(Please read my vintage summary here.)
After having heard Jean-Marie Fourrier’s case for waiting for the traditional 100 days to pick in order to get phenolic maturity, I encountered my first challenge to that theory at Vougeraie. Harvesting began on 23 August with reds, specifically young Volnay vines. The harvest on the Côte de Beaune finished on 15 September, and on the Côte de Nuits on 18 September, with the last of the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits grapes coming in.
Neither here, nor anywhere else where picking began early, did I encounter problems that I could ascribe to lack of phenolic maturity. Indeed, as you can see below, the vintage is quite a success here.
Some wines have whole clusters, with the grands crus having 100% whole clusters.
Macerations were about 21 days, which is normal for Vougeraie. Malolactic fermentations were quick. There was no acidification. The highest alcohol is 13,4º. New oak in village and premier cru wines is a maximum of 20%, 30% for the grand cru wines. (Continue reading here.)