2011 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru

Etienne de Montille's American chef de cave Brian Sieve explained one of the key differences between the two cotes in 2011."The flowering for us was excellent on the Cote de Beaune," he told me."But conditions were cooler when the flowering occurred on the Cote de Nuits, and there was more millerandage there.We had humid southern winds in August, and we began harvesting very early on the Cote de Beaune, on August 27, and picked in a rush.On the Cote de Nuits, most sites weren't quite ready but the skins were healthier.But we still had a good-sized harvest in 2011, better than in either 2012 or 2010."Potential alcohols ranged from 11.7% to 12.7%, added Sieve, and all wines except for the Pommard Grands Epenots were chaptalized.For the cuvees vinified with 100% whole clusters, said Sieve, the team allowed the berries to be slowly crushed under their own weight, using what he described as "bucket-overs" during the middle of the fermentation but avoiding pigeages.But for the wines made from destemmed fruit (Etienne de Montille was worried about the possible presence of mildew in some sites), the estate carried out numerous pumpovers, up to three or four a day during the first days of the fermentation.The 2011 malos did not finish until last summer.Unless otherwise noted, my samples were taken from tank. (Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com; Beaune Imports, www.beauneimports.com; Veritas Imports, www.veritaswine.com)