2000 Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places

Before showing me the 2001s and 2000s, Brigitte Rochx000D reported on the difficulties of the 2002 growing season and harvest. Following a rainy August and first half ofx000D September, it was necessary to pick before the grapes were ripe due tox000D encroaching rot. Still, notes Roch, thex000D skin components were reasonably ripe even if the potential alcohol barelyx000D reached 10%. Both 2001 and 2000 broughtx000D grape sugars in the solid 12% range, says Roch, who added that the crop levelx000D was lower in 2001, with more concentrated, healthier grapes yielding wines withx000D solid structure. These continue to bex000D some of the purest wines of the appellation.

Recent warm years have been kind to this domain, which generally eschews chaptalizing as long as grape sugars reach 11.9% or 12%. This uncompromising approach can result in rather lean wines in less-ripe years. The 2000s, says Brigitte Roch, are on the light side, from clean grapes with around 12% potential alcohol, but they convey pure aromatics and lovely sappy verve. "The acids have been better and better here since we stopped using chemical fertilizers 15 years ago," said Roch. Not surprisingly, the freakishly ripe '99 growing season resulted in unusually strong wines for this domaine ("our best vintage yet," according to Gilbert Clusel, who started making wine here in 1980), although the tiny hail-shortened crop in Grandes Places yielded barely two barrels of supernal wine that few consumers will ever see.