2008 Meursault Les Narvaux

At harvest time, Vincent Boyer was afraid that his low-acid 2009s would turn out too round and soft. So he opened the doors of his cellar to lower the ambient temperatures during the vinification, and then stopped stirring the lees at the end of December. Some of the wines still had some malic acidity at the time of my visit. The 2009s now have moderate alcohol in the 12.5%-13% range and the premier crus look quite promising. In 2009, the only separate bottlings for North Berkeley imports will be the Meursault L'Ormeau and Les Narvaux, but Boyer is intrigued with the idea of late bottling and will continue to experiment with this approach. (A Peter Vezan selection; importers include North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; Vintner Select, Cincinnati, OH; Dionysos Imports, Lorton, VA) Also recommended: Puligny-Montrachet Les Rechaux (86).

Vincent Boyer's 2008s were tricky to taste at the beginning of June, as a few cuvees still had unconverted malic acidity. Boyer told me he prefers those cuvees that finished their sugar fermentations later, as these wines are more opulent. He did his normal debourbage in 2008, then stirred the lees once a week until January. Boyer harvested on the late side in 2008, beginning on September 28. "On the 22nd the fruit wasn't yet ripe," he told me. "There was a bit of rain on the afternoon of the 26th but not enough to dilute the grapes. We began with about 12% potential alcohol, but by the end it was more like 12.5% to 13%, as we lost a lot of juice when the grapes concentrated." (A Peter Vezan selection; importers include North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; Vintner Select, Cincinnati, OH; Dionysos Imports, Lorton, VA)