1997 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru

"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)

"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)