1997 Chablis Reserve de l'Obedience

Laroche's expensive yet superb 1997 Chablis Blanchots Reserve de l'Obediencerie is a blockbuster. Fresh white flowers, toasted spices, and pears can be found in its complex aromatics. It is a feminine wine, impeccably crafted, ethereal, and sublimely elegant. Layers of precise flint, mineral, honeysuckle, and candied apple flavors dominate its medium-to-full body as well as its exceedingly long finish. Wow! Drink this stunner between 2002 and 2008. Other 1997s tasted: Chablis Bouguerots (?), Chablis St. Martin (84), Chablis Vaillons (87-88), Chablis Vaudevey (87-88). Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel (312) 247-7070.