2013 Montrachet Grand Cru

Mounir Saouma told me that the 2013s began appetizing and flashy, with low sugars and aromas of crystallized fruits, but are now gaining in depth, size and personality. "The alcoholic fermentations lasted until August of 2014," he told me, "and we are now seeing the impact of the small crop. It's really a vintage with incredible concentration, and by the numbers it's a vintage to keep. But winemakers who rack, pump, fine and filter their wines will make them approachable early. In the same way, too many people killed the perfect fruit of 2009." Potential alcohol levels in 2013 were generally between 12% and 12.5% and the wines will be bottled with around 13% alcohol. A number of the Lucien Le Moine '13s give an impression of sucrosité owing to their combination of moderate acidity and residual sugar between 1.8 and 2.2 grams per liter.

When I asked Saouma which vintages he's enjoying currently, he responded that "2007 is great today, and 2011 will be soon. But the 2012s are shutting down"--an opinion shared by many of his colleagues on the Côte d'Or about red and white wines alike. His 2014s had not finished their malos at the end of May, and some of them were still fermenting their sugars.