The 2000 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 July which was rather cool.
• There was more sunshine than usual except for April and July.
• Average rainfall was slightly lower than usual, but with very irregular and often strong showers due to local storms.
• The end of the summer was particularly fine and favoured a perfect ripening of the grapes.
The development of the climatic year
Winter went on until the beginning of March with average temperatures throughout. March was sunny and pleasant, without any rain, but with cold nights. The active growth of vegetation began very slowly. The buds began to swell in early maturing areas around March 20, i.e. at the same date as in 1999. Then, development went on normally, even though the vines were about one week late compared to previous years. The first three weeks of April were cold and unsettled, but after April 21 and 22, it became mild and enabled the vines to make up for lost time.
During the first three weeks of May, the weather was heavy and stormy, resulting in extremely quick growth. At this stage, the vines were one week earlier than previous years (they were as early as in 1989 and 1990). During the last week of May, temperatures dropped very suddenly. It then rained locally and sometimes heavily, while flowering was beginning as early as May 23 in some well-exposed vineyards. On June 7, flowering was well-advanced in most of the vineyards and almost finished in the early maturing ones.
In June, the weather was hot and dry, interrupted by local rainfall, especially on 10-11 and then from 22-24. This increased the risk of mildew but was kept in check by our viticulturists. July was rather cool (an average of 18°2 compared to 20°3 during a normal year and down to 15°3 between July 10 and 20), with frequent showers from July 1 to 7, and from 10 to 15. From August 1, we began to notice the beginning of the " véraison " (change of colour of the berries). Then, the weather became better and stabilised perfectly at the end of the month.
It is important to underline that we made a green harvest, at the end of July, in our Premiers and Grands Crus, to lighten some vine stocks that were heavily loaded and to allow the grapes to reach maturity homogeneously. Indeed, in spite of heavy pruning, appropriate to each vineyard and in spite of meticulous debudding, the weather conditions were such, that there was still a large crop.
The harvest
The grape harvest started on September 11, the earliest date since 1976, under sunny and hot weather.
Our Domaine's Pinots Noirs were showing good degrees and a satisfying acidity. As the temperatures were high during the first days of the vintage, we really wanted to harvest the grapes very quickly to keep the balance between sugar and acidity. Once again, this year, the optimum time to pick the pinots noirs was very short. Thus, it was very important to have lots of pickers to harvest in the best possible conditions.
Our Chardonnays were superb, very healthy and perfectly ripe. It is important to underline that we chose very carefully the harvest date for each vineyard in order to pick grapes with very good acidity. As the climatic conditions remained exceptional during the entire harvest, we had all the ingredients to produce some truly great white wines.
Vinification ang ageing
When the Pinots Noirs arrived at the winery, they were systematically sorted out to obtain a good quality raw material before being put into vats. Like any early vintage harvested in hot weather, it was necessary to cool the grapes down, to avoid too quick a start of fermentation. After 3 to 4 days of maceration prior to fermentation, grapes stayed in vats 15 to 20 days, during which we favoured remontage rather than punching the cap. This enabled us to extract the best of the fruit and tannins. Then, the grapes were pressed and put into oak barrels where malolactic fermentations took place.
When the Chardonnays arrived at the winery, the grapes were perfectly ripe and very healthy. On the sorting tables, it was only necessary to remove some leaves. The skins of the grapes were thick, so the juice yields were reduced after the pressing. Juices were then put into oak barrels where the alcoholic fermentations took place.
Our wines at the moment
Our red wines are showing aromas of red and black stewed fruit and flowers (rose, peony) combined with a few hints of leather, which are characteristic of Pinots Noirs in warm years. The wines are harmonious with refined tannins.
The Premiers and Grands Crus of the Côte de Beaune and of the Côte de Nuits are beautiful wines, both concentrated and silky, with a good ageing potential. The Village and Regional appellations are soft and pleasant wines, to be drunk young to appreciate their fruitiness.
Our white wines are expressing flavours of citrus and white fleshed fruit, sometimes mixed with more minerals hints on the nose. They are rich and complex, with a good freshness. It is important to underline that we managed to keep a good level of natural acidity by choosing carefully the date of harvest for each parcel.
Certainly, 2000 is a fitting year which marks the arrival of great white Burgundies in the 3rd millenium.
November 2005
