2015 Meursault Les Clous

Winemaker Frédéric Weber told me that Bouchard started harvesting in 2016 on September 21 with Pinot Noir, finishing the Chardonnay on October 1 with Corton-Charlemagne and the last Côte de Nuits vineyards on October 6, reporting that it was necessary to harvest the Côte de Beaune Pinot quickly and that the Chardonnay fruit was healthier. Due to widespread problems with mildew, many producers had to stop using organic methods in order to save their crops, he noted. Bouchard carried out more treatments than usual but still lost “another 15% to 20% of the crop to mildew”; previously many vineyards had been hit hard by the black frost on the morning of April 27. “The sun was like a magnifying glass on the ice on the buds,” he told me. Overall, production was down 50% in estate vineyards—the smallest crop after 2003—but was very heterogeneous. For example, Meursault Les Clous produced close to 40 hectoliters per hectare, while some village Meursault parcels barely yielded 5.

Weber noted that the 2016 white wines made from reasonably healthy crop levels remind him of the 2008s, which he described as a classic vintage, another late harvest with good ripeness allied to sound acidity, but emphasized that it’s hard to generalize about the ‘16s owing to the widely variable conditions. Very little chaptalization was needed as grape sugars were typically 12.5% or higher (the Montrachet actually came in at 13.2%), and Weber did a gentler but longer pressing “to get good extraction without the bad stuff,” noting that the grape skins were thick. (He's also using less and less SO2 during the vinification, which he believes is “positive for aromatic expression.”) Like the 2008s, he added, the ‘16s needed a long time in barrel to become expressive, and the malolactic fermentations have been quite long (only a few of the wines had finished when I visited Bouchard at the end of May). Weber rolled the barrels twice, as he prefers to keep the wines cloudy, and he may continue this practice as he thinks it’s better than batonnage.

In contrast to many smaller estates that have a high percentage of old vines but face great financial pressure to maintain their production, the well-capitalized Bouchard firm is in the process of renewing their vineyards in order to maintain an average vine age between 35 and 40 years, by replacing three hectares per year. This is very important for the future, said Weber. He explained that single vines that are replaced take nine years to produce usable fruit due to competition with other vines, but a replanted parcel takes just five years after the soil is allowed to rest for two years.

The 2015 flowering was quick and homogeneous, taking place during the first ten days of June, said winemaker Frédéric Weber, but the set wasn’t huge owing to the lingering effects of hail the previous year. Substantial rainfall on June 15 was constructive for humidity and water reserves in the soil, and showers at the end of August refreshed the vines after the long, hot summer, Weber told me. Bouchard started harvesting Chardonnay on September 2. “In August the skins were green and the berries tasted green,” he explained. “It was important to wait until September despite high natural degrees [13.2% and up] and low acidity, but the rain just before the harvest permitted some recovery of tartaric acidity. The grapes were golden and disease-free when we picked--our healthiest Chardonnay since 2005." Alcohol levels are now in the range of 13.5% to 14% and acidities are between 3.8 and 4.2 grams per liter thanks to adequate quantities of tartaric acid.

Weber vinified in stainless steel to finish the sugars quickly and to preserve freshness, only tacking the wines into barrels at the very end. He did not extract heavily, in order to avoid getting more potassium in the wines and losing acidity. Although he told me that the juice was not particularly aromatic at the outset, he now finds the 2015s “expressive, easy to understand and great for our customers.” He compared the wines to Bouchard’s 2009s and 2005s but noted that based on his chemical analysis of the wines, it's hard to predict their likely longevity. As in 2009 and 2005, he plans to fine these wines prior to bottling to minimize their wood taste and accentuate their freshness. “Two thousand fifteen is obviously a great vintage for the reds,” Weber summarized, “but it’s a bit more heterogeneous for the whites and not really classical Burgundy.”

Weber considers 2014 to be a great vintage for white Burgundy. “The wines are concentrated and expressive, with good acidity and great balance. They give a lot of pleasure now but I’m sure the vintage has long aging potential, maybe longer than the 2015s. The 2014s are more expressive than our 2012s, which are tighter today, higher in acidity and not ready to drink.”