2000 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru

People who love Burgundy will enjoy the 2001s," said Mugnier. They have more vibrancy and depth than the 2000s. Burgundy loses energy and focus when the climate is too hot, and 2001 was certainly a moderate year." Mugnier noted that he doesn't look for heat and drought in August, preferring slow, steady ripening instead. And he likes cool weather toward the end of the harvest, as he had in 2001. Not surprisingly, he is not a leaf-puller, as he is concerned that that would result in too much sun on the grapes. Wines made from fruit like this may be more dark and impressive and powerful but they lose their finesse and delicacy and become harder to drink." Mugnier actually had a crop level 10% lower in 2001 than in the previous year. But he noted that it's a constant challenge to control yields, "now that our soils and our vines are healthier, and the climate seems to be warmer." The 2000s have turned out well, although Mugnier notes that they are developing relatively quickly. They lack an interior dimension and are unlikely to get too much more interesting over time," he said. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., Lake Success, NY; and Esquin Imports, San Francisco, CA)

Mugnier compares 2000 in style to 1997, the vintage that brought the highest sugars to date for this estate. But he believes that 2000 is less tannic. "In 2000 there was no rot, there was good ripeness of the skins, and we had a half-degree more sugar than in 1999," he told me. Some of the 2000s were lightly acidified, but Mugnier generally avoids adding acid. "I always have the laboratory tests done but I usually don't use the results," said Mugnier. "I don't care about pH: 1997 had a very high pH but I didn't acidify. I have no problem with the longevity of my wines. I've been making wines for 17 years and no wine is going downhill yet." The 2000s had been racked and sulfured two weeks prior to my visit and thus may possess more sweetness and flesh than they showed in mid-November. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., Lake Success, NY; and Esquin Imports, San Francisco, CA)