2003 Richebourg Grand Cru

Less than two months after my visit to this estate in November, cellarmaster Pierre Nawrocki left to work in the cellar and vineyards for Frederic and Andre Esmonin.Nawrocki, who had a hand in several excellent vintages at Hudelot-Noellat, had helped take this domain to a new level of consistency and will be difficult to replace.Alain Hudelot, who owns ten hectares of vines in a swanky range of appellations, had racked his 2003s just before the 2004 harvest.He told me the wines were not acidified, and that the cuvaisons were a bit shorter than usual.Hudelot, by the way, is adamant that it's not necessary to have a triage table in the winery.He prefers to spray against botrytis to ensure healthy grape skins. (Atherton Wine Imports, Atherton, CA; Scott Levy Selections, Atlanta, GA; Bayfield Importing, Manhasset, NY)