2004 Côte de Nuits-Villages

As an indication of how cold France was during August of 2006, Bachelet told me he had to heat his cellar to get the 2005 malolactic fermentations to finish. He probably won't bottle these wines until April of 2007, but he feels that this vintage can easily support a longer elevage. Bachelet was not the only vigneron in Gevrey-Chambertin to tell me that he is finding "a return to acidity" in the wines from this village, as the soils here continue to recover from all the potassium additions made in the '60s and '70s. Incidentally, Bachelet feels that his 2004s are very closed and need a lot of time. He describes these wines as tight and peppery today: "a spicy vintage." About 2005, he went on, "there's not a lot to say, except that we had a bit of drought." And the wines have tightened up, he added, since the temperature of the cellar came down during a cold week at the beginning of November. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., Lake Success, NY; Wines Unlimited, New Orleans, LA; and Vinalia Imports, Camarillo, CA)

Bachelet believes that the 2004s resemble the 2001s in the nature of their acidity, and does not think either of these vintages is for drinking young. Bachelet told me he carried out a green harvest, then eliminated less-good fruit both in the vines at harvest time and on a vibrating sorting table in the winery. Although he told me that he has been working with riper grapes since 1999 and 2000, he emphasized that he still seeks to make wines with finesse and elegance. "I never follow la mode; I make the kind of wines I like," he said. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Lake Success, NY; Wines Unlimited, New Orleans, LA; and Vinalia Imports, Camarillo, CA)