2005 Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Vigne Blanche 1er Cru

Jean-Pierre Cournut began the 2006 harvest on September 20 and finished in six and a half days. It was the first year in which he did not have to do any chaptalization, he told me, and acid levels in the grapes were "correct." (In fact, the acid levels in the post-malolactic wines that Cournut provided were among the highest figures I heard at any of my visits this spring.) One of the reasons for the high sugar levels in the grapes was the small size of the crop, which Cournut said was partly due to the hail damage in 2005. "We actually had less juice in the grapes than in 2005," he noted. But there wasn't much 2005 either: because demand was high, Cournut was only able to hold back a few bottles for himself, and he had next to nothing to show me. Incidentally, Cournut told me that his favorite vintages of past years are 2004 and 2001. (Domaines et Saveurs/Jeanne-Marie de Champs; importers include Fine Vines, Melrose Park, IL; The Wine House Limited, San Francisco, CA; Cavattapi Distribuzione, Seattle, WA; Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; and The Country Vintner, Oilville, VA)

Jean-Pierre Cournut made painfully little wine in 2005, as he carried out a green harvest in his vines just before the July 17 hailstorm that sharply reduced the crop from the middle of the village west.None of the 2005 whites required chaptalizing, he told me.These were tricky wines to assess at the beginning of June, as they were in various stages of their elevage; three cuvees were still fermenting their sugar.Cournut believes that the wines will be completely transformed by racking and sulfiting.They have a tendency toward volatility now, he explained, and the racking and sulfiting should freshen them.Fining them with casein should further revivify the wines and give them a greener color, he added.Incidentally, Cournut's 2004s are stellar.(Domaines et Saveurs/Jeanne-Marie de Champs; importers include Fine Vines, Melrose Park, IL; The Wine House, San Francisco, CA; Cavattapi Distribuzione, Seattle, WA; Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; and The Country Vintner, Oilville, VA)