2000 Le Montrachet

Guy Amiot describes his young 2001s as more expressive, more immediately pleasing, than his 2000s, which he says are more classic white Burgundies in need of bottle aging. The 2000s are rich, balanced, more robust wines," he added. Amiot son Thierry, in charge of the vinification since the 2000 harvest, has instituted a longer elevage As a result, the 2001s were only partly through their malolactic fermentations at the end of May in the Amiots' cool cave and there were no plans to rack the wines until August or September. At the time of my visit, the Amiots were still stirring the lees. The 2000s, incidentally, were bottled last November and December, the first time the wines had been bottled that late. Son Thierry has also begun to do a stricter de-budding to bring down crop yields. (Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA; also Domaines et Saveurs/Jeanne-Marie de Champs; importers include Boston Wine Company, Boston, MA; the Country Vintner, Oilville, VA; and Margaux Imports, Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

Guy Amiot told me he made slightly more concentrated white wines in 2000 than in '99. The wines have more tartaric and less malic acidity than the 2000s, he added, and thus a more stable structure. No chaptalization was needed for the 2000 crus, and the wines finished with lower levels of residual sugar than the '99s (typically between 0.8 and 1.2 grams per liter). But their dryness, says Amiot, is more than supported by the gras of the year. In 2000, the yields in the estate old vines were reasonable (Amiot did not need the P.L.C.), but his younger vines produced considerably more. The old vines, Amiot went on, also gave better acidity and thus more structure in 2000, as well as in 1999.