1999 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

Boillot is quite high on the '99s, which he describes as better than the 1990s, a vintage he feels was too austere and high in acidity. "The late August and early September rain made the quality of the '99 vintage by unblocking the maturing process after the summer heat," he explained. Acidity levels, says Boillot, are on the low side but the wines are nicely balanced. Actually, he added, both '99 and '98 possess higher acidity than '97 but less than '96. The white wines in '99 are very consistent in quality, Boillot noted, while the reds are more variable, but with some stunning successes. The malolactic fermentations were finished at the time of my visit, but Boillot was still stirring the lees (in fact, Boillot had originally saved some of the bourbes and added them back to the wines after the end of the alcoholic fermentations). Boillot top '98s have turned out very well.