2005 Meursault Village

With a dry spring in 2005 and some rain in August, the maturation of the chardonnay started late and wasn't particularly good, said winemaker Jacques Lardiere, who waited patiently to harvest. "The pinot noir matured earlier than the chardonnay, and those who picked chardonnay early brought in fruit that was not completely ripe," he maintained. "It was a very dry vintage, and our challenge has been to figure out how we can expand the wine in barrel while maintaining its life, which is tricky since the grapes did not have a lot of acidity to begin with." As he often does, Lardiere retained 20% to 60% of the malic acidity depending on the cuvee, which he says will give the wines a crisper character in their youth.