2002 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru

Mugnier harvested late in 2003, beginning on September 1."In the last week of August, the sugars didn't go up and the acids didn't go down," he explained."But the skins got riper and the taste of the grapes changed.I was more anxious about the quality of the tannins than about low acids or high sugars." Mugnier carried out his normal macerations (about 18 days).He did a bit less pigeage than normal, but admitted that he wishes he had done as much as usual."The more experience I have, the less winemaking I do; I don't see the need to adapt to the grapes.It's better simply to use one technique and let the terroir and even the vintage speak."Incidentally, Mugnier resisted the advice of two enologists and did not acidify his 2003s.The wines had been racked a week prior to my visit, and a couple of them were difficult to assess.According to Mugnier, the wines gained shape and definition but at least temporarily lost some of their freshness with the racking.He describes the 2003s as "not a typical style of Burgundy.The wines are richer, sweeter and heavier in their youth.Time will bring more complexity and more finesse."Yields here averaged a mere 21 hectoliters per hectare in 2003; Mugnier was one of several growers who reported crop losses due to caterpillars eating the buds just as they began to swell.

Mugnier began picking his 2002 crop on September 23, at what he described as much higher sugar levels than the previous year. He carried out a particularly severe green harvest in 2002, yet he still produced 37 to 40 hectoliters per hectare-quite moderate by overall Burgundy standards but higher than the average here.Mugnier told me that the 2002s began with a high percentage of malic acidity, and finished with higher pHs than the 2001s after their secondary fermentations. The 2002s lost a lot of color and flesh during the malos, and they've been recovering slowly since then,' he told me, adding that the vintage has just the right amount of acidity; high-quality, round tannins; and very good depth. Two thousand two is the closest to an ideal vintage in recent years in terms of typicity and the amount of pleasure it will bring to tasters,'he summarized. The wines will be nice to drink early and great to drink when they're old.They have all the best qualities of the 2000s and 2001s, plus an extra element of depth.'(A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., Lake Success, NY; and Esquin Imports, San Francisco, CA)