1999 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

Enologist Francois Millet likes the way the 2000s offer "elegance and sensuality, with no lack of intensity or strength." Yields here were kept to a low 30 hectoliters per hectare through a strict green harvest, and grape sugars were impressively high (in the 13%+ range), requiring no chaptalization. Millet vinified to get soft, sensual wines rather than going for big extraction, and in fact the young 2000s are scented, approachable wines with enough supporting spine for medium-term aging. The extroverted '99s, bottled between February and May of 2001, show sweet but tangy fruit and great verve. (Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; Ideal Wines, Medford, MA; Barrique Wines, Chicago, IL; Chambers & Chambers, San Francisco, CA; The Wine Company, Minneapolis, MN, Vintner Select, Cincinnati, OH)