2003 Montrachet Grand Cru

Domaine Leflaive starting harvesting on August 30, making this estate "about the last in the village to begin," according to winemaker Pierre Morey. We waited for the new moon on August 28 and for the end of the heat wave, so that we'd have better picking conditions. Earlier than this, the taste just wasn't there yet; the grape seeds were not yet ripe. "Morey noted that Leflaive used its sorting table to eliminate grapes that had been grilled by the sun. We only eliminated 2% to 4% of the grapes, but this was important for the taste of the wines. "Some acidification was done for the fermentations, but all of the malolactics were allowed to finish. Morey was still stirring the lees, but less frequently than usual. The plan in June was to bottle the wines before the winter, several months earlier than normal practice here. Morey maintained that the estate's biodynamic farming practices made a considerable difference during the very hot summer of 2003. For one thing, our vines have deeper roots," he said. With bio our vines have fewer leaves, but the leaves remain on the vines longer. " In 2003, this could potentially extend the ripening process while also protecting the fruit against the hot sun. ] I was impressed by several of the young 2003s but came away wondering if a few others possessed the depth of flavor to support their alcoholic power. (Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena CA