2003 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru

Baby Grivot did not join us for the tasting this year. After the newborn attended his first tasting with yours truly 12 months ago, Mummy Grivot (Mathilde) told me how he is already walking about and causing trouble, as inquisitive tots are wont to do. Grandad Grivot (Etienne) was on an epicurean tour of Spain, hopefully avoiding the fatal storms sweeping across the country—difficult to imagine with the cloudless sky outside.

“After a succession of small vintages, we had to adapt to a larger crop,” Mathilde explains. “We did a green harvest in August. Two weeks after, I saw that bunches were getting bigger and bigger. I did not want more juice—I needed more concentration. Nature was too generous. The vines were compensating. So, we stopped the green harvest and decided to wait for maturity and eliminate excess fruit on the sorting line. Normally, it is better to do a green harvest, but when we saw the reaction of the vines, especially with higher yielding clones like SO4, we realized it would be a mistake. It was complicated for the sorters as they have been with us for a long time, so they had to get used to a different instruction to say, in 2021, in terms of what to sort out.”

“We started on September 12 in Les Beaux Monts and Les Boudots. At the end of the day, I checked the yields of the two cuvées, and I was worried about what subsequent cuvées would yield. We eliminated about 12% on the sorting line, and one vineyard we eliminated 21% (Nuits Saint-Georges Les Charmois). We look for complexity and finesse. So, in 2023, yields are 5% less than the legal maximum, without any saignée, as we had the right proportion of skin to juice in the tank. Everything is destemmed as usual, with 30% new oak across the range.”

Overall, I find Grivot’s 2023s even better than their 2022s, with maybe more consistency, save for a couple of cuvées that were unable to disguise some overripeness. Having tasted here for many years, I can’t remember a vintage with such livewire Pinoté, transparency and tension, clearly less concentrated than the 2022s but imbued with more finesse. The Richebourg was obdurate and closed, whereas the previous day, Mathilde told me it had been open and lively. “It knew that a journalist would be coming,” she says.

In the year 2060, I’d like to think that someone will ask the proprietor of Domaine Grivot if they remember their first tasting, and they will answer that they don’t because they were one month old, but according to his mother Mathilde Grivot, wine critic Neal Martin was there. That person will then reply: “Who?” But yes, Etienne Grivot was joined by his daughter, Mathilde, who took over the running of the estate with her brother as the baby snoozed away, my tasting interrupted by the occasional gurgle of burp. It meant that Etienne Grivot had to run around the cellar pouring their 2022s.

“We decided to wait until September 6 to pick,” he tells me, about a week later than many of his peers - unsurprising to those who know Grivot’s approach. “The mistake was to pursue higher volumes to make up for previous small vintages. Some winemakers decided to pick everything. It was important to do a small green harvest two or three weeks before that harvest. Some producers picked from August 25, and I don’t really understand this, even if each vineyard is different. But we are happy with the growing season as more wine is on the market. I don’t think it’s a great vintage with great aging potential, the wines will be easy to drink for 15 to 20 years, with nice harmony and suave tannins. There will be 25% to 30% new oak in most of the blends, barrels from four cooperages. My favorite is Chassin. We rack them into tank just before Christmas, and it is easier to stop and start according to the lunar cycle without recourse to filtration. We will bottle according to the moon starting at the end of February and then end of March/beginning of April.”

It was interesting how Etienne Grivot was less enthused by the 2022s than other winemakers. I may be more positive. Certainly, he cannot understand growers who have already bottled their 2022s and feels that they are throwing away potentially great wines. He is adamant that they need that second winter of élevage. Of course, winemakers’ hands are occasionally forced because of the lack of space in the wineries and the need to free up empty barrels for the next intake. I tasted the wines from second-fill barrels, so I had to conjecture the inclusion of new oak in blends. In keeping with Grivot’s style, these are more fruit-forward and richer wines, which is no surprise given the later picking. I have a lingering doubt about the Nuits Saint-Georges Aux Boudots, which includes the first picking from newly-planted vines, a nagging greenness jutting out at the end. I much preferred the Les Roncières. The cluster of wines from around Vosne is exemplary, particularly in Aux Brûlées and Les Beaux Monts, which showed more breeding than the Les Suchots or Aux Reignots.

Mathilde Grivot beckons me to taste in their barrel cellar when I arrive at the winery in Vosne-Romanée, where they have set up a table and chair. It’s like old times before they built that comfy, warm new tasting room on the top floor. “At the end of March, it was maybe too warm, and all our old vines on the mid-slope started the growing cycle very quickly,” she tells me. “The frost was terrible as it devastated the old vines; for example, our Richebourg was reduced from five to two barrels. On average, it was 50% less volume than usual. For the second time since 2003, there is no Vosne-Romanée Reignots. We just had 40kg! We worked hard in the vineyard as it was very humid – rain every three or four days.” Joined by her father Étienne, “demoted” to fetching the samples from barrel, he explains: “We sprayed the vineyard just six times after a waning moon – intuition in our job is very important, adapting what we do in the context of what we sense.”

“It is the first difficult vintage for me like this,” continues Mathilde Grivot. “We started the picking on 23 September and harvested over five and half days, around half the usual time. It was important to do nothing as we had low quantities in the tank, which encourages you to do too much. But we were happy with the maturity of the grapes, and it was important not to extract any green sensations, so we did less pigeage, two or three maximum observing the colour, texture and aromas from the cap. All the cuvées are 100% de-stemmed and matured in 30% new oak. We won’t change our modus operandi and find the vintage is becoming more serious and dense, so we will rack just before Christmas, and the wines will stay two or three months in a tank before bottling.”

“For me, it was a normal vintage,” Etienne Grivot opines in a sanguine fashion. “In the past, we made good wines in difficult years. Forecasters are often wrong because they are too scientific, whereas we look at the sky, air humidity, and so on. I think it was important to harvest ripe and not to interfere during the vinification. I think many people like to go back to this kind of vintage. It is in the family of 2014 or 2017, and more and more like 2010 or 2012.”

I have been tasting at this address for around two decades now. As I have come to expect, this is a seriously impressive set of wines even without the context of a challenging season. However, they are not faultless, as in two or three cuvées such as the Chambolle-Musigny Combe d’Orveau. Elsewhere, these are vivacious wines that disguise the traumas of the growing season, particularly strong within their Premier Crus and not forgetting Grivot’s very capable Gamay.

“It is an amazing vintage,” Mathilde Grivot told me in their first-floor tasting room above the winery (alas, the view over the vines was shrouded in the first autumn fog). She has now really taken over the running of this domaine from her father Etienne, who was present, though he let his daughter do most of the talking. “I remember in 2019 my father told us that he had never seen that kind of vintage, but during the harvest of 2020, the balance was even better. There was not too much water during summer but we did not suffer stress. All the wines are between 13.0° and 13.8° with a pH of 3.45, so that acidity is close to the best vintages. We started the harvest on September 3 as the vineyard allowed us to wait without producing excessive alcohol. We don’t have to cool down the fermentation temperature so much these days, and we had around three days’ longer alcoholic fermentation.” Etienne Grivot opined: “The vintage has great freshness and mineralité, and each terroir is expressed. For the Nuits Saint-Georges Les Pruliers, we tasted the berries in the vineyard, but it was not ready. We had rain in Nuits Saint-Georges and the alcohol increased 1.5° more in two or three days, so the Les Pruliers ended up with 14.8°. Everything is de-stemmed as usual. The color was very easy to extract, so before starting the pigeage, we examined the cap. I have never seen three vintages like 2018, 2019 and 2020 in terms of balance and acidity. We have 40% less production than usual (50% less in 2021) but the figure depends on each cuvée. They will be racked before Christmas and probably bottled in March and April according to the moon and barometric pressure. We still use natural corks from Trescases that are individually checked and have greater density, which is important as we now work in a more reductive way.” I loved these wines. Picked later than others, which is not uncommon chez Grivot, they are imbued with a slight decadence, and endowed with intense fruit aromatics and flavors. Yet there is countervailing poise and tension. Only the aforementioned Les Pruliers indicated some over-maturity, while others seemed perfectly judged. “I compare 2019 with 2015,” Etienne Grivot summed up. “I think that 2020 is like a straight line, but there is movement and eventually it will become more horizontal.”

One of the most arresting sights during my time in Burgundy was in Vosne-Romanée. Setting off for a Saturday job around the vineyards, I spotted Etienne Grivot with his family, holding on to a bicycle that looks as if it costs more than my car, dressed head to toe in cycling gear. He was about to take his new toy for a spin and invited me to have a go. I stuck to my jogging routine and told him that I would see him in a couple of days for our scheduled visit. Good to know that in lockdown year, winemakers are keeping themselves trim. In recent years Grivot’s daughter, Mathilde, has taken an increasingly prominent role in the running of the domaine as her father swaps pruning shears for cycling gloves. Mine was actually the first tasting at Grivot since lockdown and it was the first time that either had tasted through their 2019s since malo. But first we began by discussing the growing season.

“The winter was quite warm with good water reserves in the soil,” Mathilde Grivot explained. “The end of winter was sunny and warm and that caused early bud break. The 2019 was an early vintage - 10 days earlier than normal. April was stressful due to cold temperatures on 5 and 14 April and also 7 May. On 14 April it was -3.4° in Combe d’Orveau. The soils were very dry and vegetation was small, so these cold snaps clearly slowed down the [growth] cycle so that by the beginning of May it was the latest ever. May to mid-June was cool with rain when we needed it, then we saw full flowering on 14 June. At the end of the month the weather changed and there were hot temperatures and dryness. We had some rain at the end of July and then August was cooler with some rain in the middle of the month - at the perfect time. At véraison there were significant differences in yields so come September, we decided to wait for the perfect skin maturity and started the harvest on 18 September. The yields ended being about one-third less than normal. The maximum we have ever produced is 315 barrels of Pinot Noir and in 2019 we got 197 barrels.” Etienne Grivot explained. “But I’ve never observed such perfect maturity with such perfect acidity. We did between three and five pigeages. Alcoholic degrees are around 13.0°, between 12.8° to 13.8°, natural acids very stable with many cuvées between 3.45 and 3.52pH. We work more and more with full berries due to our very effective Pellenc de-stemmer.” Mathilde Grivot continued: “I think the wines will be accessible with a great capacity to age. We use less and less new barrels but more in Bourgogne and Village Crus, so now it is around one-third across the range [my samples respected this proportion.] We will bottle the wines next March - 15 months in barrel then racked into tank before Christmas to enhance integration. There is no fining and only a very light filtration if we think the wine needs it.” I asked Etienne Grivot his views on recent vintages and he opined: “The 2018 vintage is more classic whereas 2019 is easier to understand. Maybe in 15 years it will be the famous vintage for connoisseurs. For sure, I have never obtained this kind of balance.”

Domaine Grivot has been on a roll in recent vintages and the 2019 continues their scintillating run of form that has seen them become one of the most coveted producers in the most coveted appellation. Stylistically, Grivot hits that sweet spot between quite fruit-driven, structured and dense expressions of Pinot Noir, but always imbued with precision and translating their respective terroirs. In 2019, amongst the enviable range of Vosne Premier Crus, the two that stood out was a sophisticated Les Beau Monts and a voluptuous Les Suchots, both of which I preferred to the Aux Brûlées. Don’t ignore the Vosne-Romanée Les Rouges either. Grivot has always been strong in Nuits Saint-Georges and their Les Pruliers would give Chevillon’s a run for its money. The 2019 Richebourg is a candidate for one of the most profound contributions to the vintage, a startling wine that may become a future legend, but in terms of value, their 100% Gamay Côteaux Bourguignon is absolutely delicious and no doubt, “a bit cheaper”.

It was a bloody assault course attempting to enter Grivot this year. Roadworks meant that I had to hop, skip and jump between diggers and trenches for Vosne’s new water pipeline. Fortunately, the wines were worth endangering my life. “In 2018 it was difficult to find the picking date after a very dry summer with hot temperatures," Mathilde Grivot told me inside possibly the finest tasting room in the Côte d’Or (warm, big table, wifi, panorama across the Vosne rooftops). "The sugar was very good and the acidity started to fall. When we tried the berries we felt a green sensation, the skins were not ready. Normally at Grivot we build the wine around the acidity, but this year it is around the maturity of the tannins. We had 20mm of rain five days before we started picking on 11 September, after which unusually, the temperature did not go down. My father continued tasting the berries in the vineyard and in the end we picked all the older vines in vineyards like Echézeaux and Richebourg first and the village crus later since they are planted on deeper soils. We needed eight days to complete the harvest. All the wines are between 13% and 14% alcohol, the highest in Nuits Saint-Georges Les Pruliers. We were happy to find a concentration of acid so that the pH is around 3.5 and total acidity 3.1 and 3.3gm/L. That is good for this kind of vintage. Everything was de-stemmed as usual. The grapes were very warm so we did a cold pre-fermentation for six days and then after, the vinification was normal, no problem fermenting the sugar and the malolactic started for the Bourgogne and the Village Crus in February. The Premier and Grand Crus are in colder cellars so their malos finished from March until the beginning of June. We have good complexity, freshness and elegance and the tannins are very smooth." At this point her father, Etienne Grivot joined us and offered his own thoughts. "“The challenge was to have the balance," he said. "In 2018 we were able to alter the texture of tannins by waiting for four or five days after the rain on 6 September. We also went through the vineyard to eradicate excess green or pink grapes that would not mature. What I like is that in this vintage you can still see the terroir of each vineyard."

Alongside Louis-Michel Liger-Belair’s vertiginous ascent, Grivot has been the success story in Vosne-Romanée over the last decade. In the past, it has not been easy for Etienne Grivot, criticized for using the consultant Guy Accad in the late 1980s and early 90s, and producing wines from propitious terroirs that never quite reached the heights of his peers. As a consequence, market prices were low. I regularly bought Grivot’s wines simply because they were affordable. Things have changed. Grivot is held in higher esteem, and rightly so, thanks to a plethora of stunning wines amongst the very best within the appellation. Time and again, Grivot has triumphed in blind tastings. They have invested in both their vineyard and their winery. I wish all domaines’ tasting rooms were as comfortable as Grivot’s, blessed with a splendid view across the rooftops and towards Romanée-Saint-Vivant. Another important factor has been the seamless transition from Etienne and his wife Marielle, sister of the late Patrick Bize, to his talented daughter Mathilde and son Hubert. One can sense Etienne relaxing his shoulders, putting all confidence in the next generation who will take this 15-hectare domaine forward.

One debut that caught my eye is Grivot’s Côteaux Bourguignon. “That comes from a parcel planted in 1947 by my grandfather,” Etienne told me. “My mother told me never to uproot that 1.5-hectare parcel because her father said that it was where their family’s money used to come from. I would bring bottles to university during my studies in the 1970s. All the students thought it was a Musigny or a Chambertin.” This is a seriously fine addition to Grivot’s portfolio and though the palate gives away the grape variety, I would be damned if I could distinguish it from a Pinot Noir, just like those students Etienne duped many years ago.

“At the end of April, we didn’t have frost, just a little for the Bourgogne Rouge,” Mathilde explained as I took a short break during the tasting. “The vegetative cycle was early, one of the three earliest on record at the domaine, and it seemed we might pick in late August. But the dry summer retarded the cycle a little. We didn’t start the harvest until September 12 because we found some greenness in the skins and it seemed better to wait. The vineyard was in perfect condition with long days and lots of light. The potential alcohol was between 12.5° and 13.5°. Together with my brother, I began working with my father in 2010, and we found 2017 the easiest to harvest so far, plus it is the first time we saw all the tanks with a normal quantity. The 2017 vintage is 100% de-stemmed but we have a technique to retain the full berries. We take out the stem but retain enough juice to pump over and aerate the must. At the end of the alcoholic fermentation we started to crush and do more pigeage and we find there is a kind of alcoholic fermentation inside the berries that gives the sensation of whole bunches.” Etienne added, “We have discovered the verticality of the vintage during the barrel ageing. We had enough space not to rack the wines to make way for the 2018 and we feel that they needed more oxygen. We have not racked yet but we will do that before Christmas and bottle next February.”

The 2017s reaffirm Grivot as one of the leading domaines in the appellation where nearly everything from the Richebourg down to the Côteaux Bourguignon has quality stamped all over it. Though synonymous with Vosne-Romanée, there are almost as many cuvées in neighboring Nuits Saint-Georges, where both Aux Boudots and Les Pruliers shine. In Vosne-Romanée itself you will find the finest Aux Reignots in this vintage and a beautiful Aux Brûlées, closely followed by a sensual Les Suchots. An outside bet? Check out the Vosne-Romanée Les Rouges, one of the lesser-known cuvées and one of the best I have tasted. As usual, there is a sense of luxuriousness throughout these wines, pure, mainly red fruit and a surfeit of freshness and poise towards the finish. They achieve that liminal point between extravagance and tension that ensures these wines remain coveted by the cognoscenti.

Tasting with Etienne Grivot is always fascinating and educational, as this talented veteran winemaker is as much an artist as a scientist. “Every vintage is a new experiment,” he told me in November, as we talked about extraction and the use of punchdowns. Grivot did only one to three pigeages for each of his 2016 cuvées but reminded me that prior to 2010 he did not do punchdowns at all. He added that he has historically been more interventionist in controlling the temperature of his fermentations but that nowadays he’s a bit more liberal, even allowing the temperature to reach 34 or 35 degrees C. for a few hours.

The estate lost about one-third of its total production in 2016, but more like 40% to 60% in vineyards such as Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Charmois, Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots and Echézeaux. The flowering was very spread out, with 15% of it taking place very early but most of the rest three weeks later. “The game at harvest time was to find the judicious compromise, to get ripeness without surmaturité,” he explained. Prior to the malolactic fermentations, most of which finished during Grivot’s summer vacation, the ‘16s were dominated by cherry pit, graphite and minerals. “But as the wines began with a lot of malic acidity, they changed dramatically. Now, the ‘16s are like a compromise between the glamorous 2013s and the minerally ‘14s. It’s not a great vintage but it’s one of our best intermediate vintages: very Pinot and very transparent to terroir, and with a lot of aging potential.”

Although Grivot destemmed all of his fruit in 2016, he’s now using more and more uncrushed berries, as he "likes the advantages of vendange entier without the “inconvenience of vinifying with whole clusters. The stems bring water and potassium,” he explained. “The pHs go up and because the yeasts work more quickly the malolactic fermentations tend to start sooner. And the additional water would cost us at least half a degree in alcohol.” Grivot works with four coopers and different forests so as to avoid a specific oak signature for any of his wines.

The young 2016s, which I tasted in November, about a month before they were due to be racked into tanks and assembled for bottling next March, showed superbly. But Grivot still rates 2015 as the greatest vintage he has ever made, and the potentially longest-lived along with his 2009s. “The wines have perfect harmony, perfect acidity; everything is there,” he told me. “The top wines with good corks and a cold cellar are going to last for a very long time.” He hopes the ‘15s will remain open and approachable even in their youth, but admitted to the possibility that the wines will close up like the 2012s have. “Two thousand fifteen is more solaire while 2012 is more lunaire. The ‘15s have sweeter tannins so they may not shut down like the 2012s, which were flamboyant during their first year in bottle." Incidentally, Grivot’s wines are routinely bottled with very low levels of volatile acidity: typically between 0.3 and 0.42 ppm but more like 0.28 to 0.38 for the 2015s. “That’s why our wines start without a nose,” he said. “There are two types of aromas: the first is the early ephemeral aromas of volatile acidity, the blah-blah-blah[by which I assume he meant often described by early tasters but ultimately of limited importance], while the second is real and stable.”

Tasting with Etienne Grivot is always fascinating and educational, as this talented veteran winemaker is as much an artist as a scientist. “Every vintage is a new experiment,” he told me in November, as we talked about extraction and the use of punchdowns. Grivot did only one to three pigeages for each of his 2016 cuvées but reminded me that prior to 2010 he did not do punchdowns at all. He added that he has historically been more interventionist in controlling the temperature of his fermentations but that nowadays he’s a bit more liberal, even allowing the temperature to reach 34 or 35 degrees C. for a few hours.

The estate lost about one-third of its total production in 2016, but more like 40% to 60% in vineyards such as Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Charmois, Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots and Echézeaux. The flowering was very spread out, with 15% of it taking place very early but most of the rest three weeks later. “The game at harvest time was to find the judicious compromise, to get ripeness without surmaturité,” he explained. Prior to the malolactic fermentations, most of which finished during Grivot’s summer vacation, the ‘16s were dominated by cherry pit, graphite and minerals. “But as the wines began with a lot of malic acidity, they changed dramatically. Now, the ‘16s are like a compromise between the glamorous 2013s and the minerally ‘14s. It’s not a great vintage but it’s one of our best intermediate vintages: very Pinot and very transparent to terroir, and with a lot of aging potential.”

Although Grivot destemmed all of his fruit in 2016, he’s now using more and more uncrushed berries, as he "likes the advantages of vendange entier without the “inconvenience of vinifying with whole clusters. The stems bring water and potassium,” he explained. “The pHs go up and because the yeasts work more quickly the malolactic fermentations tend to start sooner. And the additional water would cost us at least half a degree in alcohol.” Grivot works with four coopers and different forests so as to avoid a specific oak signature for any of his wines.

The young 2016s, which I tasted in November, about a month before they were due to be racked into tanks and assembled for bottling next March, showed superbly. But Grivot still rates 2015 as the greatest vintage he has ever made, and the potentially longest-lived along with his 2009s. “The wines have perfect harmony, perfect acidity; everything is there,” he told me. “The top wines with good corks and a cold cellar are going to last for a very long time.” He hopes the ‘15s will remain open and approachable even in their youth, but admitted to the possibility that the wines will close up like the 2012s have. “Two thousand fifteen is more solaire while 2012 is more lunaire. The ‘15s have sweeter tannins so they may not shut down like the 2012s, which were flamboyant during their first year in bottle." Incidentally, Grivot’s wines are routinely bottled with very low levels of volatile acidity: typically between 0.3 and 0.42 ppm but more like 0.28 to 0.38 for the 2015s. “That’s why our wines start without a nose,” he said. “There are two types of aromas: the first is the early ephemeral aromas of volatile acidity, the blah-blah-blah[by which I assume he meant often described by early tasters but ultimately of limited importance], while the second is real and stable.”

“Two thousand fifteen is one of the best-balanced vintages in many years,” said Etienne Grivot in November. “The wines will be drinkable early but will have a great capacity to age. They’re very sophisticated wines: very sensual on entry, then vibrant and energetic on the end. I doubt they will ever really close down in bottle. Is 2015 classic modern or a modern classic?” he asked rhetorically, summing up.

The vegetative cycle started very early in 2015; Grivot noted that the season was “like 2011 early on, but was ultimately more like 2009.” He waited until September 10 to start harvesting and generally vinified with about 40% whole clusters, down from 70% in 2014. Most of the wines finished their malolactic fermentations very late: about one-third of them in late spring, one-third in summer and one-third during the 2016 harvest and vinification. Most of the post-malo pHs are between 3.42 and 3.47, which Grivot described as “very good for us.”

In case you had the impression that only the Côte de Beaune has suffered from severe weather events and very low crop levels in recent years, some statistics from Domaine Grivot should disabuse you of that notion. The maximum allowed yield for the estate would be 320 barrels of wine, noted Grivot. But production in the four vintages from 2010 through 2013 was in range of 150 to 170 barrels. It rose to 220 in 2014 and 240 in 2015, but declined again in 2016 (Grivot estimated 200 barrels). “Two hundred fifty barrels would be a nice quantity,” said Grivot, already thinking about 2017. Incidentally, the estate will soon be replanting 50% of its Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Boudots after using cereal grains for two years “to clean the soil.”

“The 2014s have had great drinkability from the start,” said Jean Grivot in November. He compared them to the 2011s for their “great charm” but noted that 2014 is a better version of this style. He went on: “The 2014s don’t have the same dimension as the 2015s but today they seem very good. The ‘15s are more lyrical, voluptuous, sophisticated, while the ‘14s have freshness, precision and wisdom.” Interestingly, the pHs are higher in the ‘14s than in the ‘15s (an average of 3.52 vs. 3.42, respectively). Grivot described the later vintage as “opulent, but with the acidity of great Chardonnay.” Grivot bottled his 2014s in February and at the end of March.

“The 2014s have had great drinkability from the start,” said Jean Grivot in November He compared them to the 2011s for their “great charm” but noted that 2014 is a better version of this style He went on: “The 2014s don’t have the same dimension as the 2015s but today they seem very good The ‘15s are more lyrical, voluptuous, sophisticated, while the ‘14s have freshness, precision and wisdom” Interestingly, the pHs are higher in the ‘14s than in the ‘15s (an average of 352 vs 342, respectively) Grivot described the later vintage as “opulent, but with the acidity of great Chardonnay” Grivot bottled his 2014s in February and at the end of March

Etienne Grivot did not start harvesting in 2014 until September 18, as he wanted to wait for full phenolic maturity. He eliminated the grapes affected by acid rot about ten days before the harvest and then tossed out another 8% of his fruit on the sorting table. Potential alcohol levels ranged from 12. 2% to 12. 5% and Grivot chaptalized between 0. 4% and 0. 7%, depending on the cuvée. He “vinified inert” with carbonic gas to prevent volatile acidity. Since 2008, Grivot has carried out his fermentations with a significant percentage of uncrushed berries and he began using a new destemmer in 2014 that allows him to keep even more of the berries intact; in fact, now he needs to carry out one or two additional punchdowns (two to five in total for each cuvée) to get the level of extraction he seeks.

Grivot described 2014 as a “sophisticated, elegant, charming year but with aging potential too. ” He believes that the wines will have more energy than the 2013s. “The 2014s show graphite and iodine minerality,” he added, “and they’re going to take on a lot more flesh in next couple of years. ”

Grivot gave me some statistics that illustrate how production has fallen in Burgundy in recent years, even on the Côte de Nuits, which has for the most part avoided the damaging hailstorms that have ravaged large swaths of the Côte de Beaune. “A good crop for us in Pinot Noir is 250 to 270 barrels,” he told me. Between 2010 and 2013 we made 150 to 190 each year, and even in 2014 we have only 220. ”

"Judicious vegetility" gives salinity and a green element without bitterness," noted Etienne Grivot, who a year ago had compared 2013 to 1978, which also featured a late harvest and relatively few seed in the grapes. He maintained that his 2013s would take on much more flesh with time in the glass or open bottle. But it was already clear in November that his best 2013s boast a captivating combination of silky texture and inner-mouth tension.

Etienne Grivot, whose daughter Mathilde will eventually take over responsibility for vinifying the family's wines, described the vegetative cycle in 2013 as "abominable, beginning with a cold, humid spring for the third straight year." He carried out a number of vineyard treatments against oidium and mildew, and the weather finally improved from mid-July through mid-August, with good luminosity and drying winds bringing healthier grapes. He began harvesting on October 5 with what he described as surprising skin maturity. Interestingly, Grivot compared 2013 to 1978: "both years featured late harvests and relatively few seeds in the grapes. The seeds were ripe at low alcohol levels and both years yielded generous fruit and great acidity." Grivot noted that he did a bit more pigeage in 2013 than previously because he now begins with a higher percentage of uncrushed berries. But he only started punching down the cap after several days because he does not want to rush the fermentations. He summarized: "2013 is not a great year because the wines are not sophisticated enough, but they're adorable, balanced and marvelously articulated. " The malolactic fermentations finished here before the summer but the wines were still on their lees, unracked. Grivot prepared representative, degassed samples prior to our tasting.

Since the outset, Etienne Grivot has viewed 2012 as a great vintage for aging. "The wines are perfectly harmonious and show a rare expressiveness. Two thousand twelve is close to my ideal vintage, like 2002." These brilliant wines from a tiny crop should be very long-lived.

"Two thousand twelve was a completely crazy year," said Etienne Grivot. "And very different. The weather finally started to get better in mid-July, and then the north wind after mid-August allowed the grapes to reach perfect maturity. We started harvesting on September 20, and it was one of the most beautiful years I have ever vinified. The wines are splendidly pure, and the dense fruit character is carried by phenomenal precision and energy. As in 2010, 2011 and 2013, it was impossible to make great wines from yields over 30 hectoliters per hectare." (Grivot's yields in 2012 were in the 18 to 25 range.) As Grivot's cellars warmed up slowly in spring, the malos were very long and the wines were sulfited for the first time since the vinification about ten days before my visit; he planned to rack them in December. "Today we see the iodine, the graphite, the saline character, the thrust," he noted. "One can only imagine the fruit yet to come." The wines will be bottled with alcohol between 12.5% and 13.2%, following about one degree of chaptalization. As high as my scores were for the 2012s, I couldn't help feeling that most of the wines were still slightly affected by the recent sulfuring.

Etienne and Marielle Grivot are now ably assisted by their daughter, Mathilde Grivot, who seems to have inherited all of her parents' passion. Marielle Grivot divides her time between Grivot and her own family's estate, Simon Bize, as part of a transition that was already under way before the tragic passing of here brother, Patrick Bize, a few months ago. An avid equestrian, Mathilde Grivot appears to have fully recovered from a scary fall last year, which is great to see. The 2012s saw 5 days of pre-fermentation cold soak followed by about 12 days on the skins. Time in barrel is expected to be 13-14 months, followed by 1.5 months in steel. The malos were quite late and finished only during the 2013 harvest. For that reason a handful of these wines, (the Chaumes and Reignots in particular) were reduced and in need of racking, something that is not unusual with Burgundies that are handled minimally. Where applicable, I have indicated wines that were reduced. Bottling is scheduled for February 2014. As is the case throughout the region, production is down sharply across the range. At -50% of typical production, the Combe d'Orveau is the most dramatically affected cuvée in the cellar.

The 2011 growing season got off to a very early start, as it did throughout the region. Fruit was brought in beginning on August 31, the earliest harvest ever at Grivot. Marielle Grivot is quick to put things into perspective. In 2003, the number of days from flowering to harvest was just 78, while in 2011 it was 100-104, which is to say right on the money in terms of what are considered normal parameters. The fruit was 100% destemmed, typical for the house, and the wines were lightly chaptalized, a choice Grivot made in order to preserve as much acidity as possible in the field. New oak ranges from 20% for the entry-level wines to 50-60% for the Grand Crus, although new oak and toast levels in general are trending down. I tasted these 2011s in two different moments. The wines scored in brackets were tasted in November 2012, prior to having been racked, while the wines with final scores were tasted from bottle in November 2013. The four bottled wines I tasted all performed inline with my barrel tastings, with the exception of the Beaux Monts, so I am providing both notes for that wine.

Etienne Grivot described the 2011 growing season as "completely crazy. The fruit began showing signs of surmaturite by August 25, and beginning on about September 5 the acid structure of the grapes deteriorated." He noted that the crop level was down about 35% from normal, whereas it was down 40% in 2010 and 45% in 2012. As has been the case with so many other growers--and even more so on the Cote de Beaune than on the Cote de Nuits--Grivot lost the equivalent of more than one full crop over the past three harvests. Grivot destems his fruit completely but does not crush it as he believes this helps the "touch" of the tannins. He also believes that vendange entier diminishes the impression of terroir. Grivot told me that he only carried out a single punchdown of the cap for each cuvee in 2011. The wines showed well in November, although most of them should gain in sweetness and flesh from a racking; I would not be at all surprised if most of these wines ultimately merited ratings at the high end of my projected ranges.

I was blown away by the wines I tasted with Etienne Grivot on what turned out to be one of the most thrilling visits of my fall trip. Readers should do whatever they can to latch onto a few bottles of these exquisite Burgundies. Grivot talked about a roller coaster vintage which was saved by 3-4 days of good weather. The estate lost fruit from 3,000 plants and yields were down 40% across the board because of the poor weather during the flowering. The most dramatic proof of the loss in production was seeing some of rooms in the cellar with far fewer barrels than is the norm. The domaine's 2009s are equally exciting. I will have notes on those wines in my April article.

Etienne Grivot made 86,000 bottles of wine in 2009 but just 45,000 in 2010, due to the combined effects of the December '09 frost and the difficult flowering. But quality is high. Grivot started harvesting on September 23 and eliminated between 4% and 8% of his grapes due to rot, ultimately chaptalizing his various cuvees between 0.5% and 0.9%. This is clearly the style of vintage that plays into Grivot's hands. For his part, he loves the tension and purity of the wines, and their precision of aromatics, not to mention their silky, complex tannins. I may be slightly underrating some of these extremely promising wines, as they were lightly sulfited a couple weeks before my visit and were still a bit introverted, if not reduced.

Etienne Grivot's 2009s were some of the most exciting wines I tasted on my most recent trip to Burgundy.

This is a gorgeous set of wines from Etienne and Marielle Grivot that captures the essence of several of Vosne's most illustrious vineyards. Grivot encourages slow malos and leaves the wines on the lees for approximately 15 months after the vinification. New oak ranges from 15-20% for the villages, 30-50% for the 1ers and 40-70% for the grands crus. Based on the wines I tasted 2009 looks like a much more consistent vintage than 2008 from top to bottom. The finest 2008s are also well worth considering, but there are more highs and lows, especially in the entry part of the range.

Etienne Grivot began harvesting in 2009 on September 16, noting that it would have been a mistake to pick later. "It's a very extroverted, modern vintage," he told me. "It was crucial to preserve freshness. The wines need a tension behind the velour or they can come off as too soft. The 2009s show lots of mocha," he said, "but they also have nerve. They will be popular wines but the best are serious." Grivot chaptalized several cuvees very lightly (i.e., less than half a degree) in order to prolong the fermentations. "We need more flesh to go with our fresh, minerally style," he explained. Incidentally, Grivot used a higher percentage of barrels that received a very slow toasting and were seasoned for three years, as he felt that the vintage style was already expressive enough without obvious oakiness. The malos took place late for the vintage (they are routinely tardy in this cellar), with about 60% of the barrels finishing by late July and the rest in August and September. Grivot places 2009 in the same quality league with 1999, 2002 and 2005, but notes that the 2005 vintage stands out as "the great long ager."

This is a gorgeous set of wines from Etienne and Marielle Grivot that captures the essence of several of Vosne's most illustrious vineyards. Grivot encourages slow malos and leaves the wines on the lees for approximately 15 months after the vinification. New oak ranges from 15-20% for the villages, 30-50% for the 1ers and 40-70% for the grands crus. Based on the wines I tasted 2009 looks like a much more consistent vintage than 2008 from top to bottom. The finest 2008s are also well worth considering, but there are more highs and lows, especially in the entry part of the range.

Etienne Grivot described the 2008 growing season as completely crazy. "Those who had active leaf cover on their vines could benefit from the long vegetative cycle," added Grivot, who did two passes through his vineyards but never cuts off the leaves on the north and east sides of the vines because he believes this results in a loss of finesse in the wines. Essentially, the fruit he eliminated was the 5% to 15% of the berries that flowered too late, and this fruit was very easy to sort out. There was little or no rot. Grivot compares 2008 to 1993 but believes that the new set of wines has suaver tannins and more unctuous texture. "The wines are dense but introverted and they will age well." The malos finished about three weeks prior to my visit and the wines were then sulfited; I tasted blends of each cuvee from multiple barrels. Grivot described 2007 as "very pinot, very accessible, with good terroir character. It's a vintage of charm and pleasure, a lot like 2000, and a perfect initiation to Burgundy."

Etienne Grivot described the 2008 growing season as completely crazy. "Those who had active leaf cover on their vines could benefit from the long vegetative cycle," added Grivot, who did two passes through his vineyards but never cuts off the leaves on the north and east sides of the vines because he believes this results in a loss of finesse in the wines. Essentially, the fruit he eliminated was the 5% to 15% of the berries that flowered too late, and this fruit was very easy to sort out. There was little or no rot. Grivot compares 2008 to 1993 but believes that the new set of wines has suaver tannins and more unctuous texture. "The wines are dense but introverted and they will age well." The malos finished about three weeks prior to my visit and the wines were then sulfited; I tasted blends of each cuvee from multiple barrels. Grivot described 2007 as "very pinot, very accessible, with good terroir character. It's a vintage of charm and pleasure, a lot like 2000, and a perfect initiation to Burgundy."

Etienne Grivot started harvesting on September 5, "a bit late," taking advantage of the north wind that started blowing around August 20. Potential alcohol levels ranged from 12.2% to 13.2%, he told me, and most wines received less than a half-degree of chaptalization. Most of the malos were finished by June and Grivot racked his wines in September, eliminating most of the new oak and barely de-gassing the wines. "It's a tender vintage but not fragile; the wines are likeable and seductive but also have good density," said Grivot, who may bottle them a bit earlier than usual. He compares the 2007s to the 1997s in terms of their maturity levels but says that the '07s have sounder acidity. Grivot compares his 2006s to his 2001s but believes they are larger-scaled. "And they're denser than I thought they were at the beginning." Incidentally, Grivot continues to destem all of his fruit, but is fermenting with a higher percentage of uncrushed berries.

Etienne Grivot started harvesting on September 5, "a bit late," taking advantage of the north wind that started blowing around August 20. Potential alcohol levels ranged from 12.2% to 13.2%, he told me, and most wines received less than a half-degree of chaptalization. Most of the malos were finished by June and Grivot racked his wines in September, eliminating most of the new oak and barely de-gassing the wines. "It's a tender vintage but not fragile; the wines are likeable and seductive but also have good density," said Grivot, who may bottle them a bit earlier than usual. He compares the 2007s to the 1997s in terms of their maturity levels but says that the '07s have sounder acidity. Grivot compares his 2006s to his 2001s but believes they are larger-scaled. "And they're denser than I thought they were at the beginning." Incidentally, Grivot continues to destem all of his fruit, but is fermenting with a higher percentage of uncrushed berries.

Etienne Grivot is a big fan of 2005. "Two thousand two was the first time I dared to say that a vintage was ideal, especially in its harmony and finesse," he told me, "but 2005 is a more voluptuous version of 2002, more impressive in its volume. It's the prototype of a great vin de garde in terms of its acid and tannin character." He went on to compare 2005 to 1985, which he called "another great vintage," but he pointed out that the quality of his work is much better now. "We do a green harvest to reduce yields, we have a sorting table to eliminate less-good fruit, we now use better barrels, and we don't filter." In 2005, according to Grivot, the pHs are in the low 3.3 range, and the level of volatile acidity is also unusually low, which explains why he has not sulfited the wines up to now. The objective of the elevage, he told me, has been to give the wines more charm without compromising their freshness and precision.

Etienne Grivot is a big fan of 2005. "Two thousand two was the first time I dared to say that a vintage was ideal, especially in its harmony and finesse," he told me, "but 2005 is a more voluptuous version of 2002, more impressive in its volume. It's the prototype of a great vin de garde in terms of its acid and tannin character." He went on to compare 2005 to 1985, which he called "another great vintage," but he pointed out that the quality of his work is much better now. "We do a green harvest to reduce yields, we have a sorting table to eliminate less-good fruit, we now use better barrels, and we don't filter." In 2005, according to Grivot, the pHs are in the low 3.3 range, and the level of volatile acidity is also unusually low, which explains why he has not sulfited the wines up to now. The objective of the elevage, he told me, has been to give the wines more charm without compromising their freshness and precision.

Etienne Grivot did as little extraction as possible in 2004-essentially no pumpovers at all and just one punchdown per day. "I vinified for freshness, velvety texture and charm," he said, "and for silky tannins. "Although he began with healthy grape sugars in the 12. 5% to 13. 2% range, he chaptalized all his cuvees lightly because he wanted to extend the fermentations by two or three days. Grivot describes 2004 as "a good medium-term ager, likely to be at its best between 4 and 15 years from now. "Grivot's top 2003s have turned out splendidly. They are rather gently styled wines that nonetheless show high-pitched mineral and floral tones rare for the year. "They combine the supple textures of 2000 and the spiciness of 2001," he said. Grivot was one of many winemakers who pointed out that the 2003s wines remain fresh a long time after the bottles are uncorked.

Grivot was a late picker in 2003, harvesting between September 2 and 8, and he is convinced he made the right decision."The grapes were more burned than ripe when some people started harvesting, and we needed to wait.A bit of rain on the 26th and 27th helped, the temperatures eventually went down, and we had some dew in the mornings, which really brought better maturity of the skins.Before the vines started working again after the 26th, the skins really gave a greenness, a bitterness.The vines' leaves took advantage of the rehydration."The malos here were as long as those of '02 or '99, Grivot reported.Grivot used 50% new oak for virtually all of his 2003s, or a bit more than usual.He believes that the new wood has served to reinforce the maturity of the tannins, and he was afraid of making "vulgar wines that would develop very quickly."If the wines don't get too reduced, he told me, he planned to hold off on bottling them.To this point at least, the 2003s are not at all oxidative, and their low levels of volatile acidity have enabled Grivot to go light on the sulfur additions, particularly to the Clos Vougeot and Richebourg, which were the last to finish their malos.These 2003s are among the early stars of the vintage, but then so are Grivot's 2002s.

Grivot was a late picker in 2003, harvesting between September 2 and 8, and he is convinced he made the right decision."The grapes were more burned than ripe when some people started harvesting, and we needed to wait.A bit of rain on the 26th and 27th helped, the temperatures eventually went down, and we had some dew in the mornings, which really brought better maturity of the skins.Before the vines started working again after the 26th, the skins really gave a greenness, a bitterness.The vines' leaves took advantage of the rehydration."The malos here were as long as those of '02 or '99, Grivot reported.Grivot used 50% new oak for virtually all of his 2003s, or a bit more than usual.He believes that the new wood has served to reinforce the maturity of the tannins, and he was afraid of making "vulgar wines that would develop very quickly."If the wines don't get too reduced, he told me, he planned to hold off on bottling them.To this point at least, the 2003s are not at all oxidative, and their low levels of volatile acidity have enabled Grivot to go light on the sulfur additions, particularly to the Clos Vougeot and Richebourg, which were the last to finish their malos.These 2003s are among the early stars of the vintage, but then so are Grivot's 2002s.

Etienne Grivot greeted me by announcing that 2002 was 'the greatest year I've made,' and that was before we even descended the stone steps to the cellars. The wines are dense and powerful but with great harmony,' Grivot went on. The tannins are silky and the wines have very good acidity, with pHs lower than those of 2001.It will be a great vintage for aging but the wines can also be drunk young.Still, they may be at their best between 8 and 15 years after the bottling.'Grivot generally chaptalized his 2002 just a smidgeon (the typical wine began at 12.7% and finished at 12.9% or 13%), to prolong the fermentations by two or three days. (Chateau & Estate Wines, New York NY

Etienne Grivot greeted me by announcing that 2002 was 'the greatest year I've made,' and that was before we even descended the stone steps to the cellars. The wines are dense and powerful but with great harmony,' Grivot went on. The tannins are silky and the wines have very good acidity, with pHs lower than those of 2001.It will be a great vintage for aging but the wines can also be drunk young.Still, they may be at their best between 8 and 15 years after the bottling.'Grivot generally chaptalized his 2002 just a smidgeon (the typical wine began at 12.7% and finished at 12.9% or 13%), to prolong the fermentations by two or three days. (Chateau & Estate Wines, New York NY

Grivot described his 2000s as more sophisticated than the 2001s. The grape skins in 2000 were riper than those of 2001, but at the same time the 2000s managed to retain better acidity than the '97s." He went on: The 2001s are fresh, fruit-driven wines, a bit like the '78s. It was necessary to be prudent with the extraction in 2001 due to the moderate level of skin maturity." Grivot noted that he's been getting generally larger crops in recent years due to the warmer winters. He normally does a green harvest in his young vines before leaving for his summer vacation, then green harvests in the later-flowering parcels during the second half of August. The 2001s had finished their malos in September and were still on their lees, unracked, in November. Grivot prepared representative blends for me to taste.

Grivot described his 2000s as more sophisticated than the 2001s. The grape skins in 2000 were riper than those of 2001, but at the same time the 2000s managed to retain better acidity than the '97s." He went on: The 2001s are fresh, fruit-driven wines, a bit like the '78s. It was necessary to be prudent with the extraction in 2001 due to the moderate level of skin maturity." Grivot noted that he's been getting generally larger crops in recent years due to the warmer winters. He normally does a green harvest in his young vines before leaving for his summer vacation, then green harvests in the later-flowering parcels during the second half of August. The 2001s had finished their malos in September and were still on their lees, unracked, in November. Grivot prepared representative blends for me to taste.

"Two thousand is a year of great ripeness, but with better acidity and freshness than 1997," notes Etienne Grivot. "1997 was the first hugely ripe year that I vinified, and I was able to learn from the experience. I picked earlier in 2000 because I don't like aromas of surmaturite " Grivot told me he'd rather pick pinot noir at 12.5% potential alcohol than at 13.5%; in the very ripe harvest of 2000, his levels of potential alcohol ranged from 12.7% all the way up to 14%. He noted that the 2000 vintage is especially good for "the severe terroirs like Clos Vougeot," an observation that was repeatedly shown to be accurate during my extensive barrel tastings in November. Following late malolactic fermentations, the 2000s were still on their lees, unracked, in early November. Fans of this domain wines will not be surprised by Grivot's admission that, since 1998, "I've been trying to make less introverted, less monolithic wines. I want to make more seductive, likable wines but without risking their aging potential." Indeed, Grivot maintains, one can drink the '99s any time due to their harmoniousness. They possess great material but they are also very sophisticated wines, with suave tannins.

The 20th century went out with a bang for red Burgundy lovers, with the 1999 vintage producing copious quantities of excellent to outstanding wine.

From the outset, the 1999 red Burgundies offered a rare combination of charm and power. Most of the better wines were balanced and alluring from the start, but they are evolving very slowly and still have plenty of life ahead of them. While many of the ‘99s I sampled with the producers this winter have gone through sullen stages in bottle, most of them have launched into their periods of peak drinkability. If you own these wines – and especially if you chose wisely at the outset – you will be amply rewarded.

"Two thousand is a year of great ripeness, but with better acidity and freshness than 1997," notes Etienne Grivot. "1997 was the first hugely ripe year that I vinified, and I was able to learn from the experience. I picked earlier in 2000 because I don't like aromas of surmaturite " Grivot told me he'd rather pick pinot noir at 12.5% potential alcohol than at 13.5%; in the very ripe harvest of 2000, his levels of potential alcohol ranged from 12.7% all the way up to 14%. He noted that the 2000 vintage is especially good for "the severe terroirs like Clos Vougeot," an observation that was repeatedly shown to be accurate during my extensive barrel tastings in November. Following late malolactic fermentations, the 2000s were still on their lees, unracked, in early November. Fans of this domain wines will not be surprised by Grivot's admission that, since 1998, "I've been trying to make less introverted, less monolithic wines. I want to make more seductive, likable wines but without risking their aging potential." Indeed, Grivot maintains, one can drink the '99s any time due to their harmoniousness. They possess great material but they are also very sophisticated wines, with suave tannins.

Etienne Grivot was in the midst of racking his '99s when I stopped by for a visit in November. Even though half of the wines still had some unconverted malic acidity, probably due to their substantial acids and tannins, they needed aeration, he explained. ("Showing you my wines with some malic acidity, or just racked, is like presenting my children not dressed properly, or unclean," he told me.) And the racking will speed up the end of the malos, he said, adding that such excellent vintages as 1990, '93, '95 and '96 were also characterized by protracted secondary fermentations. Grivot describes 1999 as "a vintage of great harmony, serious even at the level of the village wines. The wines should be indestructible, though not quite as indestructible as the '96s." Grivot harvested on the late side, picking a good deal of his crop after the rains of September 24 and 25. But at least some water was needed to invigorate the vines, he noted. "Yes, there was some loss of concentration in the late-picked fruit, but the grapes also gained in skin maturity in the last several days. The rain really arrived too late, but it was better than no rain at all." Yields were very generous, and following a strict selection Grivot made about 50 hectoliters per hectare. A number of the cuvees were concentrated via saignee of 6% to 8%. Needless to say, my notes on wines that had not finished their malolactic fermentations must be taken as provisional in nature.

Etienne Grivot was in the midst of racking his '99s when I stopped by for a visit in November. Even though half of the wines still had some unconverted malic acidity, probably due to their substantial acids and tannins, they needed aeration, he explained. ("Showing you my wines with some malic acidity, or just racked, is like presenting my children not dressed properly, or unclean," he told me.) And the racking will speed up the end of the malos, he said, adding that such excellent vintages as 1990, '93, '95 and '96 were also characterized by protracted secondary fermentations. Grivot describes 1999 as "a vintage of great harmony, serious even at the level of the village wines. The wines should be indestructible, though not quite as indestructible as the '96s." Grivot harvested on the late side, picking a good deal of his crop after the rains of September 24 and 25. But at least some water was needed to invigorate the vines, he noted. "Yes, there was some loss of concentration in the late-picked fruit, but the grapes also gained in skin maturity in the last several days. The rain really arrived too late, but it was better than no rain at all." Yields were very generous, and following a strict selection Grivot made about 50 hectoliters per hectare. A number of the cuvees were concentrated via saignee of 6% to 8%. Needless to say, my notes on wines that had not finished their malolactic fermentations must be taken as provisional in nature.

Grivot picked about half of his '98 crop before the rain on Saturday the 26th, then added more pickers to bring in the rest before there was significant dilution. Still, the harvest required lots of triage by the harvesters in the vines (workers had also made a previous pass through the vines at the end of August and beginning of September to remove pink grapes and pull leaves). "We needed to pick the entire crop in eight days," says Grivot, "so using a table de trie would have been too slow." The malos ended in August and September, and the wines had not yet been racked or sulfited in November. (The plan was to rack in December or January and assemble the wines for bottling in April.) Grivot was relying more on carbonic gas than on SO2 to protect the wines from oxidation. Grape sugars were in the healthy 11.8% to 12.5% range in '98 ("I'm happy when I get 11.5% in Vosne-Romanee," noted Grivot, adding that since 1987 he been more concerned about low acidity levels than adequate sugars), and pHs were a bit lower than those of the previous vintage. Yields in both '98 and '97 were in the 35 to 40 hectoliters-per-hectare range.

Grivot picked about half of his '98 crop before the rain on Saturday the 26th, then added more pickers to bring in the rest before there was significant dilution. Still, the harvest required lots of triage by the harvesters in the vines (workers had also made a previous pass through the vines at the end of August and beginning of September to remove pink grapes and pull leaves). "We needed to pick the entire crop in eight days," says Grivot, "so using a table de trie would have been too slow." The malos ended in August and September, and the wines had not yet been racked or sulfited in November. (The plan was to rack in December or January and assemble the wines for bottling in April.) Grivot was relying more on carbonic gas than on SO2 to protect the wines from oxidation. Grape sugars were in the healthy 11.8% to 12.5% range in '98 ("I'm happy when I get 11.5% in Vosne-Romanee," noted Grivot, adding that since 1987 he been more concerned about low acidity levels than adequate sugars), and pHs were a bit lower than those of the previous vintage. Yields in both '98 and '97 were in the 35 to 40 hectoliters-per-hectare range.

Etienne Grivot was among the earliest harvesters in Vosne Romanee in '97; his intent was to avoid getting fruit with aromas of surmaturite. "This was a vintage of great ripeness," Grivot explains. "The late pickers risked losing freshness and getting baroque, port like aromas of confiture and pruneaux. There are really two very different schools in '97." Grivot felt that the lighter tannic structure of '97 did not justify a long elevage on the contrary, he vinified his wines to have early appeal. Grivot did not chill his musts in order to do a maceration a froid because he wanted to work with low levels of SO2 ("in a year like '97, sulfur inevitably dries the wines"). Total cuvaison time was thus a bit shorter than normal. The malos took place earlier than usual, and the wines were racked last July. In November, Grivot planned to bottle in January and February, or about three months earlier than he bottled his '96s. "The '97s will be unctuous, charming, sensual wines perfect for the market," he predicts. "But they will always be more marked by the vintage than by the terroir."

Etienne Grivot was among the earliest harvesters in Vosne Romanee in '97; his intent was to avoid getting fruit with aromas of surmaturite. "This was a vintage of great ripeness," Grivot explains. "The late pickers risked losing freshness and getting baroque, port like aromas of confiture and pruneaux. There are really two very different schools in '97." Grivot felt that the lighter tannic structure of '97 did not justify a long elevage on the contrary, he vinified his wines to have early appeal. Grivot did not chill his musts in order to do a maceration a froid because he wanted to work with low levels of SO2 ("in a year like '97, sulfur inevitably dries the wines"). Total cuvaison time was thus a bit shorter than normal. The malos took place earlier than usual, and the wines were racked last July. In November, Grivot planned to bottle in January and February, or about three months earlier than he bottled his '96s. "The '97s will be unctuous, charming, sensual wines perfect for the market," he predicts. "But they will always be more marked by the vintage than by the terroir."

Long-time readers of these pages know that I was frequently critical of the wines made by Etienne Grivot under the consultancy of Guy Accad. Those wines, I pointed out, frequently showed little Pinot Noir character and often seemed downright weird. They have not magically metamorphosed into swans. Accad is long gone from this cellar, even if Grivot insists that he still uses a modified version of Accad techniques (Accad lite?), and the wines made here since 1993 have been consistently superb. Grivot says that '96 and '95 have the same "quality of acid" and that both vintages offer outstanding aging potential. The '96s, he says, are more likeable wines and will be good young; the skins were a bit riper and grape sugars slightly higher than those of the previous year. Grivot did a cold maceration of only four days for his '96s: with ideal maturity, he explains, there was little to gain from a cold soak. Many other growers, he notes, automatically do a cold maceration each fall but don't know why they do it. The '95s, which were bottled last spring with a light filtration and no fining, have turned out extremely well.

Long-time readers of these pages know that I was frequently critical of the wines made by Etienne Grivot under the consultancy of Guy Accad. Those wines, I pointed out, frequently showed little Pinot Noir character and often seemed downright weird. They have not magically metamorphosed into swans. Accad is long gone from this cellar, even if Grivot insists that he still uses a modified version of Accad techniques (Accad lite?), and the wines made here since 1993 have been consistently superb. Grivot says that '96 and '95 have the same "quality of acid" and that both vintages offer outstanding aging potential. The '96s, he says, are more likeable wines and will be good young; the skins were a bit riper and grape sugars slightly higher than those of the previous year. Grivot did a cold maceration of only four days for his '96s: with ideal maturity, he explains, there was little to gain from a cold soak. Many other growers, he notes, automatically do a cold maceration each fall but don't know why they do it. The '95s, which were bottled last spring with a light filtration and no fining, have turned out extremely well.