2011 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru

The flowering in 2012 was stretched out by adverse climatic conditions from June 6 to June 25, noted winemaker Eric Remy, with 50 millimeters of rain falling on the 6th.There was substantial coulure and millerandage and mildew arrived quickly.Along with the effects of some frost in mid-April and then again in mid-May, plus hail on June 30 and August 1 and the loss of some grapes in a period of heat in early August, the domain-wide production here was just 23 hectoliters per hectare--or roughly half the level of the previous year."Rot was the only problem we didn't have in 2012," Remy concluded.The harvest took place between September 14 and 21, with grape sugars ranging from 12.5% to 13.3% for the crus and only a few cuvees requiring modest chaptalization.As to the wines themselves, Remy describes 2012 as "a hyper-classic vintage for aging.The wines really saturate the mouth, and elevage will bring more size and precision.The vintage favored well-drained hillside vineyards, where the soil warmed up faster between the rains."He compared the 2012s to the 2010s for their clarity and energy.Remy describes 2011 as "a very good vintage:we picked early in order to retain good sound acidity and good minerality."

The chardonnay in 2011 ripened more by concentration than by photosynthesis owing to hot weather in August, said winemaker Eric Remy."We were able to get good ripeness at modest sugar levels, generally between 11.7% and 12.7%," he said, adding that "the early picked stuff was chaptalized a bit."Domaine Leflaive harvested during the last seven days of August, finishing with the grand crus on the 30th and 31st.Yields were higher than usual, averaging 47 hectoliters per hectare, but the Batard and Chevalier were more like 35 to 37 owing to hail in July.The estate eliminated some dried grapes at harvest time, and acidity levels after the malolactic fermentations were between 4.7 and 5.2 grams per liter--one of the highest figures given to me during my tour of the Cote de Beaune this spring.A couple of the 2010s were still in tank at the end of May; I have included notes on these wines as they had not finished their malos when I originally tasted them in 2011.