1995 Le Montrachet

Dominique Lafon was faced with an interesting problem after the 1995 harvest. The low yields provided him with only enough Montrachet to fill 2 and a half casks. He considered using a half-cask and 2 regular ones but decided against it because he feels wines do not age well in small casks. His solution was to have a new cask built that would hold the equivalent of one and a half regular ones. To offset the new oak flavors of this large vessel, the second cask he is using has been used previously to make five vintages of wine. Possessing a super-tight and unyielding nose, this full-bodied Montrachet displays intense minerally fruit, and striking elegance. While not as forward or sultry as I expected, it has a superb structure. This tight wine will need 6-7 years to blossom, and will drink admirably for another 15-20. This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. Ratings with a range of scores in parentheses indicate the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Dominique Lafon, who has run this estate on his own since 1987, feels his '95s are the best set of wines he's made to date. I would ignore this kind of statement from most growers in Burgundy as they are often given to hyperbole, but Lafon walks the walk in addition to talking the talk. His reputation is such that his wines sell-out instantaneously irrespective of what critics might write. Secondly, he's not the type of man who would risk his credibility, nor is he given to immodest boasting. His '95s are outstanding wines that may have better structure than those from previous vintages, and, therefore, may age and evolve more gracefully. He has produced fatter, lusher wines in the past (the '89s for example), but, in general, cellaring hasn't improved them. I believe the '95 will be different. Importer: Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; tel (617) 731-6644.

Dominique Lafon was faced with an interesting problem after the 1995 harvest. The low yields provided him with only enough Montrachet to fill 2 and a half casks. He considered using a half-cask and 2 regular ones but decided against it because he feels wines do not age well in small casks. His solution was to have a new cask built that would hold the equivalent of one and a half regular ones. To offset the new oak flavors of this large vessel, the second cask he is using has been used previously to make five vintages of wine. Possessing a super-tight and unyielding nose, this full-bodied Montrachet displays intense minerally fruit, and striking elegance. While not as forward or sultry as I expected, it has a superb structure. This tight wine will need 6-7 years to blossom, and will drink admirably for another 15-20. Apr 1997, www.robertparker.com