2004 Chablis
A much more typical and quite large 2004 wine vintage has restored the status quo in Chablis, after the excesses of 2003.
The weather was fairly typical at the beginning of the year and flowering took place as normal in early June. July and August however, were very wet with double the seasonal average rainfall. This led to potential problems with rot and mildew, avoided by the best producers by bud thinning and treatments.
Things were looking bleak for Chablis in late August, but thankfully good weather returned in September. The first two weeks of September were very warm and there was no more significant rainfall during the rest of the month. This period of improved weather allowed the vines to recover and a large harvest was started on the 4th October, about a week later than usual and about 6 weeks later than in 2003!
The final result is very good wines with great typicity and good levels of ripeness and acidity.