2003 Chablis Saint Martin

.Michel Laroche waited to get full ripeness in 2004, even at the cost of a bit of rot, and carried out a long debourbage to ensure that the fermentations began with clear juice.Laroche describes the new vintage as "very classic in character, very fresh and elegant but not fat."He noted that2004 was the first year in which all the malolactic fermentations were done; in 2003 Laroche blocked most of the malos and also added acidity.Incidentally, after giving his customers the choice of corks or screwcaps in recent vintages, Michel Laroche has made the decision to bottle entirely with screwcaps, a decision that I applaud.As in the past, I focused my attention on this large firm's estate bottlings.

According to marketing director Lorraine Carrigan, winemaker Denis de la Bourdonnaye lightly acidified the musts in 2003, and then blocked as much of the malolactic fermentation as possible. About three-quarters of Laroche's production is negociant wine, but I focused my attention on the Michel Laroche's domain bottlings. Incidentally, Laroche continues to offer its agents the option of ordering even its grand cru wines in screwcaps.But Carrigan told me that some of Laroche's importers claim that their restaurant and consumer clients prefer corks.It should be noted that when Carrigan or Bourdonnaye show the Laroche wines, or send samples out of the region to competitions, it's the screwcap versions they routinely use.Laroche ripped out its virused Bougros vines following the 2001 vintage and is now in the process of replanting them.