Joseph Voillot

Jean-Pierre Charlot forthrightly declared that "I would take 2011 anytime. If it was possible to sign up in advance for this kind of quality every year, I'd sign right now. The growing season started early, was slowed down by a rainy July and first half of August and then our hopes were resuscitated by a near perfect second half of August and September. I only made 6 treatments in 2011 but made 12 in 2012. I made my first treatment against mildew on May 13th but after that, despite conditions that were ripe for all kinds of problems, we really didn't have much to worry about. In fact, probably the factor of greatest concern was to make sure that we harvested before the onset of surmaturité because maturities really spiked at the end. I decided to begin the harvest on the 29th of August under perfect harvest conditions that were warm but not hot. The fruit was quite clean though there is always some minor sorting required, if nothing else to remove the stray leaf or insect. The vinifications were pretty much textbook as the extractions came easily, in particular the colors. Whenever you have a vintage that is this easy in the vineyards and in the cuverie, you appreciate it. In fact the only drawback to 2011 was the tiny yields of only 25 to 30 hl/ha thanks to a poor flowering. I like the 2011s a lot and believe that my clients will too." Charlot rarely misses and 2011 is no exception. As the scores and comments clearly confirm, his wines have clearly outperformed the general quality of the vintage, particularly with the range of Pommard 1ers. If there is a nit, it's that the wines are carrying more wood than they typically do but I am optimistic that it will be successfully integrated in time. Charlot noted that the wines were bottled in December 2012 and January 2013. Lastly, Charlot pointed out that because of two consecutive years of reduced production that he supplemented his range of 2011s by purchasing some fruit in the appellations of Taillepieds and Carelle Sous La Chapelle. 
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