A very difficult year for growers, with frost, hail and September rains disrupting the growing and ripening season.

After a warm March, which resulted in early bud break, the temperature dropped to below freezing over the Easter weekend in many vineyards in the Côte de Beaune. Some vineyards never fully recovered and lost as much as 35% of their crop with the 1er Crus being the worst hit. Consequently, quantities are small, particularly in Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. The reduced crop and intense ripeness (afforded by two heatwaves in July and August) have imbued many wines with an apricot, exotic bouquet.

The wines display more concentration and richness than the 1997s but lack the purity and definition of the 1996s. Highly attractive wines but slightly atypical.