2004 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru

I have been feting Nicolas Groffier’s winemaking for three or four years now. Where once the domaine had a penchant for rather over-extracted wines, Nicolas Groffier has navigated a different course with completely different wines: elegant, full of tension and respectful to their terroirs. And that’s the thing: there vines populate some enviable patched of "dirt", which means once in the hands of a talented winemaking, you are inevitably going to make some serious wines. "They are like 2015 but with more yield and more accessibility," the ever garrulous Groffier told me. "Two thousand and eighteen is like its smaller sister, but there is more volume. It was a nice surprise to find berries with much more juice, but the vintage is serious for me. It is the opposite of 2017. The wines kept the tension. I started the harvest on 28 August harvest and finished 2 September, so it was quite quick. The average alcohol is around 13.0%, with just a little chaptalization to extend the fermentation. I didn’t find any sur-maturité in the wines and I strive for grapes that I recognise when I taste them in the vineyard. The extraction was easy." I find Groffier an erudite and engaging winemaker to exchange views with, so I asked him how he feels about a future whereby vintages start in August. "I prefer to pick at the end of September but I don’t mind picking at the end of August because the vines are happy in the warmth, even if it is not good in terms of global warming. No, the only real problem [of an early harvest] is deciding the date of the harvest. You must be reactive in terms of mobilising the pickers. For me, the ideal alcohol around 12.5% because at 13.5% Pinot Noir can become a bit of a caricature." Overall, Groffier’s 2018s fall into the "stellar" category and not just at the top end. The Gevrey-Chambertin Les Seuvrées punches at Premier Cru level but yes, if you can shell out for their stunning Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze, please invite me round when you crack it open.

Serge Groffier noted that grape sugars were even higher here in 2004 than in 2005: in the mid-13s, vs. 12.9% to 13.2% in 2005. I found the new wines-as usual, in floating-top tanks in the Groffiers' chilly garage-difficult to taste in November. But they are classic 2005 in style: rich, powerful and a bit youthfully sullen. In comparison, the 2004s in bottle were more pliant and expressive. Thanks to their tireless work in the vines and their normally low crop levels, the Groffiers frequently outperform in years when their neighbors struggle to ripen their fruit. By the way, the 2005 Passetoutgrains promises to be about as good as this category of wine gets. (A Peter Vezan selection; importers include Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL; and Ideal Wines, Medford, MA; also imported by Atherton Wine Imports, Atherton, CA)

Serge Groffier told me that rot and oidium were not serious problems in 2004, and that the family's vineyards received very little hail, but a strict selection was nevertheless necessary to eliminate the less-ripe grapes. "It's a vintage for medium-term keeping," he said. "The wines should remain fresh for eight or nine years and age slowly. "The Groffiers harvested their Amoureuses, with special derogation, a day before the official start to the harvest, with potential alcohol of 13. 5%. As is often the case, the Groffiers' 2004 Bourgogne was one of the best I tasted in Burgundy, and the Passetoutgrains was an outperformer as well. A couple of the hugely concentrated, superripe 2003s were particularly impressive in November; the Groffiers made acid adjustments to the musts and after the vinification. (A Peter Vezan selection; importers include Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL; and Ideal Wines, Medford, MA; also imported by Atherton Wine Imports, Atherton, CA)