2005 Chassagne-Montrachet

Gerard Boudot was one of several white Burgundy producers who made a point to show his 2005s before his 2006s. The reason, he explained, is that the 2005s are "pure, upright wines," while the '06s, which Boudot describes as "fat and round," show a slightly exotic quality from an element of noble rot. Boudot started the harvest on the day of the ban, and carried out a triage in the vines. The lower sites were much more likely to require elimination of some grapes affected by rot, he said. As a result, ultimate production levels in 2006 were about 15% higher on the hillsides, while at the bottom of the slope the yields were similar to those of 2005. Boudot did a bit of acidification in 2006 but not in 2005. In fact, he told me, the pHs in 2005 were on the low side. Sauzet is candid on the subject of premature oxidation, which has plagued at least a few of his vintages of the past decade. "The worst vintages for me were '96 and '98," he told me. "In '96 in particular, the malos were long and I did a lot of lees stirring. Because of the late malos I did not dose with SO2 until it was too late." In addition to being more careful about stirring the lees and sulfuring his wines, Sauzet has also taken steps to ensure better cork quality and more perfect closures. Beginning with the 2005 vintage, he no longer uses corks coated with silicone (he uses only paraffin, which he describes as a natural product), and he has switched to a bottle with a longer neck, so that the entire cork grips the glass. The result is a cork that's considerably harder to extract, but a far more successful seal. One hopes that these steps will be sufficient to protect Boudot's wines, as these are frequently among the stars of my early tastings in Burgundy. The finished '05s were standouts in late May. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)

Gerard Boudot describes 2005 as "ripe but not overripe, and showing good precision of terroir.It was important not to pick too late," he continued."We were afraid at the beginning that 2005 would be like 1989, but the wines have turned out to be better-balanced, with good acid structure.Actually, the two vintages had very similar numbers at the beginning but we started with a bit more malic acidity in 2005, though still in the average range."Alcohol levels were in the high 12.8% to 13.5% range, while average yields for the domain were 43 hectoliters per hectare, or down about 15% from those of 2004.Boudot believes that the 2005s have the solidity and structure for long aging, but he also feels that they will be drinkable young "for their fruit and flowers."Those who have had problems with premature oxidation in Sauzet wines from the '90s (especially '96, although Boudot noted that the '95 Bienvenue Batard was his first "problem wine") will be happy to know that Boudot is now bottling with somewhat higher levels of free and total sulfur.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)