2002 Meursault En La Barre

The rain on August 28 restored the greenness to the vines and allowed the vegetative cycle, which had stopped for two weeks, to continue, said Francois Jobard. The rain softened the grapes, which had become tough from roasting in the sun. "Jobard was one of a few producers who told me he did not acidify his musts prior to fermentation, as he believed this would have dried the wines. All of the malolactic fermentations had finished by the time of my visit at the beginning of Ju ne. Incidentally, Jobard is not convinced that 2003 is a vintage that's only suited for drinking young. In 1964 the wines had almost no acidity, and the wines are still good," he maintained. They have always remained fresh. "(Kermit Lynch, Berkeley CA

Jobard describes 2002 as an ample vintage, with a lot of fat, sufficient acidity and good structure for aging. The crop was smaller than that of 2001; the 2002s, he told me, have more alcoholic richness but acid levels are not higher than those of the previous year. In fact, Jobard went on, there's not a big difference in quality among the last four vintages, except that the 2000s are a bit more delicate in style. Potential alcohols in both 2001 and 2002 were in the high 12.5% to 13% range, requiring almost no chaptalization in 2001 and none at all in 2002. The 2002s had for the most part finished their secondary fermentations by the time of my visit, but had not yet been sulfited.