“2021 Burgundy wine yields lowest since 1981”, even after being revised upwards

he latest figures released by the Burgundy wine marketing bureau BIVB point to a crop of 900 to 950,000 hectolitres of Burgundy wines in 2021. The volume equates to “about 50 % of a normal year”, and “2/3 of the average in recent years”. The figures were announced on 21 November, ahead of the 161st Hospices de Beaune auction. The range, which stems from a survey of winegrowers, belies the “extremely varied picture across the wine region”, explains Frédéric Drouhin, chairman of the BIVB.

“Generally speaking, the white wines from the Côte d'Or and the Côte Chalonnaise were particularly badly affected. The reds fared slightly better”. In terms of yields, the range this vintage is between 30 and 31 hl/ha. “In the Côte de Nuits, it’s not bad. But in Chablis, the crop has been halved”.

The frosts in April are of course the cause of the shortfall, but there was also hail in some areas, and “a lot of sorting” during harvesting.

The figures are higher than the top-end range of post-harvest estimates, but they are still particularly concerning for the industry. “You have to revert back to 1985 to find volumes below 1 million hectolitres in Burgundy, and 1981 to find lower yields”, comments Drouhin.

The situation is compounded by a succession of “small” vintages in the region over the past ten years, with only 2017 and 2018 considered “normal”. Consequently, inventories are dwindling. “To date, Burgundy has 18 months of stocks in cellars, equally divided between the trade and producers. With a pretty low 2021 crop, we will have to manage markets smartly”, predicts Drouhin.