1998 Vosne-Romanée Les Hautes Maizières

Pascal Lachaux has made a set of rather easygoing '98s that for the most part avoid the hard tannins shown by so many wines from Vosne-Romanee in this vintage. Yields averaged just under 40 hectoliters per hectare, but were lower in Suchots and Echezeaux due to spring frost. Grape sugars were healthy (most wines were chaptalized a half-degree or so), but below the very high levels of '97. The '98s here will be firmer wines than the '97s, but the top '97s will offer at least as much early pleasure. (Represented by Russell Herman, Berkeley Heights, NJ; importers include V.O.S. Selections, Inc., New York, NJ; also a Peter Vezan Selection, imported by Esquin Imports, San Anselmo, CA; The Stacole Co., Boca Raton, FL; and Import!, Madison, WI)