The 2001 vintage in the Côte d'Or

Features of the climate

- January, February and March: mild, with relatively frequent showers.

- April: lower temperatures and even frost on the 14th, but it had no effect on the vines.

- May: cool and rather dry.

- June: flowering began during the first week, in good conditions.

- July: the two first weeks were cool and the last two were hot.

- August: hot with hail storms, especially in Volnay on the 2nd and 3rd.

- September: cool.

The harvest

The harvest started on September 18th. Yields were irregular due to hail storms which had occurred on August 2nd, and which had caused serious damage especially in Volnay.

As every year, we have been very careful when it comes to choosing the harvest date for each parcel, in order to preserve a perfect balance between acidity and alcohol.

The Pinots Noirs in our Domaine were in a very healthy state, thanks to very thick skins.

The Chardonnays harvested in our Domaine were also healthy, with the exception of a few bunches which had been hit by hail storms. However this did not have any effect on the quality of the musts.

The vinification

The pinots noirs
We carried out a medium-long vatting (from 10 to 18 days depending on the appellations) at a temperature lower than 30°C because we always try to have a long fermentation. Then the wines were put into oak barrels.

In general, the malolactic fermentations were long to finish, which enabled the wines to keep an excellent level of freshness. We did the first rackings at the beginning of next Spring and the last ones, just before the 2002 harvest.

The chardonnays
In 2001, we were particularly careful regarding pressing conditions. We pressed the entire harvest, but to preserve the aromatic purity of the must we eliminated the first juices.

The juices were then poured into oak barrels, where the alcoholic fermentation took place, after which we stirred the lees regularly. The malolactic fermentations ended early, after the first racking and we pursued the ageing on fine lees until September.

November 2003