2002 Vire Clesse Vercherres

Smoke, white pepper, and pears can be discerned in the aromatics of the 2002 Vire-Clesse Les Vercherres. A dense, viscous wine, it is unquestionably more reminiscent of a Batard-Montrachet than of a wine from the Maconnais. Medium to full-bodied, it slathers the palate with lush layers of spicy pear marmalade. Drink it over the next 3-4 years. Jean Rijckaert (pronounced “ray-cart”) said,” Things were doing fine until the 26th or 27th of August, then the weather turned bad, with cold rainy days that lasted through the 10th or 11th. By then, we weren’t very proud of what we had in the vineyards. Thankfully, there was no rot to speak of, and the leaves of the vines remained in excellent condition. When a north wind started blowing on the 12th, we then had clear skies, cool days, and sun. Thanks to the wind, we got concentration, and thanks to the sun, there was ripeness from photosynthesis.” A Peter Vezan Selection, Paris fax #011-33-1-42-55-42-93 imported by: Old Vine Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 769-9377; Dionysos Imports, Lorton, VA; tel. (703) 751-9416; Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300; Julienne Importing, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 274-9463