1999 Montrachet Grand Cru

The much-improved white Burgundies from Bouchard had caught my attention in recent vintages for their aromatic purity and class. With the '99 vintage, they have a bit more richness and texture too, with the result that this was one of the finest sets of white wines I tasted on my recent tour of the Cote de Beaune. Winemaker Philippe Prost describes '99 as better than '98; in terms of ripeness of fruit, he compares '99 to '92. "But nature was a bit too generous in '99: the wines show purity but lost a bit of concentration due to the sheer quantity of fruit," he added. "It will be a vintage to bottle on the early side to prevent the wines from drying out." In comparison to the wines made here in the 1980s, today Bouchard whites are typically a good half-degree lower in alcohol. "We like to pick early to protect the freshness of aromas," said managing director Bernard Hervet, adding that the '99s were chaptalized about a half-degree in most cases to extend the fermentations. Following the tricky '98 harvest, Bouchard used a triage table and carried out two separate debourbages one at regular cellar temperature and one cooler. As the levels of tartaric acidity were somewhat elevated-a result of the heat of August, which temporarily blocked the maturing process-Prost did his normal lees stirring to enrich the wines.