"God did not smile on Burgundy in 1981," commented Clive Coates. It was the smallest vintage in living memory and the quality was nothing to write home about. A very cold winter was followed by a warm spring. There were extensive frosts in May and the weather was miserably cold and wet throughout most of June, July and the first half of August. After a spell of reasonably warm weather, the Côte d`Or was hit by further storms and the harvest was badly affected by the wet weather.

Most growers produced fairly indifferent wines. However, those producers who made rigorous selections at harvest-time produced some elegant, well-balanced wines. Domaine de la Romanée Conti produced complex, worthy, long-lived wines.