2002 Chassagne Montrachet Les Caillerets

Menthol and eucalyptus on the nose carry through on the palate and currently overshadow the wine's subtler citrus, mineral and floral components. But this is dense and fine-grained. Ramonet says the menthol element, which he described as a "pharmacy note," comes from the casein and bentonite fining and will disappear by the end of the wine's first year in bottle. If he's right, this should ultimately merit a 90-plus rating. Incidentally, this wine was bottled in January of 2004, while the previous 2002s were finished last fall.