1996 Chambolle-Musigny Village

Enologist Francois Millet describes this estate '97s as approachable, elegantly structured wines, with bright jammy fruit and a spicy character. They are exotic, he says, but in a positive way. Yields for the grand crus were in the tiny 20-to-25 hectoliters per hectare range, vs. 35 to 40 in the generous '96 vintage. Partly due to the low crop levels, grape sugars were the highest since he began here in the mid '80s, reaching 13%. Very little chaptalization was done, according to Millet, who was in the process of racking the wines for the second time when I visited in November. The domain '96s have turned out very well, but will require patience. (Dreyfus Ashby, New York, NY; Ideal Wines, Medford, MA; Barrique Wines, Chicago, IL; Chambers & Chambers, San Francisco, CA; The Wine Company, Minneapolis, MN, Vintner Select, Cincinnati, OH)

Enologist Francois Millet was racking the '96s for the second time in November, and a couple wines were difficult to taste. (But the Bonnes-Mares was a stunner.) Millet describes the '96s as charming and sensual, but with a tendency to close up. The grapes were large but also had reasonably thick skins. 1995, in comparison, offers more structure and power, but also great fruit. I still wonder if the wines might be even more extraordinary with a bit less handling. (Dreyfus-Ashby, New York, NY; Ideal Wines, Medford, MA; Barrique Wines, Chicago, IL; Esquin Imports, San Francisco, CA; Chambers & Chambers, San Francisco, CA)