2003 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

I expected to find the young 2004s difficult to taste at the beginning of June, as the wines in this cellar are often late to finish their malolactic fermentations. But Jean-Pierre Cournut told me that he had trouble finishing the sugar fermentations of a couple of wines and thus heated the cellar, which hastened the onset of the secondary fermentations. These are among the most promising Chassagnes of the vintage, in a classic style but richer than most. The ripening came in September, and the wines retained good levels of malic acidity. (In contrast, noted Cournut, the maturity in 2002 came more from the wind than from sun, and the malolactic fermentations did not bring as much fat as usual to the wines of that vintage.) Cournut did a gentle pressing in '04 and got less juice, then did a "double decanting" to start with very clean juice. "The 2004s changed dramatically after the malos, getting real gras, like the '96s," said Cournut. "In fact, some of my 2004s have more fat than the 2002s, and I don't know why." This estate's 2003s are also highly successful. Like many of his colleagues, Cournut noted that the wines are very stable in bottle and benefit significantly from aeration. I found their aromas and flavors to be surprisingly perfumed and accurate to their sites. (Domaines et Saveurs/Jeanne-Marie de Champs; importers include Glazer's Wholesale Distributing, Dallas, TX; Fine Vines, Melrose Park, IL; The Wine House, San Francisco, CA; Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; and The Country Vintner, Oilville, VA)

Like a number of his colleagues in Burgundy Jean-Pierre Cournut insisted that 2003 was not a drought year for vines with deep roots. The wines, he says, are fat, buttery and full, with plenty of acidity for their sugar. Cournut acidified at harvest time, then made additional adjustments at the end of the alcoholic fermentations, during the batonnage All of the wines had finished their malolactic fermentations and been sulfited at the time of my visit. They are thick with fruit without coming off as cooked-excellent examples of the potential richness of the vintage. My scores may prove to be conservative. (Domaines et Saveurs/Jeanne-Marie de Champs; importers include Glazer's Wholesale Distributing, Dallas, TX; Fine Vines, Melrose Park, IL; The Wine House, San Francisco, CA; Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; and The Country Vintner, Oilville, VA)