2002 Saint-Aubin Charmois

Morey acidified the musts in 2003 and then made further adjustments, if needed, after the malos. He told me that his wines in Beaune had the highest pHs, as these vines suffered less from drought and produced very ripe grapes. But, in general, the heat-affected hillsides produced fruit with higher pHs, Morey added. Sites affected by frost were not necessarily better than the rest owing to lower yields. Still, it was the non-frosted top of the hill that suffered more from sun and heat in July and August, he added. Most of these 2003s will be for drinking young, before the wines' obvious alcohol dries out the fruit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL Louis/Dressner Selections, New York NY

Bernard Morey describes his 2002s and 2000s as vintages that are more minerally but less aromatic: that is, more accurate to the soil. The 2001s are more aromatic and fruit-driven," he adds, "with the nose currently dominating the palate." The 2002s will be for drinking after the 2001s, he believes; the new vintage featured the best levels of acidity since 1996. Morey told me he prefers 1999 to 2000; he describes the latter set of wines as strict and severe today. The 2002 malos here mostly finished between December and February, although the sugar fermentations were tricky; several cuvees finished with between 2 and 2.5 grams of residual sugar. I began by sampling a number of Morey's negociant bottlings, kept in a frigid cellar toward the top of the village of Chassagne-Montrachet.