1999 Chambolle-Musigny Village

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)

This estate did a drastic crop thinning in late July and early August, eliminating virtually half the fruit and ultimately reducing the vineyard yields to an average of 35 hectoliters per hectare. More important, the team was in a position to harvest during the good week of weather before it began raining again. Enologist Francois Millet was beginning to rack the wines for a second time in November, using a bicycle pump-a labor-intensive but relatively gentle way of carrying out this task. Millet describes the young '99s as exuberant, extroverted wines that nevertheless have depth and structure. "They've been approachable since the beginning and a pleasure to work with," he adds. "The fruit is like a coulis which gives a sweetness without heaviness. In comparison, the fruit in '98 is more crystallized, and even more vibrant." (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)