1998 Nuits Saint-Georges Rue de Chaux

Christophe Drag carried out what he described as a vendange rose in mid-August to eliminate less-ripe grapes (i.e., those that had not yet completed the transition from green to black); green harvesting in July was impossible because the workers were on vacation then, he explained. Still, yields were full, except where the domain oldest vines held production to more moderate levels. Drag was one of several winemakers who told me that their 2000 crop of wines appeared to be more concentrated than their '99s. Incidentally, the Chauvenet domain purchased a temperature-controlled cuve in time for the 2000 harvest, and thus was able to do a longer pre-fermentation cold soak than in '99.