2001 Malescot St. Exupéry

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Jean-Luc Zuger has truly pushed the envelope in 2003, picking extremely ripe fruit, including the estate's merlot, at the very end of September. Some of the lots had pHs as high as 4.2 and the blend when I tasted it was "at least" 3.9, with the alcohol at least 13.5%. No cold maceration was necessary in 2003, and the cuvaison, though five days shorter than usual, still lasted from 25 to 30 days for the estate's various lots. As in recent vintages, the malolactic fermentation took place in barriques The wine, dangerously, was on its lees at the time of my visit (it was scheduled to be racked at the end of April), with batonnage being carried out regularly. The estate was keeping a close watch on bacteria levels. That said, the sample I tasted offered extraordinary sweetness and thickness; I felt as if I were tasting the Pavie of the Margaux appellation.

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The index of polyphenols was extremely high in 2002, according to Jean-Luc Zuger, but the tannins were very ripe, thanks to two passes through the vineyards to drop crop, plus leaf-pulling. After having eliminated less-than-perfect grapes on sorting tables before and after destemming, the estate had production of just 27 hectoliters per hectare. The 2002 is aging on its lees in 100% new oak, with the lees getting a weekly stirring (batonnage became routine here with the 1998 vintage).

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Jean-Luc Zuger describes his young 2001 as "better balanced than the 2000 in the best sense." After Malescot's previous chef de culture retired prior to the 2001 growing season, the estate carried out a more serious green harvest than in the past and ultimately produced just 35 hectoliters per hectare, down sharply from 52 in 2000. The warm wine goes straight to 100% new barrels (some of the malolactic often occurs in cuve), where the lees are stirred until May. Minimal handling is the rule here: the '99, according to Zuger, was bottled without fining or filtration.

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