1991 Le Montrachet

The 1991 Ramonet offerings are crisp, lean, elegant, and tightly knit. Again, high acidity is a hallmark in what was a notoriously low acid year. The medium-weight 1991 Le Montrachet reveals copious amounts of fruit and depth. A lovely bouquet of buttered apples, spring flowers, and honey is followed by a medium-bodied wine with layers of rich, sweet fruit. Drink this outstanding wine over the next 10-12 years. Because the Domaine Ramonet enjoys a mythical status it is fashionable to criticize the wines as not being as exceptional as they used to be. Don't fall for this line of thinking. This domaine produces some of the finest Chardonnays in the world. While other domaines have begun making superb wines over recent years (i.e., Amiot-Bonfils and Colin-Deleger), and others have always made wines as profound as Ramonet, in particular Michel Niellon, the name Ramonet still carries with it a magical significance. If there is any criticism to be leveled, it is that vintages in the late eighties and early nineties appear to possess high acidity. The domaine adamantly denies doing any acidification. Ramonet made excellent 1992s, and very good 1991s that are worthy of serious buyers' interest. As a sidelight, while discussing Noel Ramonet's favorite Le Montrachets, he proceeded to open the 1978, the only vintage of Ramonet's Le Montrachet that I had never tasted. The wine exhibits a deep golden color, but is extremely austere and backward. It appears capable of lasting another 15-20 years. It is one of those wines that is impressive more for its structure and potential longevity than for its depth of fruit or hedonistic virtues. The 1990 and 1983 Le Montrachets are Noel's favorites. He feels the 1982 should be consumed (I agree). Moreover, he thinks 1982 and 1989 are better than 1986 (I disagree). Importer: Chateaux and Estates, New York, NY.