2004 Clos Vougeot Vieille Vignes

Francois Labet's Chateau de la Tour, farmed biodynamically since 1992, has for a long time polarized tasters. The main reason has been that Labet has vinified entirely whole clusters (the vendange entier method) since 1987. "I started here in 1984, and then changed my approach to winemaking 360 degrees in 1997," he told me. He does an extended pre-fermentation cold soak (typically ten days at 5o or 6o), but no post-fermentation extraction for fear of getting herbaceousness from the stems. He seeks to make a vin de garde which can nonetheless be enjoyed after a year or two in bottle. Indeed, my experience with older vintages is that they maintain their freshness for a long time. (On my November visit, I was impressed by a 1991 Vieilles Vignes, whose barnyard element was supported by captivating sweetness of fruit. An '87, the first vintage made with all whole clusters, was similarly fat with fruit but featured some rather idiosyncratic baked bread aromas that I have long associated with wines made with the consulting assistance of enologist Guy Accad, with whom Labet worked at the time.)