The 2013 Crus turned
out to be one of the delicious vintages in my recent memory. The 2013 vintage did
not start well and was difficult. It was
cool and grapes struggled to ripen. As
with great wines, the vignerons, who
cared their vineyards and not pushed what the vintage had to give, produced
beautiful Crus in 2013. It was so much work in the vineyards that I
think the vignerons were exhausted by
the time the elevage was finished.
When first bottled, our vignerons
themselves did not know how the vintage would turn out. It may be a surprise to
readers, but our vignerons themselves
do not always know how the wine will evolve. They, of course, have a reasonable
trajectory but not always certain. The uncertainty lingered after the wines were first bottled. After a year in bottles, the Crus evolved to be have what I call ‘French
aesthetics’ – pretty and perfumed. The Crus,
not lacking intensity, are low in alcohol with stunning nose and freshness. Subtlety and nuances,
which I appreciate the most in wines, are abundant in the 2013 Crus. The differences of terroirs are
clearly etched in 2013. I can’t think of
another wine that brings so much joy at my dinner table.
