2000 Volnay Les Fremiets 1er Cru

Boillot took radical steps to rescue his 2000 crop, and has made some of the strongest wines of the Cote de Beaune. First and foremost, he rejected nearly 50% of the grapes at the harvest: after the strict triage, he produced barely 20 to 22 hectoliters per hectare, or a total of 72 barrels of wine, compared to 135 in 1999. "Since I'm going to leave my wines on their lees without the protection of sulfites, the quality of the matiere primaire is critical," he told me. "The wine is made the day it goes into tank. Why would you include grapes that you wouldn't want to eat?" Boillot then carried out a two-week cold soak at 8oC, using carbonic gas to protect the must. Almost miraculously, the extended cold macerations have not standardized the aromas of the young 2000s, although a few wines are quite oaky. Boillot 1999s are splendid. He notes that this is a particularly strong vintage for Volnay, as a bit of hail at the end of May was the equivalent of "a little claircissage " bringing smaller grapes, lower yields and great ripeness. (Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, D.C.)