2000 Vosne-Romanée Les Hautes Maizières

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)

"Nicely balanced wines that are full of fruit; between '97 and '99 in style," is the way Pascal Lachaux describes his 2000s. "They don't have quite the concentration of the '99s but possess more acidity and fresher aromas than the '97s. They'll be accessible early but should also age reasonably well." Interestingly, Lachaux noted that he used very low levels of SO2 after the first racking in April, and that the young 2000s were eating the sulfur very slowly, which he took as a positive sign for their future development. Lachaux uses 100% new oak for his Vosne-Romanee Reignots and Suchots and his three grand crus. (Represented by Russell Herman, Berkeley Heights, NJ; importers include V.O.S. Selections, Inc., New York, NJ; also a Peter Vezan Selection, imported by Esquin Imports, San Anselmo, CA; The Stacole Co., Boca Raton, FL; and Import!, Madison, WI)