2006 Corton Renardes

Girardin's description of his 2007 white and red wines makes them sound like two different vintages. "The whites are impenetrable, taut and minerally, and they need long elevage," he told me, adding that they will remain on their lees until at least March. In contrast, "the reds are easy to approach and are for drinking rapidly, but they're very pinot: fine and fruity." Girardin destemmed about 90% of his pinot fruit, but vinified with as many uncrushed grapes as possible. He sold off a number of his red cuvees after the malolactic fermentations, keeping only the ones he liked best. The 2007 reds are aging in 40% new oak, up from 30% in 2006. Because Girardin considers them to be relatively fragile wines, he had not yet racked them in November and planned to bottle in January. Girardin describes the 2006s as "classic, and less roasted than the 2005s," pointing out that the skins and seeds were riper than those of 2007. Incidentally, Girardin told me that 1999 was his most problematic year for premature oxidation, as he did a short elevage and used "too much new oak." He's now bottling all his wines with longer, denser corks. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)

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)