2002 Beaune Les Teurons 1er Cru

Managing director Bernard Hervet describes the 2002 domain reds as very good wines, generally superior to those of 2001.But he admitted that it was harder to find topnotch wine to buy in 2002 than in 2001, as "too many wines in 2002 were from fruit that was picked too early, or was overextracted."Winemaker Philippe Prost added that grape sugars were generally higher on the Cote de Nuits, but that the flowering was better on the Cote de Beaune, and he finds that the latter wines have even more concentration.The young 2002s were racked between the end of June and early August.(Clicquot Inc., New York NY

The 2002 white wines showed great flavors ever since the wines were pressed," managing director Bernard Hervet told me at the beginning of June. It's a vintage you can taste with pleasure at every level of quality; even the generic reds are very strong in 2002. Even the middle villages like Santenay and Maranges, which produce irregular quality from vintage to vintage, are very strong." The domain carried out a leaf-pulling during the second half of July, and yields in chardonnay were down 5 to 7 hectoliters per hectare from the previous year, with Meursault production even more sharply lower. According to winemaker Philippe Prost, the premier crus begin their elevage in about 20% to 25% new oak, but most of the wines were to have been racked into used barrels in mid-June.