2007 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru

The three generations of Groffiers, who have a reputation for the seriousness of their vineyard work, do continuous triage straight through August, so they don't usually have to worry about eliminating fruit at harvest-time. In fact, they do not own a sorting table. In recent years, Serge's son Nicolas has increased the amount of pigeage, punching down twice a day even in 2008, a year in which many of his colleagues carried out very gentle vinifications. Of course the Groffiers started with very concentrated grapes and grape sugars that were actually higher than those of the previous year. The yield here in '08 averaged just 27 hectoliters per hectare, according to Serge-the lowest since 1993. The malos finished after the 2009 harvest and the wines had been sulfited a week before my visit. Incidentally, if you see the 2008 Groffier Passetoutgrain, buy it: it's an unusually full and sexy wine for the category. The blend includes a relatively high one-third gamay picked in mid-October, but Nicolas pointed out that that percentage was unusually high because the pinot noir vines that normally go into the blend yielded just 15 hectoliters per hectare. (A Peter Vezan selection; importers include Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL; Ideal Wines & Spirits, Medford, MA; and H2Vino, Chicago, IL; also imported by Atherton Wine Imports, Atherton, CA)

The Groffiers reported very little rot in 2007 but that's largely because they picked very early, beginning on August 27. "Things would have been much worse ten days later," noted Nicolas Groffier. Potential alcohols were in the 12% to 12.2% range and the finished wines will weigh in at about 13%. The Groffiers did a bit more extraction during vinification than in the previous year and rate the new vintage in the same general quality league as 2006, a year that saw even lower estate-wide production (28 hectoliters per hectare, vs. about 33 in '97). Nicolas describes the 2007s as "fresh and pure, with more finesse and roundness than 2006. Both vintages should age nicely but will also drink well in their youth," he added. Robert Groffier believes that the 2007s will age longer than the 2006s; he feels that they're more plush but a bit less precise and vibrant today. (A Peter Vezan selection; importers include Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL; Ideal Wines & Spirits, Medford, MA; and H2Vino, Chicago, IL; also imported by Atherton Wine Imports, Atherton, CA)