1996 Auxey Duresses 1er Cru

When I am tasting wines my senses become extremely sensitive to any odor or taste they encounter. I am constantly concentrating on signals from my nose and palate. On a cool, brisk day in Pommard, Pascal Marchand, the Canadian manager of this estate, opened the door to the cellar to let me in. Instead I jumped backwards faster than a cursory glance at my physique would lead one to believe possible. A horribly pungent chemical odor swept up out of the cellar and assaulted my senses. Apparently, the village's sewers were backing up and one of Marchand's employees had addressed the problem with a heavy-handed dose of chemicals. After assuring me that it would have no effect whatsoever on the wines, Marchand took a deep breath and disappeared down the cellar stairs, only to reappear seconds later with pipette (or thief) full of wine. I was to taste in the street (to the amusement of the neighbors). The Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru, an assemblage of grapes from the Les Duresses and Les Breterins vineyards, is medium-to-dark ruby-colored and exhibits cassis and blackberry aromas. Its medium-bodied and oily-textured character reveals blueberries, sweet cherries, and minerals which linger on its long and oak imbued finish. Projected maturity: now-2003. The score, on a range and in parentheses, indicates that the wine was tasted from barrel. A Becky Wasserman Selection, French Fax # 011-33-3-80-24-29-70, various American importers, including Esquin Imports, San Francisco, CA; tel (415) 398-1200, Martin-Scott, Lake Success, NY; tel (516) 327-0808. And in Massachusetts: Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; tel (617) 731-6644.