2002 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru

Jean-Francois Coche, who harvested his chardonnay during the last week of August, describes the 2003s as "like the '83s but without botrytis. "Interestingly, Coche told me he routinely included 10% to 15% of the second generation grapes in his various cuvees which gave the wines a better balance. The second generation crop was less likely to be grilled by the sun because there was stronger vegetation to protect these grapes," explained Coche, adding that the advantage of using some of these grapes was more than just a matter of getting better acidity in the final blend. Still, admits Coche, the 2003s show the power of the sun; it's not a vintage of finesse. The terroir is often neutralized by the ripeness. The 2003s are not minerally enough; they're not the Coche style. "It's a vintage to drink with food, not as an aperitif, Coche adds. The wines are for drinking early or late:they'll last on their power, he says, "like the '83s, which are still good. "Coche used much less new oak for his 2003s, including a lot of barrels that had previously been used more than once. He told me that he wishes he used even less. All of the malolactic fermentations were done by the time I visited at the end of May, and most, but not all, of the barrels had been sulfited. (Kermit Lynch, Berkeley CA

Coche rarely makes strong claims early for a new vintage, but allowed that the 2002s hold out considerable promise. This time, the malolactic fermentations were for the most part finished when I tasted in early June. During my tasting with Coche, I mentioned that his 1990 Meursault Perrieres was a consistently spectacular white Burgundy, just now embarking on its plane of peak drinkability. He agreed, and offered the opinion that it's a better wine than his 1990 Corton-Charlemagne, which he feels he picked a bit later than ideal.