The 1999 vintage in the Côte d'Or

Features of the climate

General characteristics

• The year was a little warmer than usual, with average temperatures up by 2-3°C, apart from June.

• There was less sunshine than usual, except for January and from August 20th - September 15th when there was intense heat.

• Average rainfall was higher than usual, except for August which was particularly dry.

• The heat wave commenced on August 20th, ripening the grapes to perfection.

• The growing year of 1998-1999 was characterised by hot spells interspersed by rain showers. This increased the risk of mildew, but was kept in check by our viticulturists.

The development of the climatic year

1998 ended with a relatively cold November and December. However, January and February were mild, with temperatures 2 - 3°C higher than usual, which accelerated growth.

The first signs of active growth started early, around March 10th. However cool weather during the last two weeks of March arrested this development. By the end of March, the buds began to swell and we could see the first green tips at the beginning of April.

Mild spells followed in April, giving way to a very cold spell in the latter half of the month, with frost on April 16/17. This was followed by quite heavy rain until the end of May. Following this, good weather ensued which caused fast and healthy growth, leading to an early flowering at the beginning of June.

From June 10th, the weather began to break and the temperatures became cooler. July was hot, but with only medium sunshine and a few storms. From July 20th, we began to notice the beginning of the '' véraison''(ripening). The first ten days of August were warm, interrupted by a few rainstorms, followed by ten days of cooler weather.

Hot and dry conditions returned on August 20th, accelerating the ripening process. The first two weeks of September were particularly hot with temperatures averaging between 19 and 24°C, bringing about perfect ripeness.

This hot weather was interrupted by a few showers on September 6th, which provided some much needed moisture in some vineyards which were beginning to suffer from drought. These conditions during the first half of September resulted in a harvest of exceptional quality.

The harvest

On the eve of the harvest, thanks to the ideal weather, both vines and grapes were in superb condition. As a result the crop was both abundant and of very high quality (recalling such classics as 1959, 1964 and 1990). The fruit was exceptionally healthy without the slightest hint of rot. High sugar levels were backed by good acidity.

The harvest in the Côte de Beaune began on September 15th, the day that the official permit was granted. The weather was dry and much cooler after the intense heat of the previous two weeks. The weather remained good, apart from rain on September 19th. From September 24th, the rain intensified, but happily by that time virtually all our vineyards had been picked.

Once again, all our Grands and Premiers Crus reds and whites were collected in shallow boxes to avoid damaging the fruit. We attach great importance to the condition of the grapes before fermentation.

Vinification

Red wines
The Pinot Noir grapes were hand-sorted at the winery in order to eliminate any unripe grapes and leaves. After the destemming, the grapes were put into small temperature controlled vats for the alcoholic fermentation. Because of the conditions of the vintage, we favoured remontage rather than punching the cap. As a result we have made wines of great colour and integrated tannins. This year, once again, we kept our wines in vat for quite a long period (2-3 weeks) enabling the grapes to release their full potential. After the wines had settled they were put into oak barrels from the Allier, Tronçais and Nièvre.

Currently the red wines are showing superbly deep and lively colours. On the nose they are attractive and complex, developing aromas of red and black berries. On the palate they have excellent balance and great length. The tannins are present but ripe. They balance perfectly with the rich and powerful flesh of the wines.

White wines
Once again most of our white wines were vinified in our winery in Meursault which is specially designed for Chardonnay. After hand-sorting, the grapes were pressed and the juice then transferred to oak barrels for the alcoholic fermentation. The wines were very pure, with lees of great quality. In order to develop and enrich their aromatic potential, the lees were stirred every ten days.

Currently on the nose, the wines are showing great purity and complexity, from citrus notes to sweeter fruit aromas (peach and apricot). They have excellent balance, with a firm backbone and a crisp freshness. Our decision to harvest early, on September 15th before the rain, meant that the fruit reached our winery in perfect condition and with good acidity.

November 2003