2005 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Narbantons 1er Cru

Pavelot admitted that there was plenty of rot in 2006, and told me he took "a good ten days to pick," eliminating 10% to 15% of the fruit in the vineyards and on his sorting table. He describes his 2006s as "more traditional than the '05s, which are now closing up." Pavelot did his normal two pigeages per day in '06, and told me that he could continue punching down the cap longer into the fermentations than he could the previous year, because he was wary of making overly tannic wines in 2005 (the tannins in these 2006s have turned out to be rather fine). The 2006s had been in cuve since September and were slated to be bottled between December and February. (A Becky Wasserman Selection, importers include Vinalia Imports, Camarillo, CA; Wines Unlimited, New Orleans, LA; and Pas Mal, Inc., New York, NY)

"We're completely satisfied with 2005, but the wines need a bit more elevage," said Hugues Pavelot in November. "The wines are corpulent, consistent and rich, with obvious tannins that we hope will not be too dry." The Pavelots did a longer-than-usual but softer cuvaison, using one or two pumpovers each day at the beginning of the fermentations, then punching down the cap toward the end. They prolonged the post-fermentation maceration in 2005 in an attempt to get softer, more harmonious tannins. Pavelot noted that the family's holding in Peuillets showed the most evidence of drought conditions in 2005 (here the vines lost their leaves in late summer), with Dominode affected to a lesser extent. Following late malos, the 2005s were racked after the harvest of 2006, and they were in cuves and not yet filtered at the time of my November visit. They were indeed in a rather tough stage but showed plenty of material. (A Becky Wasserman Selection, importers include Vinalia Imports, Camarillo, CA; Wines Unlimited, New Orleans, LA; and Pas Mal, Inc., New York, NY)