Biography:
In a forty-year career Jasper Morris MW has established a reputation as one of the world’s most knowledgeable experts on the wines of Burgundy, an engaging international speaker on his favourite subject. Regular articles for World of Fine Wine magazine and other publications confirm the depth of his knowledge and his ability to communicate it. He has been a Master of Wine since 1985 and is author of Inside Burgundy (2010) which won the prestigious André Simon award. He founded and managed the specialist Burgundy importer, Morris & Verdin from 1981 to 2003, then worked as Burgundy Director for Berry Bros & Rudd (2003-2017). In 2005 he was appointed as Chevalier de l’Ordre de Mérite Agricole. Since 2016 he has been a Senior Consultant for Christie’s with specific responsibility for the Hospices de Beaune sale. In 2018 he launched his website Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy.

Presentation Title:
Burgundy: From Underachiever to Market Favourite on a Global Scale

(English translation provided by author followed by original French abstract)

Abstract:
Thirty-five years ago Burgundy was a difficult wine to sell in the world market place. Even Domaine de la Romanée-Conti was not finding it easy to secure importers in the major markets. Bordeaux, on the back of the great 1982 vintage and Mr Parker’s rise to prominence was pre-eminent.

Today, the fine wines of Burgundy are the most sought after in the world. A single bottle, admittedly of a very rare vintage of the greatest vineyard of them all has just been sold for US€558,000 at auction.

This paper sets out the reasons for this change in the reputation and subsequently in the pricing of Burgundy in the market place. After an assessment of the initial background, the reasons for the uplift in quality of the great wines of Burgundy since 1985 are explored. The focus then moves to the development of markets throughout the world, and how modern media have led to price spirals in the secondary market, reinforced by the shortage of supply, especially at the top levels of the quality pyramid.

Résumé

Il y a 35 ans, le Bourgogne était un vin difficile à vendre sur le marché mondial. Même le Domaine de la Romanée-Conti ne peinait à sécuriser ses importations sur les principaux marchés. Bordeaux, avec son grand millésime 1982 et la montée en puissance de M. Parker, était prééminent
Aujourd'hui, les vins fins de Bourgogne sont les plus recherchés au monde. Une seule bouteille, certes d'un millésime très rare du plus grand cru de la région, vient d'être vendue 558 000 euros aux enchères.
Cette présentation évoquera les raisons de ce changement de réputation et, en conséquence, la fixation des prix du Bourgogne sur le marché. Après une évaluation du contexte initial, nous étudierons les raisons de l'amélioration de la qualité des grands vins de Bourgogne depuis 1985. L'accent sera ensuite mis sur le développement des marchés à travers le monde et sur la manière dont les médias modernes ont entraîné une spirale des prix sur le marché secondaire, renforcée par la rareté de l'offre, en particulier aux plus hauts niveaux de la pyramide de la qualité des vins de Bourgogne.