2009 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumées 1er Cru

Philippe Colin began on September 17 in 2010 by picking his Santenay vines that had been hit by hail several days earlier, then waited a few days to attack the rest of his chardonnay. Colin favors 2010 over 2008, as he feels that the ripening process was more regular. "The 2008s have slightly exotic noses due to the fast ripening at the end," he told me. Colin told me that his 2010s finished with between 1.5 and 2 grams per liter of residual sugar, about half a gram lower than his 2009s; that bit of sweetness contributes to the early appeal of his wines. I have limited my notes to those 2010s that had finished their malolactic fermentations. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, New York, NY; Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY)

Philippe Colin indicated a preference for 2008 over 2009 in Chassagne-Montrachet, as the earlier set of wines has more tension. But the 2009s are rich and ripe without being heavy, he adds, and they have good balance. Potential alcohol levels were a bit higher across the board: in the range of 13.3% in '09 (but the Demoiselles was 14%), vs. 13% in '08. The alcoholic fermentations went quickly in 2009, and the wines typically finished with 1.5 to 2.3 grams per liter of residual sugar, which means that they are unlikely to come off as austere. The key to the 2008s is their healthy acidity, in the range of 4.5 grams per liter, which is roughly the same as in 2007. "But there's much more buffering material in 2008," Colin pointed out. (Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA; Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, New York, NY; Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY)