1999 Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru

Roumier describes 2000 as a lighter-styled vintage, but light in a good way: soft, silky, appealing . . . very Burgundy. The thin-skinned grapes, said Roumier, did not possess a lot of potential in terms of tannin and color. There was a bit of rot in some parcels in 2000, but the affected grapes were very easy to remove, Roumier added. Virtually all the parcels came in with 13% or more natural sugar "but without the corresponding structure one would expect from grapes so ripe." So even though production here was about 20% lower than that of '99, the '00s are less concentrated and structured wines. Roumier did a bit more extraction by extending the maceration longer after the fermentations ended. His 2000s have also benefitted from late malos; following a first racking in September, they were still on their fine lees in early November and thus won't be bottled as early as Roumier initially planned. Compared to the best recent vintages from this top producer, the 2000s just miss on verve and complexity of aromas. But the wines will offer substantial early pleasure, and the estate top three or four cuvees are impressive in the context of the vintage. Roumier's '99s have turned out splendidly.

Following the rainfall after the ban de vendange for the grand crus, Roumier started harvesting on the 23rd of September, then resumed again the next day after another evening of rain. At that point, he quickly adjusted his strategy, bringing in his best vineyards immediately. "There was no evidence of dilution until Sunday afternoon," said Roumier. "And even then we lost acidity rather than sugars. The fruit picked late Sunday and Monday had higher pH, and it was necessary to do a saignee The acids are not strong in the '99s, but they are actually higher than in the '98s, and the wines taste fresh." Roumier, who does not claim that either '99 or '98 is as good as his '96 or '95 ('96 is his favorite recent vintage), did fairly serious extraction following the '99 harvest because he felt the high polyphenol levels could support such an approach. "I thought the wines were too tannic just after the vinification, but after the malolactic fermentations they're rich and mellow." Roumier structured, ageworthy '98s have turned out very well. "The '99s are more elegant and approachable wines," he notes, "while the '98s show more primary fruit; they're tougher but not hard. But '96 is the vintage that will last 30 years or more."