2003 Vougeot Les Petits Vougeot 1er Cru

I tasted this year with the young Vincent Munier, who now vinifies with Alain Hudelot following the departure of cellarmaster Pierre Nawrocki last fall. Munier described 2004 as fruity, typical and round, if not especially strong in extract, and best suited for medium-term drinking. Interestingly, he compared the young 2004s to the '97s for their likely early appeal. The wines were racked before the summer of 2005 but had not yet been assembled when I stopped by in November. (Atherton Wine Imports, Atherton, CA; Scott Levy Selections, Atlanta, GA; Bayfield Importing, Manhasset, NY)

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)