2008 Meursault Les Perrieres

At age 10, Vincent Dancer's 2008 Meursault 1er Cru Perrières is showing very well. On the nose, it's still quite shy, unfurling in the glass with scents of almond paste, waxy citrus rind, wet stones and a delicate framing of new wood. It's on the palate that the real excitement is found, as the wine is full-bodied, broad and searingly intense, with a satiny attack, huge concentration and an abundance of chalky structuring extract, built around an incisive spine of acidity and concluding with a long, subtly wood-inflected finish. If the nose can ever match the thrilling palate, this will merit several more points, but in any case, it numbers among the finest wines to emerge from what could be called the "first phase" of Vincent Dancer's career.

Pale yellow. Very bright nose offers white peach, spices and crushed stone. At once rich and sappy, with lovely lift and inner-mouth perfume to its lime and crushed stone flavors. There's an essential silkiness of texture here, but also a cool minerality that I find captivating. The 2009 version is riper and larger but this is more classic.

Quite rich and pure and jewelly. Very attractive and quite sweet and full. (JR)