1998 Puligny-Montrachet Village

Gerard Boudot spoke favorably of the natural balance of the fruit in 1999. "The wines have sound acidity and a solid spinal column," he told me. "They will be delicious early for their fruit and they will age. I haven't found these lovely primary aromas of white flowers since 1973, which was my first vintage." Boudot claimed to have had yields of around 50 hectoliters per hectare in his premier crus, and 57 to 60 for his village wines. There was some rain at the beginning and at the end of the period, he told me, but no rot. The pHs were low in '99, though not quite so low as in '96. The malolactic fermentations tended to go quickly as there was a relatively low percentage of malic acidity in the grapes. The wines were still on their lees at the end of May, and because the lees were "spotless," Boudot planned to continue stirring them every two weeks until November of this year-even after the assemblage and first racking in early September. Boudot top '98s have turned out impressively: he felt that the rain prior to the harvest compromised the acidity in the grapes, and his wines have benefitted from his decision to retain 25% to 30% of the malic acidity. Interestingly, Boudot describes his '98s as wines in an easy style; the '97s, he says, display more nervosite and aging potential. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)

Gerard Boudot describes '98 as a low-acid year, since two weeks of September rain sent potassium levels in the grapes up sharply. To retain freshness he blocked the malolactic fermentation in about 25% of his barrels. And the malos have proceeded slowly. Malic bacteria need nitrogen to do their work, explains Boudot, but because he did very little stirring of the lees the malic bacteria had less nitrogen to work with than usual. Still, the '98s will all be bottled by the end of November, or a few months earlier than usual for the grand crus. The pHs of '98 and '97 are actually practically the same, notes Boudot, but there about a half-gram per liter lower acidity in '98. Boudot did a lot of batonnage in 1997, as the lees were thoroughly clean. He compares this vintage to '92 and '85 in style; the '97s don't have huge gras he says, but they offer a nice balance of material and acidity. They will be pleasant wines at all stages of their evolution, Boudot predicts. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)