2003 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

The team here harvested late in 2004 as they were concerned about the acidity level of the grapes. They did a quicker debourbage than usual, then crushed the grapes because they wanted more contact between the skins and the grapes-or "just enough to open the berries," according to director Bernard Hervet. This was a rather radical step for Bouchard, but Hervet and winemaker Philippe Prost thought the grapes lacked perfume and wanted to extract more aromatic material. They then did more lees stirring than is normal practice here. Following the malos, noted Hervet, the acid levels are typically between 4.1 and 4.3 grams per liter, or a bit lower than those of 2002. According to winemaker Prost, "2004 could be a cousin of '99 in its balance of acidity, ripeness and vine yields." Bouchard has turned out some extraordinary 2003 whites. Last year Hervet expressed the opinion that the best wines from this freakish vintage-and especially the reds-might turn out to resemble the monumental '47s. This year he told me that if wines like the Corton-Charlemagne and Meursault Genevrieres "do not prove to be capable of aging a long time, I'll have to blow my brains out."

As is the house's practice, Bouchard was among the first to harvest in 2003, attacking the pinot noir on August 21 and the chardonnay (specifically, their holding in Meursault Perrieres) the following day. Winemaker Philippe Prost chilled the musts to about 45oF for the debourbage and was able to get lees with a less yellow color. The wines were lightly acidified for the fermentations, and certain wines received additional acidification later on. Except for the grand crus, the 2003s had been racked at the time of my visit. Director Bernard Hervet, incidentally, expressed the opinion that the 2003 has yielded some monumental red Burgundies, with 1947-like aromas-an opinion I heard later the same day from Jacques Lardiere, the winemaker for Jadot.