1997 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet Clos de la Maltroie 1er Cru
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Tasting notes
Niellon, like many of his forthright colleagues, described the 1997 whites as "delicious and easy to drink." No hyperbole at this address. In the corner of Michel Niellon's cellar stands a barrel on which he places the bottles he serves visitors. When I arrived for my annual tasting, Niellon did what he always does, he moved those bottles to the floor, and pulled new, unopened ones from the stacks awaiting shipping. To my shock they were painfully closed and reeked of sulfur. After some prodding, Niellon acquiesced and allowed me to taste from the wine that had been opened for a few hours. Readers take note: these comments are from a bottled wine that had been opened and had benefited from exposure to air. The Chassagne-Montrachet Clos De La Maltroie offers vibrant aromas of minerals, stones, flowers, and citrus fruits. This is a well-focused, silky-textured wine with lemony minerals, traces of super-ripe white fruit flavors, and a long finish. Drink it over the next 5+ years. Importer: Seagram Chateau & Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel (212) 572-7725.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Pierre Rovani
More reviews and scores
Smoke, honey, white plum and white flowers on the nose. Fresh, sweet and silky in the mouth, with a honeyed richness. Lacks ultimate verve, but offers lovely texture and good length.
About the producer
From the heart of Chassagne-Montrachet, Domaine Michel Niellon embodies generations of craftsmanship and Burgundian finesse, producing elegant, terroir-driven wines from just 8 hectares.