2007 Beaune Teurons 1er Cru

Geoffrey Choppin de Janvry prefers 2007 to 2008, as he was among the last pickers in Beaune in the earlier year and made very ripe (13% to 13.5% without chaptalization) wines with considerable early appeal. In 2008 he cut a lot of leaves on the north side of the vines to open the fruit up to the wind, then left the rotten grapes in the vineyards while eliminating the pink grapes on his vibrating table, where it's easier to identify the less-ripe berries. Because the grapes came in cold, the fermentations took 10 to 12 days to start, and he had to heat the vats to 32oC, as there weren't a lot of nutrients on the grapes due to the late summer rains. These two vintages are quite different in style, and the 2007s are more consistent in quality, but the top '08s have more energy and hold out excellent potential. Choppin de Janvry compared them to his 2001s, which means they will need a good six or seven years of bottle aging. (Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, D.C.)

In the unusually advanced growing season of 2007, Geoffrey Choppin de Janvry did not harvest especially early. He waited until September 6, picking "for fruit and for phenolic maturity." Grape sugars ranged as high as 13%, with no chaptalization required, and acidity was on the low side, he told me. The fruit was concentrated and there was little rot, but Choppin de Janvry still doesn't think that 2007 has the structure to make a real vin de garde. He carried out a fairly gentle extraction, doing just seven to ten punchdowns of the cap during the early days of the fermentation. But these fat, sweet wines will offer considerable early appeal. (Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, D.C.) Also recommended: Savigny-les-Beaune La Batailliere (85).