1996 Pommard Les Rugiens

The ruby-colored Pommard Les Rugiens exhibits deep and intense scents of blackberries drenched in mocha. On the palate, its medium-to-full body is thick, chewy, broad-shouldered, and masculine. Richly layered flavors reminiscent of cassis, black fruits, stones, leather, and tar can be found in this concentrated and powerful wine. It is another example of a Pinot Noir whose palate presence cannot be judged by its color. Projected maturity: 2001-2007. The score, on a range and in parentheses, indicates that the wine was tasted from barrel. Thierry Violot-Guillemard harvests slightly earlier than his brother Christophe but performs more pigeage (the technique of punching down the cap) in order to extract additional color, flavor, and aromas from his grapes. A Patrick Lesec Selection (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-44-70-62-93), various American importers.