Wine of Merit: ****+Pol Roger, Sir Winston Churchill, Champagne, 1996: Stunning. Crisp acidity, chiseled features, a champagne meant to lay down. Right now it shows bright green apple and citrus notes, great minerals, a hint of almond paste...just wonderful. The palate is refreshing and lithe. The finish offers spice, good length and more minerals. Youthfully exuberant.
****Joseph Swan Vineyards, Estate, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, pinot noir, 1996: Just lovely and surprisingly Burgundian. I always think of Swan wines as rustic and sometimes a bit difficult, but this wine has aged into a classic. Nuanced elements of cherries, black and bing, freshly turned top soil, tisane, clove. Licorice root. Not heavy or brooding at all...in fact very bright and finely balanced. The palate is impeccable, great concentration and grip, adding minerals and depth, lovely balance. Medium long, spicy finish. Kudos to Rod Berglund, who stays the course over at Swan. Really top notch.
***++R&V Dauvissat, Les Preuses, Grand Cru, Chablis, chardonnay, 1996: A great example of grand cru chablis from a great vintage. Intense, laser-focused blood orange and lemon zest. Anjou pear. Wet slate. A touch of fennel and white flowers. Bracing acids, flint and bees wax on the gliding palate. Not oxidized at all. Great the next day in fact. Wonderful.
***+Dominique Laurent, Clos de la Roche, Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, pinot noir, 1996: Lovely and nicely balanced front to back. Excellent fruit, integration and depth. Darker cherry elements, supporting spice and rose hip, underbrush, minerals, cinnamon. The palate shows good grip and length, with fine but pronounced tannins that offer confidence for longer cellaring. Surprisingly old school in style from the more new world oriented Laurent. Delicious.
***+Sylvian Cathaird, Les Malconsorts, 1er Cru, Vosne Romanee, pinot noir, 1996: Delicious. I wish I had spent more time with this wine. Perhaps slightly awkward on opening, with time the wine reveals nuance and complexity; bing cherry, ginger, underbrush, licorice root and smoke all seem to intertwine and emerge as a pot pourri-like melange. The palate is firm and perhaps a bit angular, though again with time it softens, sweetens and fills, adding great tagine spices. A wine for grown-ups. I liked it very much.
***Bernard Defaix, Cote de Lechet, 1er Cru, Chablis, chardonnay, 1996: Similar to the Dauvissat, just a bit less so. Perhaps a bit more rustic. Delicious, citrus fruit and zest, now with an element of citrus pith. Liquid minerals, crushed oyster shell. Not quite as sharply focused on the palate as the Grand Cru. Still very lively and very much in form. An excellent effort.
***Jean Marc Boillot, Les Perrieres, 1er Cru, Puligny Montrachet, chardonnay, 1996: Happily this wine also was in good form. Initially demure, this wine opened to warm crushed gravel, white fruits and a touch of lavender. Perhaps a bit more feminine than its chablis counterparts, with a touch less length. Still, delicious.
***Williams Selyem, Hirsch vineyard, Sonoma Coast, pinot noir, 1996: After the Caithard and the Swan, this is like having a black cherry milkshake. A bowl full of cherries, cola, cream, vanilla, a hint of spearmint and caramelized brown sugar...what this wine lacks in sophistication it makes up for in simple enjoyment. Very fresh and full. I was surprised that it did not have the weight, the smoke or the dark fruit elements I associate with Sonoma Coast pinot. Not very nuanced, deep or for that matter interesting, it is undoubtedly delicious. Fun and tasty.
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