2011 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chenevottes 1er Cru

Jean-Pierre Cournut told me he's surprised by the precision and terroir expression of the 2012s at such tiny yields.Sugar levels in the grapes were in the sound 12.5% to 13% range (he began harvesting on September 20) and pHs were healthy.Yields were down sharply owing to "the combination of many factors," said Cournut, including frost, coulure and hail.As to the 2011 whites, Cournut says they're "as fresh as the 2010s but with more fat--and the reds are great."Total acidity levels in his top crus are in the very healthy 4.7 to 5.0 range."The wasn't a lot of malic acidity in the grapes, so the wines didn't change much during the secondary fermentations," he noted. (Domaines & Saveurs/Jeanne-Marie de Champs; importers include The Wine House Limited, www.winesf.com and Frederick Wildman & Sons, www.frederickwildman.com)

Jean-Pierre Cournut picked his 2011 chardonnay during the first five days of September "with average acidity but healthy pHs.The malic acidity was much lower than in 2010."All of the malos were finished and the wines had just been sulfited for the second time two weeks before my visit.The 2010s have turned out very well here.With their combination of full ripeness and rather high acidity they should age well.But Cournut notes that the wines will be excellent in their youth owing to their mineral freshness. (Domaines & Saveurs/Jeanne-Marie de Champs; importers include Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; The Wine House Limited, www.winesf.com; Frederick Wildman & Sons, www.frederickwildman.com; and The Vintner Group, www.countryvintner.com)