2007 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru

Michel Niellon, who claimed that the 2008 harvest brought healthy grapes in his vineyards, describes the wines as having less acidity than the 2007s, and less ampleur than the '06s. They're also more floral than the 2007s, which he described as more linear and severe. Just a few of the 2008s here had finished their malos at the end of May. This was one of several addresses, mostly in the village of Chassagne-Montrachet, where I worried about the future of wines that might have to be bottled a scant two or three months after the end of their malos.

Michel Niellon describes 2007 as a "special" vintage. The pinot grapes were riper than the chardonnay, he told me, but he still picked the white grapes first, even if he waited a few days to harvest certain parcels. Not surprisingly, the wines were vivid, even a bit sharp, before the malolactic fermentations. I tasted barrels that had finished their malos, but many others were still working their way through. In fact, Niellon was worried about having to keep the colder of his two cellars warm in early June in order to finish the malos. His concern at the time of my visit was that the '07s would turn out to be more acidic and less ripe than the '04s. Incidentally, Niellon loves the 2006 vintage. He told me that he finds the 2005s a bit less acid and less flattering than the '06s-a bit heavy and closed in comparison to the newer vintage.