When Gautier Thevent offered to open an older vintage, I encouraged him to pick the most challenging year he could think of. The 2003 Viré-Clessé Cuvée E. J. Thevenet is still a very young wine, wafting from the glass with notes of yellow orchard fruit, bee pollen, honeycomb and Meyer lemon. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and pure, with an expansive attack, bright balancing acids and a long, complex and superbly coherent finish. Gautier recollected that while acid levels seemed to drop precipitously in 2003, they actually stabilized and even bounced back, so patience was rewarded.