2008 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

"A fine, good year, but not as consistent as 2008" was the way Pernot described 2009. The harvest brought a generous crop at this estate, except in Batard-Montrachet. But Pernot sees 2008 as "la grande annee de garde" here. He picked very late in 2008, getting very concentrated grapes and high sugars and tossing out a percentage of rotten grapes. The malos, which usually finish very early here (the '09s were done by January), were the latest ever, ending in July. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY; also brought into the U.S. as a Peter Vezan Selection and through Domaines et Saveurs/Jeanne-Marie de Champs)

Pernot picked his chardonnay quite late in 2008, from September 26 through October 5, and is convinced that his neighbors harvested too early, before their fruit was ripe. He waited and eventually got his highest grape sugars ever (14% to 14.5%-even higher than those of 2006), but maintained that the grapes did not lose acidity. The top 2008s here were indeed impressive. Of course, Pernot's wines are generally easy to taste in late spring, as the malos are normally early and the wines have generally been racked weeks before my annual visit. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY; also brought into the U.S. as a Peter Vezan Selection and through Domaines et Saveurs/Jeanne-Marie de Champs)