2000 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Vergers 1er Cru

With very irregular ripeness in 2001, it was necessary to do a better job of selection, to pick only in ripe spots," said Jean-Marc Pillot, who told me that he produced between 45 and 50 hectoliters per hectare in most of his premier cru vineyards. Ultimately, he added, the 2001s are a bit riper than the 2000s. Pillot did long, cool fermentations using only wild yeasts followed by a "rapid but strong" decanting of the wine. As the wines were richer and lower in acidity than those of 2000, he felt that less batonnage was called for. The village wines in particular, Pillot added, are for drinking before the '00s due to their softer acidity. But the pHs in 2001 were healthy even if the acids were on the low side, Pillot maintains. This continues to be one of the best sources for modern-style Chassagne-Montrachet; the finished 2000s are among the stronger wines of the appellation.

Jean-Marc Pillot held off on the 2000 white wine harvest until September 18, and told me his chardonnay fruit gained a good one-and-a-half degrees of potential alcohol over the last weekend. Even so, the fruit had slightly less sugar than in the previous year, with a bit more acidity. The 2000s may be a bit less fleshy and round than Pillot '99s, but they are concentrated and classy wines, with clearly expressed terroir character and harmonious wood treatment. This has become one of the top sources of Chassagne-Montrachet in recent years.