2005 Corton Renardes

After making 400 barrels of red wine in the 2005 vintage, Girardin produced 200 in 2006 and just 100 in 2007. Typically, he sells off the stuff he doesn't like in bulk. The '06 vintage, according to Girardin, produced a much wider variation in quality on the Cote de Beaune than on the Cote de Nuits, due mostly to problems with rot. Even at its best, he added, 2006 doesn't have the power of 2005, "but the framework of the wine is more classic and less exuberant. The tannins are currently a bit angular, and the wines demand almost the same aging as the 2005s." Incidentally, Girardin told me his 2001 reds are very good now, the 2000s in decline and the '98s rather rustic. But then technique here continues to evolve for the better. The 2005 reds were bottled without fining or filtration last spring, and, at the time of my November visit, Girardin expected all the 2006s to be bottled by the end of January. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)

Ever the flexible merchant, Vincent Girardin increased his purchases of pinot noir grapes in the sexy 2005 vintage, then cut back drastically again in 2006, making only 30 barrels of red wine in the latest vintage. (The only parcels he will continue to buy every year are Clos Vougeot, Charmes-Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Beze, because he's happy with his sources.) Girardin told me that because 2005 featured very strong material his objective has been to make "a classic vintage." He used 60% whole clusters to vinify his wines from the Cote de Nuits, and about 30% for the Cote de Beaune. He did no pigeages, relying instead on two remontages per day "in order to coat the entire cap and to avoid getting rustic tannins." The premier crus are aging in 30% new oak and the grand crus in 40%, and because he believes the wines need long elevage, he won't bottle until April. Girardin told me that the 2005s are currently carrying 13.3% to 14% alcohol without chaptalization. He believes that 2005 is "clearly superior" to 1999 in pinot noir, describing the young vintage as "more classic and less fruity than 1999, with more impressive material for aging." On the day of my tasting, I found these wines a bit less tangy, and a bit more chocolatey, than some; a few of them seemed to be going through a rather stern stage of their development in barrel. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)