2003 Meursault Les Tessons

Morey describes the 2004s as slightly riper than the 2001s, but less ripe than 2000. Yields were high. The malolactic fermentations had finished shortly before my visit, and the wines had not yet been sulfited. They were a bit tricky to judge, as high levels of carbon dioxide were giving them a hardness, and a few were also quite reduced. Morey noted that his Batard-Montrachet vines are 40 years old and are planted on SO4 rootstock. The vines, he says, are aging badly. And yet even here he made the maximum in 2004. I have provided tasting notes on the Morey Blanc wines under "Other Recommended White Burgundies."

Pierre Morey, who is also the winemaker for Domaine Leflaive, harvested his own estate in Meursault quite late in 2003, bringing in chardonnay between September 3 and 10. It was cooler by then, and we didn't need to chill the grapes much. "Although the frost was less serious in Meursault than in Puligny-Montrachet, according to Morey, his overall crop level was down 45% from 2002. Morey used a bit more new oak than usual because he felt that the vintage had "a more important structure and could support it. "Between his domain and negociant(Morey Blanc) offerings, Morey now has quite a collection of wines to work with. My notes below are limited to his estate bottlings; my notes on a number of the 2002 Morey Blanc wines are included under "Other Recommended White Burgundies Tasted. "(Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena CA