2007 Echézeaux Grand Cru

"It was tricky to do a selection in the rush of the early 2007 harvest, as there was little time to work in the vines," said Marie-Andree Mugneret. "But in 2008 we carried out a green harvest and a pre-harvest pass through the vines to eliminate rotten grapes and those that were underripe or drying out." The 2008 fermentations started slowly, as ambient temperatures were quite cool, but picked up steam quickly and reached a tumultuous 34oC, which facilitated the extraction of color. The wines of this estate are always on the low side in pH and have a track record for aging, but pHs in 2008 were especially low: in the 3.3 to 3.4 range. These precise, gripping wines will require considerable patience. The Mugneret sisters assembled my '08 samples by combining juice from two barrels with different malolactic end dates, one recent and not yet sulfited. (A Peter Vezan selection, imported by North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; Ideal Wine & Spirits, Medford, MA; and The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL)

"Two thousand seven was a difficult year in the vines but an easy year to vinify," said Marie-Andree Mugneret, who was clearly pleased at the quality of the fruit as well as the freshness of aromas following the elimination of up to 15% of the crop at harvest time. "It's a classic of pure pinot noir," she went on, "but without pretensions to greatness." The 2006s are a bit denser here. Or, as her sister Marie-Christine Mugneret put it, "serve the 2006s with cheese and the 2007s with meat." (A Peter Vezan selection, imported by North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; Ideal Wine & Spirits, Medford, MA; and The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL)