2002 Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru

Jean-Louis Trapet acidified certain 2003s in cuve, noting that the young vines typically produced less-balanced fruit and required adjustment.Although the malos finished early, all of the wines were still on their lees at the end of November, unracked, with the exception of the Marsannay.Trapet harvested from August 27, picking virtually everything in less than a week.As I tasted Trapet's finished 2002s in New York for the second time, I was struck by the distinctive quality of these biodynamically made wines, which are vinified and bottled with very low levels of sulfur.While they are not as primary and fruit-driven as some Burgundies, they are literally alive with micro-organisms and redolent of their soil.And the way they hold up in the recorked bottle suggests that they are well worth cellaring. (A Patrick Lesec Selection; importers include The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL; Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; Wine Warehouse, Commerce, CA)

Jean-Louis Trapet told me that the cool August of 2002 prolonged the vegetative cycle, resulting in wines with an especially sound sugar/acid balance.But 2001 is more classic, he added.The 2002s had been racked after the 2003 harvest, and the first three wines were being prepared for bottling in mid-November.The crus were still aging in barrel.(A Patrick Lesec Selection; importers include The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL and Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA)