2013 Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru

Alain Meunier picked a bit of fruit at the end of September but really started in seriously on October 3 and didn't finish until October 15. "The very small yields in 2013 allowed us to wait for ripeness," he told me, noting that the bad flowering resulted in very heterogeneous ripeness that required strict selection to eliminate rotten and pink grapes. Grape sugars were in the 11.5% to 12.5% range and Meunier chaptalized between 0.8% and 1.2%. Given the late picking here, I was pleasantly surprised by the energy of these wines, which was no doubt accentuated by the use of about 25% whole clusters to vinify the crus. In fact, Meunier believes that the 2013s have "great aging potential--longer than the previous four vintages. The wines will be difficult for restaurants, but it will be a very good vintage for the patient collector who can wait 5, 10 or 15 years."