2002 Chambolle-Musigny Village

Crop levels here in 2002 were frequently in the very low 20 to 25 hectoliters-per-hectare range, thanks to this estate's organic viticulture and high percentage of old vines, according to regisseur Pascal Marchand.Marchand destemmed but did not crush the bunches, forklifted the destemmed fruit directly into the fermenters, then did nearly a month of total maceration, including up to two weeks of further skin contact following the end of the alcoholic fermentations.Due to the unusually warm cellar conditions during the summer, Marchand had already bottled a few of his 2002s by mid-November.Among the rest of the wines, only the new casks had been racked by the time of my visit, as these barrels were evolving more quickly than the used barrels, which generally allow for less exchange between the wine and the outside environment.We tasted the 2002s according to their location in this sprawling old cellar rather than in any above-ground geographic order.