1996 Le Montrachet

Dark gold. Rich marzipan nose. More acid than I'd expect and less gras. Sturdy and savoury. Bone-dry finish. Not mind blowing. A bit strict for me, but not at all oxidised. (JR)

Harvested at a whopping 14% potential natural alcohol, Lafon's mind-blowing 1996 Montrachet is brilliant. Sublime mineral, stone, smoke, and toasted nut aromatics are followed by a wondrous, concentrated, extracted, and sublimely classy personality. Oily layers of liquid minerals, red berries, anise, hazelnuts, and white flowers can be found in this massive, full-bodied, mouth-coating, and palate-saturating wine. Incredibly, just when the taster believes the palate has realized the brunt of this explosive gem's assault on the senses, it expands to even greater heights. The wine has a compellingly long finish. This is a tour de force! The rating, with the range of scores in parentheses, indicates the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Dominique Lafon performed more batonnage than usual on his 1996s, "to give them more richness," he said. However, unlike some other vignerons, Lafon abandons the practice when the malos start because he wants his wines to be protected by the carbon dioxide gas that is a by product of a wine's malo-lactic fermentation. Lafon's yields were between 35 and 45 hectoliters/hectare, demonstrating his dedication to quality in this potentially high-yielding vintage. Importer: Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; tel (617) 731-6644.

The initial hints of secondary development are now beginning to manifest themselves yet this remains youthful and still largely primary on the fantastically complex nose that offers up an explosive mix of white flower aromas, spice hints and ripe citrus notes that continue on to the vibrant, muscular, dense and exceptionally powerful flavors that possess flat out incredible detail, all wrapped in a racy, elegant and gorgeously pure finish. This is a jaw-dropping combination of superb punch yet this remains a wine of nuance and it seems as though the length just won't quit. While this is certainly an amazing, even dramatic wine already, I would leave it be for another 4 to 8 years, depending on how cool you keep your cellar. A great Lafon Montrachet. Note that the most recent bottle played right on the edge of evident oxidation and for my taste was on the verge of cracking.