2008 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

Philippe Drouhin told me that the family starting harvesting its chardonnay with its Clos des Mouches holding on September 7, picking portions of this cru through virtually the entire white wine harvest, which ended on September 18. Grape sugars were elevated in 2009, according to Philippe Drouhin: from 13.1% to as high as 14.6% for the Montrachet and Corton-Charlemagne. Winemaker Jerome Faure-Brac routinely blocked 20% of the malolactic fermentation in order to preserve vibrancy in the wines. Still, the Drouhin bottlings from the Cote de Beaune have pHs in the 3.3 to 3.35 range, compared to 3.1 to 3.2 for their Chablis cuvees. Drouhin described the 2009 wines as more charming than the 2008s; he believes they will be pleasant to drink young. "But the 2008s are also ripe wines, and their acidity is there for a good reason," he added.