The new president of the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne (BIVB) Louis-Fabrice Latour has made an increase in Pinot Noir plantings a central element of his plan for the region.
'The market is asking for Pinot Noir but the growers are more interested in Chardonnay,' he told Imbibe. 'It's easier to grow, ripens early, gives a big crop and is easier to vinify. Everything is easier!'
Latour, from the negociant Louis Latour, will serve two years as president, before handing over to a grower. In that time, he hopes to invest some of the BIVB’s €11m budget into research on disease prevention, to make the notoriously finicky red grape easier to manage for the region's growers.
Like many of the preceding recent vintages, 2015 volumes were adversely affected by weather, with the total crush down about 17%.
'Prices are up at the Bourgogne Rouge level,’ said Latour. ‘I’d expect price rises of around 10%. The wine sells, but there is tension with the distributors and the customers, so that’s never good. Even in the UK sales are down…'
