. There was no major climatic incident to hinder the vegetative cycle, which lasted until the end of September, resulting in very healthy grapes. Everything went smoothly in 2018, even if vinification of the reds required a little more vigilance due to the degree of alcohol being somewhat higher than average. By all accounts, 2018 was a rare phenomenon – one that a winemaker may see only once or twice in their lifetime. Thus, it created a dream vintage, producing generous quantities and fantastic quality. The harvest began on 3 September 2018, and was exemplary.

The resulting wines are magnificent, throwing out extraordinarily rich aromas with subtle notes of spices combined with notes of ripe fruit, plum kernel and cherry. The wines explode on the palate thanks to their superb tannic structure, yet maintain an undeniable freshness. Already very pleasant to drink, these wines will nevertheless take a few years before reaching their peak. This was the last vintage under Jean-Luc Joillot’s label before he handed the estate over to his children.

2019

As the reins of the family estate were handed to Jeanne Joillot, Grégoire Guidot and Simon Goutard,  a new label was created: Domaine Georges Joillot. The winter was rather mild with temperatures above average. The vegetative cycle started quite early. But, in the spring, cold weather set in, and the frosts of the morning of 5 April caused some damage. During May, the vine developed well and Burgundy was hit by a heatwave, which lasted until June. The heat then continued all summer, and the vines maintained an excellent state of health until the harvest, which began on 12 September 2019.

A fairly light ruby wine, showing real elegance, and presenting soft tannins and a pleasant freshness. The well-defined fruit brings an indulgent quality. 2019 is a vintage in the making, with all the advantages of its beautiful harmony.

2020

The winter was very mild with a lot of rain, which again led to early bud break. From May, temperatures soared, and the flowering was magnificent! Summer barely slowed the vines down; temperatures remained high and rainfall was low. The harvest began on 20 August 2020; it was the first time we harvested that early!

The red wines are notable for their incredible robes! The beautiful strong colours indicate that they are very rich in anthocyanins. Ideal conditions of sunshine and heat during maturation have led to concentrated wines – with character, but without a heavy quality. They present a gourmet profile through black fruits such as blackberry, blueberry and black cherry.

2021

Until the very last day, 2021 proved to be a trying year in the vineyard! After three consecutive years of early bud break in Burgundy, 2021 reverted to traditional dates. Winter alternated between mild and cold weather. After a distinct cool period in March, temperatures rose significantly and even became summery, which spurred the vegetative cycle of the vine onwards abruptly. A large polar air mass descended on the nights of 6 and 9 April, causing significant frost, which affected the entire vineyard. The vine, shocked by this violent episode, took time to resume the course of its cycle, especially since May was cooler overall, with more rainfall than normal. Fortunately, temperatures returned to seasonal norms. Flowering then began and proceeded quickly, thanks to the hot and dry weather. From the end of June to the beginning of August, the rain barely stopped. The vines grew very quickly, requiring considerable effort to manage the green work in the vineyard and counter the pressure of the diseases that developed. The harvest began on 23 September 2021.

The ruby of the red wines is followed with great delicacy by aromas of fresh or ripe red fruits. This beautiful fruity expression is also reflected on the palate, with notes of cherry or raspberry. The textures are delicate and the tannins very silky.

1988

Harvest started on 23 September. A good quantity of powerful wines for laying down achieved. This is the first Pommard “Les Noizons” vintage. The crop was fully destemmed thanks to CHERREAU equipment bought second-hand at Domaine De La Romanée Conti.

1989

Harvest started on 24 September. A remarkable vintage, reported in the national press. Balanced, fine and pleasant to drink. Wines in which the fruit lingers for a long time, but the structure is more for the long term.

1990

Perhaps not on a par with the 1947 vintage of the century, but I would place this in 2nd position. All the variables are perfect: great quantity, great quality. Almost too good for journalists. The harvest began on 15 September. It was also the year our children Lucie, Mathieu and Simon were born.

1991

Modest vintage, harvested late because we had snow in April. We started the harvest on 26 September. This was the first harvest from the Pommard “Les Rugiens” parcel. Only 75% destemmed to maintain a little structure.

1992

This year produced a modest harvest because of the slight spring frost, but the quantity was good. Harvest started on 12 September. Storage space is getting scarce as the estate, and the number of bottle sales, is growing in size.

1993

An abundant crop but a little diluted. Harvest started on 16 September. This vintage is ideal for immediate sale.

1994

Harvest started on 19 September. The year was very wet and the grapes were not fully ripe. We opted for chaptalisation. This wine should be drunk quickly except for the fine vintages of Noizons, Rugiens and Epenots.

1995

Harvesting began on 21 September. The rain that preceded the harvest caused the berries to swell. Quality and quantity have both graced us with their presence. A powerful vintage, suitable for laying down. A benchmark year with the birth of Jeanne.

1996

A generous yield; harvesting began on 19 September and only ended on 8 October. We’re beginning to notice the lack of storage. Maturity is good and the excellent health of the grape is noteworthy.

1997

A very sunny and hot year. An excellent crop brought in from 12 September. The wines are delicate, very fruity and pleasant to drink quite young. The crus can be laid down. The “wooden cage” vertical press has finally been exchanged for a pneumatic press, which is easier and faster to use, especially for whites.

1998

A climatic phenomenon that has left its scars – scorching occurred with a 10% loss. Harvest started on 17 September. The indicators signalled a good structure, powerful and tannic. These are wines for laying down for a long time.

1999

The new vat room was able to accommodate the abundant yield! The harvest began on 16 September. The wines are not diluted because we performed “green” harvesting in the parcels that had superfluous clusters.