2015 Montrachet Grand Cru

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.”