2012 Echézeaux Grand Cru

Régis Forey described his 2012s as "more spiky and disassociated now" than the 2013 barrel samples I tasted alongside them during my visit to his cellar in November. He thought they were in the process of closing--and this despite the fact that Forey destemmed all of the 2012s he presented to me.

Régis Forey opted for gentle extractions in 2011, which meant limiting cold soaks and punchdowns, while relying more on pumpovers. The fruit was entirely destemmed, as is the custom here. Over the last few years in particular, Forey seems to have stepped quality up a notch or two, which is great to see.

Regis Forey told me that he has lost the equivalent of one and a half vintages out of the last four owing to low crop levels since 2010 but was quick to note that he and his colleagues on the Cote de Nuits have been much luckier than growers on the Cote de Beaune.Production was generally quite low in 2012, although vineyards like Echezeaux and Clos Vougeot produced healthy yields in the 38 to 40 hectoliters-per-hectare range.Forey describes the 2012s as "airy, high-pitched wines, though not as chiseled as the 2010s.They're less elegant but more enrobed."In comparison, he went on, "the 2011s are earthier and deeper pitched.The juice was riper in 2011 but the tannins weren't."Forey carried out a very light extraction in 2012, punching down the cap twice a day during the cold maceration and the beginning of the fermentation, then doing one remontage per day afterwards and a single delestage at the peak of temperature "to get more glycerol."He then left the wines in tank for four or five days after the end of the fermentations, with the cap submerged (Forey described this method as "infusion," done in order to get more complexity.Incidentally, Forey tried some whole-cluster fermentation in vintage 2013.

According to Regis Forey, knowing when to treat the vineyards was the critical and defining aspect of dealing with the challenges of 2012. Still, yields are down 50% across the board. As an example, yields in Nuits St. Georges, Forey's hardest-hit appellation, were 12-18 hectoliters per hectare versus a norm of around 35-42. The fruit that came in was quite healthy. Forey gave the 2012 an unprecedented five weeks on the skins, one of the longest - if not the longest - cuvaison that I personally know of. As is the custom here, the fruit was entirely destemmed. Forey added that he has started experimenting a bit with whole clusters starting in 2013. Malos were done in June. With the exception of the Bourgogne and Morey villages, none of the wines had been racked at the time of my visit in early December 2013. Forey planned to take the wines out of oak the week after this tasting. Bottling is scheduled for January and February 2014. Readers who can find Regis Forey's 2012s are in for a treat, as they are terrific, while the best wines are better than that.