1998 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru

Pascal Lachaux admitted making close to the full allowable yields in most of his parcels in 1999, but says he began with good sugars (typically 11.5% to 12%) and healthy pHs similar to those of the previous year. He carried out a long cold maceration at 5oC ("we don't have to worry about thermic shock when the juice still has its sugar," he noted), and then was able to avoid strenuous pigeage "because all the elements were in the thick skins of the '99 grapes, and came easily." (Compared to '96, for example, there were more clusters in 1999, but smaller grapes, Lachaux added). Lachaux did a long debourbage to eliminate all but the fine lees and had not yet racked a number of the wines a year later. At the time of my visit, he planned to rack and assemble the '99s before Christmas in advance of a January bottling. The '98s were bottled last January without fining or filtration. (Represented by Russell Herman, Berkeley Heights, NJ; importers include V.O.S. Selections, Inc., New York, NJ; also a Peter Vezan Selection, imported by Esquin Imports, San Anselmo, CA; The Stacole Co., Boca Raton, FL; and Import!, Madison, WI)

Pascal Lachaux has made a set of rather easygoing '98s that for the most part avoid the hard tannins shown by so many wines from Vosne-Romanee in this vintage. Yields averaged just under 40 hectoliters per hectare, but were lower in Suchots and Echezeaux due to spring frost. Grape sugars were healthy (most wines were chaptalized a half-degree or so), but below the very high levels of '97. The '98s here will be firmer wines than the '97s, but the top '97s will offer at least as much early pleasure. (Represented by Russell Herman, Berkeley Heights, NJ; importers include V.O.S. Selections, Inc., New York, NJ; also a Peter Vezan Selection, imported by Esquin Imports, San Anselmo, CA; The Stacole Co., Boca Raton, FL; and Import!, Madison, WI)