2010 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru (Magnum)

Pierre-Yves Colin probably best articulated what is my own nagging doubt about the 2011 vintage.When explaining why he racked his wines exposed to oxygen in late April, he told me that he did it "because some of them were flat and boring.The racking gave them more personality and energy."He planned to rack again at the beginning of July and move the wines to tank."After September 4, the fruit lost a bit of its water," Colin explained."The grapes didn't gain in sugar but they did gain in concentration.But the fruit wasn't really that ripe in 2011.In retrospect I would have picked even later for more concentration of flavor; I would have started on September 7."Still, Colin was feeling better about the vintage at the end of May than he was last fall."I'm only starting to understand the wines now," he told me."I thought they would be like the 2007s and 2004s for their good fruit, but the malos took place very early--by the end of October--and that fresh quality is just coming back now." (A Daniel Johnnes Selection, www.danieljohnneswines.com; imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, www.skurnikwines.com and Atherton Imports, www.awiwine.com)

Pierre-Yves Colin and Caroline Morey follow their stunning 2009s with an equally compelling set of 2010s. The 2010s have deep site-specific signatures, rich fruit and plenty of acidity. Fans of this small, but increasingly high profile address will want to flock to these wines. Pierre Yves Colin started picking on September 22. Yields were down just 5-10%, which is pretty remarkable considering the vintage. It was a difficult vintage in the cellar, as malos were late and slow. When I visited last June, virtually all of the wines were still finishing their malos. With the exception of the St. Aubins, the 2010s spent about 18 months in barrel. The St. Aubins were bottled in November 2011. All of the other 2010s were bottled in April 2012. The 2011s, which I tasted from barrel, are very promising, so there is a lot to look forward to.

It was necessary to treat the vines against oidium and mildew until early August in 2010, said Pierre-Yves Colin, but in the end he had clean grapes and a superb harvest, "with less than 5% rot." Colin believes that his 2010s have similar acidity to the 2008s, which he describes as a bit more exotic, but that the newer set of wines also possess a better natural balance of vivacity and gras. The 2009s, he continued, are less vivid today but they may have more force than the 2008s and 2010s. "They should be great in ten years." Colin racked the 2009s twice, exposed to air, and a long elevage on the lees in an attempt to "shrink them down." The 2010 malos were almost entirely finished by the date of my visit but the wines had not yet been racked. He did no debourbage and no batonnage, and with the fruit picked with potential alcohol between 12.8% and 13%, no chaptalization was necessary. Colin continues to bring down the percentage of new oak he uses to age his wines. (A Daniel Johnnes Selection; imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; and Atherton Imports, Atherton, CA)