2007 Gevrey-Chambertin Craipillot 1er Cru

As he did at Domaine de Courcel in Pommard, Yves Confuron harvested late at his family domain in Vosne-Romanee, waiting until September 9 to attack the pinot noir. Confuron vinifies with 100% whole clusters, and my years of experience with his wines, especially at Domaine de Courcel, suggest that he is one of the masters of this technique in Burgundy, as he normally manages to get an extra aromatic dimension without hardening his wines. "Vendange entier allows for cooler, slower fermentations," he told me. "You can retain floral elements and fresher flavors. With destemming, the temperature of the fermentation rises faster, and you can burn off the fruit." Confuron de-cuves by gravity over a period of two days; this step, in conjunction with the whole-cluster fermentations, means that the wines begin their elevage relatively clean, with a small quantity of lees, and can eventually be bottled-always on the late side-without fining or filtration.