1996 Puligny Montrachet Champ Canet

The smoky, grilled oak, and peach-scented Puligny-Montrachet Les Champs-Canet has a viscous, full-bodied, stone and mineral-flavored character. This intense, concentrated, and muscular wine possesses an impressive and lingering finish. Projected maturity: now-2003. I was unable to taste all of Jean-Marc Boillot's offerings when I visited him in November because he had "nothing left." According to him, demand has been so high for his wines that he was unable to put a few bottles aside for himself, let alone visitors. This estate's wines push the residual sugar envelope more than any other domaine I can think of in Burgundy. In massively concentrated and extracted vintages like 1995, this method tends to give the wines a sticky-sweet characteristic on the palate. In Boillot's 1996s, however, this sweetness is much more harmonious. I was surprised that these wines revealed so little of the vintage's tell-tale tangy acidity. Throughout Burgundy, vignerons are debating the advantages and disadvantages of batonnage. Boillot stands firmly in the corner of those convinced that stirring the lees benefits a wine's aromatics, body, texture, and flavor profile. To counter 1996's vibrant acidity and sharp personalities, Jean-Marc Boillot performed a batonnage three to four times a week until February, rendering them fat, leesy, and rich. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel (205) 980-8802.