2007 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

Henri Boillot, who started harvesting chardonnay on September 28 in 2008 and began the pinot at the beginning of October, told me that there's not much of a distinction between 2008 and 2007 chardonnay in terms of the technical numbers. "The only difference is that some noble rot in 2008 gave the wines more gras and less aggressive acidity," he said. "Or, rather, the acidity is masked by the wine's fat in the '08s, while the 2007s are pure but more taut." Boillot told me he did not stir the lees in either 2008 or 2007, but noted that despite doing more debourbage than previously he still brings nearly 20 liters of lees into his 350-liter barrels. He considers the 2007 whites "almost my best year yet" and he offered the opinion that his 2007 reds are every bit as good as his 2005s. As at other addresses, I offer notes below on only the 2008s that had finished their malolactic fermentations-or nearly finished. Most of Boillot's domain wines, in the colder cellar at his house, were just starting their malos at the end of May, so my only note is for the stunning Clos de la Mouchere.

Henri Boillot told me he brought in his pinot noir early but waited until September 8 to attack the chardonnay, ultimately picking with at least 12.5% potential alcohol and chaptalizing a little (but adding no acidity). He described the new wines as "a bit less green than the '04s, and rounder too." Boillot did as much lees stirring in '07 as he did the previous year, but he emphasized that he prefers picking ripe fruit to carrying out a lot of batonnage. In 2006, on the other hand, he picked quite early, beginning before the day of the ban. Boillot uses mostly 350-liter barrels-around 50% new oak for the premier crus and all new barrels for the grand crus.