1996 Nuits Saint Georges Les Saint-Georges 1er Cru

Regis Forey says he picked on the early side in 1997 because he was afraid of a disequilibrium between alcohol and matiere. Although grape sugars reached the 12.5%-12.7% range, none of the crus needed to be acidified. (In contrast, Forey says he harvested a bit too late in '98: sugars were even higher and more cuvees needed to be acidified.) "1997 should be flowery and aromatic," notes Forey, "without pronounced acid or hard tannins they're made to drink with pleasure after two or three years. It a balanced vintage without dilution," he adds, "better than '94, '92 and '91." Forey did a vendange verte in most of his crus in 1996, as well as a considerable amount of saignee although the '96s are closing down, Forey prefers them to his '95s, but maintains that "1993 is the best of all."

Despite the relatively high crop levels of 1996, Regis Forey admires the balance of this vintage. Beginning with healthy material but fearing the possibility of slight dilution, Forey did a long cuvaison and more pigeage than usual to get a bit more extraction of tannins. Forey was a bit less enthusiastic about '95, describing the wines as more confiture or jammy, yet with a hint of greenness, and best suited for mid-term drinking, like the '85s. He had no idea what the pHs of the finished '95s were, but guessed that they were higher than normal. The samples of '95 I tasted in Forey cellar were 375 ml. bottles, and all showed varying degrees of cooked character, verging on oxidation. But, based on a bottle of Gaudichots I opened in New York in January, I am confident that the 750 ml. bottles shipped to America are at least slightly fresher.

Despite the relatively high crop levels of 1996, Regis Forey admires the balance of this vintage. Beginning with healthy material but fearing the possibility of slight dilution, Forey did a long cuvaison and more pigeage than usual to get a bit more extraction of tannins. Forey was a bit less enthusiastic about '95, describing the wines as more confiture or jammy, yet with a hint of greenness, and best suited for mid-term drinking, like the '85s. He had no idea what the pHs of the finished '95s were, but guessed that they were higher than normal. The samples of '95 I tasted in Forey cellar were 375 ml. bottles, and all showed varying degrees of cooked character, verging on oxidation. But, based on a bottle of Gaudichots I opened in New York in January, I am confident that the 750 ml. bottles shipped to America are at least slightly fresher.