2002 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

"Two thousand three is a unique vintage," says the always tactful Christophe Roumier."My main concern is how the wines will age.If this is a ready-to-drink vintage in the style of California, then we will have some disappointed customers.But it's also possible that the wines will age like the 1990s or even the 1959s, a low-acid group of wines."On the plus side, Roumier noted that the 2003s have a tendency toward reduction, rather than oxidation, and he predicted that they might well "compact" after the bottling, which he planned to do at the normal time.Roumier harvested beginning on August 28.He told me that some rain between August 18 and 20 helped the canopy and resulted in riper fruit and, more important, riper tannins."The skins were not ripe on August 15 even if the sugars were there," he explained. Roumier acidified all but his Bourgogne prior to fermentation.At the time of my visit, he was still wondering if he should have added a bit more acidity. The overall estate production ranged between 16 and 23 hectoliters per hectare in 2003.Roumier noted that he had less incidence of sunburn in 2003 than in 1998.