For Guy Bocard, Meursault (and even his Bourgogne Blanc, made from vines within the commune of Meursault but outside the appellation) is racy, nervous, taut and even austere when young, more mineral than pear or apple, with an oily-rich viscosity and the telltale hint of hazelnut in the finish. "If you can taste the oak then I've used too much", is his motto, adding that new oak is like salt in great cuisine, a subtle enhancer of flavor rather than its dominant profile.

Bocard's average production is 40 hectoliters per hectare in a village that routinely accepts 50 or 55 hl/ha. "More than 45 and you lose the terroir in the Chardonnay," he maintains. Substantial parcels of 75-year-old vines planted by his grandfather add to the intensity of the fruit. After picking, the grapes are rushed to the chais (or cellar) for a gentle pneumatic press, then drained into oak barrels for their alcoholic and malolactic fermentations. Guy Bocard prefers to keep the wine on its lees for as long as possible without stirring the fine lees, in order to prolong the malolactic, protect the wine against oxidation, and nourish the wine as it marries with the oak. Bottling is some 12 to 15 months after the harvest, giving a wine that is approaching drinkability upon release, yet still with that telltale Meursault "tang".

The end result of long malolactic fermentation, extended barrel aging, and late bottling is that Bocard's 1999 Vintage is still available in the United States for sale. With great depth of concentration, focus, and tremendous precision, Bocard's 1999s might well outshine his 1996s.