1999 Crozes Hermitage Cuvee Christophe

The profound 1999 Crozes-Hermitage Cuvee Christophe rouge (1,000 cases) is a sumptuous effort offering an opaque purple color as well as an unreal nose of smoky espresso intermixed with creme de cassis, graphite, and licorice. The wine is full-bodied, opulent, and loaded with concentration. It could easily be mistaken in a blind tasting for a top-flight Hermitage. Its low acidity, super ripeness, and great purity as well as overall balance suggest it will be at its peak between 2002 and 2015. The wine is produced from low yields, ripe fruit, minimal levels of sulphur dioxide, and is bottled with neither fining nor filtration. The winemaking philosophy is essentially hands off until the wines are bottled. The result is brilliant, and merits significant attention from Rhone wine enthusiasts. A Patrick Lesec Selection (Paris fax # 011 33 1 42 84 38 22), various American importers, including Associate Wine Distributors of Napa, Atlantic Importing Co., Newton, MA; tel. (617) 965-2933, Fine Vines LLC, Maywood, IL; tel. (708) 343-5901, and New Castle Imports, Myrtle Beach, SC; tel. (843) 497-8625