2005 Montrachet Grand Cru (Marquis de Laguiche)

"The 2006s tasted shockingly good just after the harvest and have been pleasant ever since then," said Philippe Drouhin, who made reference to "the powerful noses" of these wines. The Drouhin team spread the harvest over a wide period in a search for ideal ripeness-for example, picking various sections of their Beaune Clos des Mouches over 11 days (beginning here extremely early, on September 13) and their Montrachet over 8, finishing only on September 26. While rot was not a problem, according to Drouhin, much of the fruit was in surmaturite. The team did a very soft pressing to get the cleanest possible juice, then carried out a fining at the debourbage for the lots most affected by surmaturite. "There was a lot of stuffing in 2006 but also a lot of oxidizable material, and the fining made a big difference," explained Drouhin, who added that virtually no batonnage was done.

"The 2006s tasted shockingly good just after the harvest and have been pleasant ever since then," said Philippe Drouhin, who made reference to "the powerful noses" of these wines. The Drouhin team spread the harvest over a wide period in a search for ideal ripeness-for example, picking various sections of their Beaune Clos des Mouches over 11 days (beginning here extremely early, on September 13) and their Montrachet over 8, finishing only on September 26. While rot was not a problem, according to Drouhin, much of the fruit was in surmaturite. The team did a very soft pressing to get the cleanest possible juice, then carried out a fining at the debourbage for the lots most affected by surmaturite. "There was a lot of stuffing in 2006 but also a lot of oxidizable material, and the fining made a big difference," explained Drouhin, who added that virtually no batonnage was done.

This year I tasted with Veronique Drouhin, who spends part of her year directing the family's Domaine Drouhin Oregon operation and the rest of the year in Burgundy.Tasting with various members of the Drouhin family gives me different perspectives on the family's wines, and of course multiple sources of information.For example, this year I learned from Veronique that her brother Philippe is a life-long Frank Zappa fan.Go figure.Veronique told me that the Drouhins harvested over a long period in 2005, and that the wines generally have acidity levels a bit lower than average.The Drouhins do not do much batonnage, choosing instead to roll the barrels, which stirs up the lees without aerating the wine.Incidentally, long-time winemaker Laurent Jobard is in the process of retiring, and Jerome Faure-Brac, previously at Maison Bichot, is taking over.The malolactic fermentations of the 2005 whites were nearly all done, but a few wines were still finishing their sugar fermentations.