2006 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru

Pillot picked his Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot vines on September 1, then busied himself with pinot noir before recommencing with chardonnay again on the 5th. Grape sugars in the premier crus were in the range of 12% to 12.5% and Pillot chaptalized these wines to 13%-13.2%, pointing out that he needed to add sugar because the fermentations, though they went quickly, were inefficient in 2007. "Two thousand seven is not like any other year," said Pillot. "We had full flowering by May 18 and started picking 102 days later. The vines had a normal vegetative cycle, yet the fruit retained firm acidity, which is rare. In 2006, in contrast, we should have picked earlier-before 100 days."