2001 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Procès

There were two generations of flowers in 2002," said Pascal Lachaux, "and the second one was all millerande We did a green harvest on the larger first generation fruit, and ended up with a crop level of just 35 to 38 hectoliters per hectare, or about 12% to 15% lower than in 2001.This helped to give more fat, color, ripeness and concentration."Lachaux did a week-long cold maceration at a chilly 5oC prior to the beginning of the fermentations.The wines that were not racked until July will probably not be bottled until the early spring of 2004, said Lachaux, while those that were racked in the spring of 2003 will be bottled earlier.Lachaux referred to his 2002s as "my best vintage yet for fat, richness and balance."(Represented by Russell Herman, Berkeley Heights, NJ; importers include V.O.S. Selections, Inc., New York, NY; also a Peter Vezan selection; imported by The Stacole Co., Boca Raton, FL; and Import!, Madison, WI)

At the outset of our tasting, Pascal Lachaux characterized his '01s as like "a blend of '91 and '93," a description that certainly piqued my interest. The wines, which were typically chaptalized less than one degree, possess more ripeness and fat than the 2000s, according to Lachaux. Lachaux carried out a green harvest and pulled leaves on the east-facing side of the vines in most of his vineyards in 2001; he now has a new machine for effeuillage that snips off the leaves rather than pulling them from the vines. One of the most important benefits of leaf-pulling, Lachaux asserts, is that the anti-rot sprays afterwards are sure to hit the grape skins. His harvesters are also able to work more productively, he added, as they don't have to clear the leaves out of the way. The 2001s had been racked in April or in July, according to when the malos ended. (Represented by Russell Herman, Berkeley Heights, NJ; importers include V.O.S. Selections, Inc., New York, NJ; also a Peter Vezan Selection, imported by The Stacole Co., Boca Raton, FL; and Import!, Madison, WI)