1996 Volnay Pitures 1er Cru

1997 produced elegant, fruity wines without great profundity, says Boillot, adding that they took on structure and complexity during their levage Boillot, who benefitted from having purchased a new apparatus in time to cool the musts in '97, did his normal one week cold maceration and three weeks of total maceration. Although he admitted to acidifying a few cuvees following the '98 harvest, he says he did not acidify the '97s: "Having used organic fertilizers for the last ten years, I can say the soil now has a better balance." Boillot '96 reds are firm, fruity and squeaky clean. "One knows just how these wines will age," he says. "On the other hand, the '95s from the Cote de Beaune are rather tough today, without quite enough middle," notes Boillot, adding that he has said this from the outset. He rates the '95s as just fair to good. Interestingly, Boillot says the '97s display their terroir first, while the '96s, like the '93s and '90s before them, are characterized more by the vintage than by their soil. I tasted the '97s from cuves in November, where they were awaiting bottling in January and February. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; also a Becky Wasserman Selection; importers include Esquin Imports, San Francisco, CA and Atlanta Wholesale, Atlanta, GA.)

With holdings across the best sites of the Cote de Beaune, Boillot is a very good source of objective intelligence on the relative merits of vintages-and it helps that this softspoken but articulate winemaker is not prone to overstatement. 1995, Boillot notes, was more successful on the Cote de Nuits than on the Cote de Beaune, as the harvest in the southern part of the Cote d'Or was more affected by rain. The vintage has produced spicy, minerally wines that are a bit austere, according to Boillot; the Pommards were favored while the Volnays seem a bit more severe. 1996, in comparison, offers superb fruit, more fruit-driven complexity and finer tannins. Sugar levels were generally a bit lower than those of '95, and acidity levels somewhat higher. I tasted the '96s out of cuve where they were being prepared for January bottling. By bringing down the temperature of the juice, says Boillot, it easier to clarify the wine with the fining. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; also a Becky Wasserman Selection; importers include Esquin Imports, San Francisco, CA and Atlanta Wholesale, Atlanta, GA.)