2005 Beaune Teurons 1er Cru

This estate harvested on the late side in 2006, beginning on September 25 and essentially finishing in four days flat, bringing in fruit with what winemaker Geoffrey Choppin de Janvry described as good phenolic maturity. Rotten grapes were eliminated in the vines and then again on the estate's sorting table, leaving about 35 hectoliters per hectare. Potential alcohol levels were between 12.8% and 13.3% and only light chaptalization was done. Choppin de Janvry moved the wines into cuves in October, a bit earlier than usual "to protect fruit and freshness." Incidentally, Choppin de Janvry feels he picked a bit too early in 2005. "Now I'm paying more attention to phenolic maturity than simply to sugar levels," he said. (Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, D.C.)

Due to the dry August, the vines on some of this estate's hillside vineyards lost their foliage, and when the harvest began on September 16 all the fruit was brought in in three and a half days. Winemaker Geoffrey Choppin de Janvry showed me representative blends of his various cuvees; the finished wines will have 45% to 50% new oak. Crop levels were actually a bit higher than average, in the 42 to 42 hl/ha range. Alcohols are in the 13% to 13.5% range; Choppin de Janvry did a bit of chaptalization just to prolong the fermentations. Incidentally, this was the first year he vinified in stainless steel tanks, where the temperature goes down more quickly at the end of the fermentation. Choppin is also able to use these big tanks to assemble the wines, which makes working in the cellar much easier. Previously he had just three large cuves to work with: he would assemble three cuvees, let them settle for a month before bottling them, and then start again with the next three wines. (Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, D.C.) Also recommended: Beaune Aigrots (85).