2013 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

Winemaker Nadine Gublin noted that the combination of superior acidity and a lot of tannins gives the 2013s an impression of strong extract. But the village of Volnay was hit harder by hail than in 2014, and the result was often incomplete ripeness; the estate's vines in Beaune Champs-Pimont and Pommard were also severely struck. But elsewhere, Gublin went on, "the Pinot was clean in 2013 and we could pick late and benefit from long hang time--up to 106 or 108 days--but that was not the case with Chardonnay owing to rot. Still, élevage was critical to refine the tannins in 2013," she noted.

"The 2013 reds have energy and grip, with melted tannins for a cold year," said winemaker Nadine Gublin. This estate started harvesting its chardonnay on October 2, as the grapes "were turning quickly," and then began on the pinot on October 7. "The pinot had very little rot but we eliminated some dried grapes from Beaune and Volnay on our vibrating table," said Gublin, who destemmed all of the fruit in 2013. The malolactic fermentations were very late, ending between July and September (the Echézeaux was still finishing its malo in November!), and, except for the Beaune Clos de la Feguine, the wines were still in barrels on their lees at the time of my visit. Gublin chaptalized the 2013s between 0.5% and 1% but insisted that none of the wines would go into bottle with as much as 13% alcohol. She compared the 2013s to the 1993s "but with more phenolic maturity." The pHs in 2013 are slightly lower than those in 2012.